(5, May, 2023)
This article is about;
・Nagi Yoshida, a Japanese photographer of African tribal fashions.
・You will know her profile, all of her SNS, Background Episodes, Artworks and Photobook information.
※As I am a Japanese, I want her art-world known to more people and highly evaluated globally.
１．Prologue～who is Nagi Yoshida?
What do you know about African tribes? You may say vivid color fashions, their traditional music, song, dance or incredible physical abilities.
Nagi Yoshida, a Japanese Photographer, is the one who is enthusiastic about the beauty of African tribes. She got attracted to amazing Africas when she was a kid, dreaming of seeing them in real someday. And she made her dream come true as a photographer, getting fame in Japan gradually.
This article summarizes information about Nagi Yoshida, Profile, SNS, background Episodes, amazing photos of African tribes and a little bit of biography.
・Profile, SNS
| Name | Nagi Yoshida (ヨシダナギ) |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Born in | 1986 |
| Hometown | Tokyo, Japan |
| Model of Camera | D810 Nikon |
・SNS
Official Website：nagi-yoshida.com
Facebook：Nagi Yoshida Photography
Instagram：nagiyoshida
Twitter：@nagi_yoshida
２．Background Episode of Nagi Yoshida～Why is she crazy for Africa?
Nagi Yoshida was addicted to African beauty since she saw Maasai people for the first time on TV show when she was just 5 years old. Since then, she dreamed of growing up like them, just like those super heroes. However, as she got older, she realized she was Japanese and could not be like them, but her love for Africa kept the same. No one around her, didn’t sympathize with her strong affection toward Africa.
At age of 23 in 2009, she decided to go to Africa alone to assure her belief by seeing the real coolness of African Tribes who awakened her as an Photographer later. As she went to African countries, spent time with them and had experiences, she found a way to survive there such as the mentality and method to take good pictures with natural cool beauties of Africans which makes her photographical aesthetic.
Her most characteristic philosophy (or method) of photo-taking is to disguise the same as the people there, the African tribes. For Nagi Yoshida, she has envied their fashion since childhood and it is her natural desire to wear the same clothes with them. At the same time, the “models” feel the respect and appreciate this Japanese lady disguising in the same fashion as them, and they open their hearts to her at last.
Nagi Yoshida disguising same as Muhuila３．Photos of African Beauty by Nagi Yoshida
In this chapter, you can see some of her impressive works from her Instagram, books and TV show capture. The Coolness of her works must rock you.
・Maasai people, United Republic of Tanzania
✅Geographic location of Tanzania
Maasai are one of the most famous African Tribes. Japanese TV shows often feature Maasai tribes, focussing on their superhuman physical ability; super clear eyesight, high jumping, hunting lions etc..
Nagi Yoshida was addicted to Africa, when she first saw the Maasai tribe as a child on TV show. She made her dream come true, visiting them, sharing time together and taking great photos.
Maasai people and Nagi Yoshida・Suri people, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
✅Geographic location of Ethiopia
The first African country that Nagi Yoshida visited was Ethiopia. On her first trip, she struggled with communication, language gap, money shortage and cultural difference.
In Ethiopia, she met many kinds of tribes. Suri was one of the most impressive & beautiful tribes.
この投稿をInstagramで見る
・Himba people, Republic of Namibia
✅Geographic location of Namibia
Himba tribe is pasting red clay on their entire body to make it look shiny & beautiful colors like the picture above, with exotic special hair style. In order to wear the same fashion with them, Nagi Yoshida tried red clay on her skin, which took 4 days to clean up completely.
Nagi Yoshida in Himba fashion・Muhuila people, Republic of Angola
✅Geographic location of Angola
On her trip to Angola to see Muhuila tribe, she had difficulty communicating because they were very shy away from cameras.
There at first, she went through the initiation of the local shaman.
And she disguised in the same fashion as them. Gradually, Muhuila people liked her, made friends and open their hearts to act in such an amazing photo.
この投稿をInstagramで見る
Finally, she was allowed to see their secret and traditional ceremony for coming of age day for women. Probably this was the first time in the world to film this sacred ceremony.
４．Photobooks by Nagi Yoshida～Good columnist as well
Here are photobooks by Nagi Yoshida. HEROES is the best selection of her works. Minor tribes all over the world are literally her heroes.
SURI COLLECTION features Suri tribe, the very attractive fashion from Ethiopia.
Nagi Yoshida is a good columnist as well. 「ヨシダ、裸でアフリカを行く」, which means Yoshida, trip to the Africa, naked, is her biography; why she is addicted to Africa? Her trip essay to African countries, what she learnd from African people and so on.
*Book is available only in Japanese.
５．Epilogue
Not only the photos, but also episodes of Nagi Yoshida interest us; at first she was not good at communication in English. She struggled but got over it gradually with body language. And she faced many troubles. She was robbed of money by her co-travelling guide. Her hotel had no roof, no key and no shower room etc.. Her episodes going through such difficulties give us lessons to survive difficult times and I respect her strong mentality.
Her most characteristic act is disguising the same as African tribes showing her love & respect to them. It makes her photos special one and only. As a Japanese person, I want her great works to be known to more people all over the world.
This article gave you information about Nagi Yoshida, a Japanese Photographer of amazing African tribes. If you are into her aesthetics, please follow her SNS and get her photo-books etc.
→Check out her SNS back to Chapter1
And don’t forget bookmarking this article and my blog.
Fin.
