Kobudo Master Yukio Kuniyoshi with sai

After shooting in the studio we asked Kuniyoshi sensei if I could take a few shots outside the dojo. I used powerful battery powered Profoto B1 light for illumination and asked Kuniyoshi to stand on a table to set him against the sky.

Kobudo Master Yukio Kuniyoshi with suruchin

In the first three shots the sun is behind the clouds just right of the image. The B1 was at full power (500w/s) or approximately eight regular speedlights. This allowed me to shoot at around f16 and darken down the sky to show detail in the clouds.

Kobudo Master Yukio Kuniyoshi with tonfa

The following shot with the sun shining directly towards the lens has a definite epic feel to it. Normally I don’t want sections of the image to be completely blown out, but in this case, I think it works.

Kobudo Master Yukio Kuniyoshi “I am Okinawa!!!!!!”