ca 1952-54 Rx Northern Okinawa Journey - Sequel One "My Friend, Rev. Bell" & Friends

"Blackie The Photographer" filmed these 1952-54 historic trips in both 16mm and medium format photography. With Rev. Bell, Pastor Kamiyama and Kinjo, Blackie's number one photographer assistant, they trekked Northern Okinawa on the western tip and to Oku, the most northern village, over back roads, mountain trails and rocky beaches... resulting in documentary photojournalism of the best kind.

I began this documentary research in 2004 when I acquire the rights to research and publish my collection of my father's works and his memoir "What A Wonderful Life" ©1994 by "Blackie Bradford" ("Blackie the Photographer"). How this happen was by fate. After two Florida hurricanes had flooded our house and with my Mother's and older brother's permission, I rescued those 45 year old, dirty and damaged boxes to keep them from being discarded to the roadside for pick-up and disposal.

   / wbm2012  .

From 2005-2008, the dirty dusty boxes were moved several times, and stored in many different locations. But over time these ragged boxes of books, old pictures, old film cans, old negatives and rundown VHS videos were finally dusted off and partially reviewed with some very crude scanning techniques.

In 2009, with no experience, the first digital film videos were started. In 2010-2012, the first local art member amateur exhibitions were attended with mixed media photo imagery and Youtube videos from the "Blackie-San" Okinawa Project.

In 2014 and to my great surprise, after receiving a request from the Tsuha family - to exhibit the City of Yonabaru's “1950's Great Tug-of-War” Youtube video, I was subsequently granted physical possession and joint copyright ownership to my father's negatives that were still in Okinawa.

This ten year amateur artistic journey has been inspiring to say the least. And although the hurricanes, technological and logistical challenges, health crises, bi-lingual research obstacles, family and geo-strategic politics, etc. and legal battles have been very demanding, the project has been very blessed and instructive.

But the final phases of mixing, editing, research, storytelling and collaborating on a multi-media project "half-way around the world" with mixed media material should be finally within sight - over the next two years.

Many individuals have made this possible and especially my latest group of research acquaintances. So thank you very much. The "elephant" does have wings.

But bottom line, it is the citizens of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands who have highly benefited from this storytelling project in color, and black & white. For without my father's dedication to documentary photojournalism and commercial photography for 18 years, and the assistance of so many friends and the Tsuha family, none of this would be possible.

Thanks “Blackie The Photographer” & All Friends.

Thanks, s/brad.

WBM Bradford
WBMStudioArts
Mr. Joe Tsuha Sr. and family
Shin Zukeran
Otis Bell Jr. and the Bell family
Michael Lynch, Ryukyu Life.com
Donn Cuson
Hayashi Toma
Fumiko Iwaya
The Drake Family
The Bollinger's
The Spencer's
The Rickard's
The Barbieri's
The Taira's
The Brotman's

"Enjoy, Get Involved & Believe."