Here are a few photographs from an early morning beach shoot with Amanda modeling some of Suzanne Somersall’s jewelry. Beautiful morning light, but in minutes it would transform into scorching summer sun. At that point we retreated to the shade. Amanda had her longboard in the car, so it seemed like to good an opportunity to capture some images with a surfer vibe. You can see more of Suzanne’s Jewelry on her homepage at kirakirajewelry.com
First image from a portfolio shoot with model Kelvin Mesmin. I found that to accentuate form when shooting the body, bring the lights further off center. This creates better play of light and shadow rather than a flat light. (In landscape terms this would be the difference between the soft long shadows of late afternoon light compared to the hard short shadows of midday.)
There’s something different about Pete. A few days back he was bitten by a crazy man. The happy go lucky guy I once knew seems to be developing a dark side. Pete became paranoid, afraid of catching the virus that was causing havoc in the city. He wore his gas mask day and night, but it was too little, too late. The madness had already begun.
A first attempt at capturing bear mid shake. Thanks to Michael and Pete for assisting and Bear for being repeatedly soaked. It’s a good job labs like water. Lighting – Beauty Dish as the main light, magnum reflector behind Bear, both powered by Profoto Pro-7a. The beauty dish illuminates Bear, while the strobe behind bear illuminates the droplets. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
My younger sister used to work in Sheffield’s steel industry, which makes the following comment almost heresy. I just bought a ceramic knife. Although they’re both usually white, a ceramic knife is very different from the dull plastic utensil you’re given on planes or at picnics. Constructed from zirconium dioxide the blade is hard and it’s edge is very, very sharp. On Okinawa where you live in a mix of humidity, rain and salt spray, steel doesn’t stand much of a chance. Knives, cars, lawnmowers, and bicycles are quickly reduced to junk. (Prizes to those who spotted the pun in the last sentence.) Although the knife is more brittle than a metal blade, (you’ll break the tip if you try to lever the lid off a can of paint) it’s still an impressive piece of engineering. Until recently, I’d always associated high-tech ceramics with the Space Shuttle, but now it is companies like Kyocera who are at the cutting edge of technology.
The first thing you notice when you arrive in Okinawa are the orchids. They greet you at the airport, then in the hotel lobby, and if you’re staying somewhere nice, in your room. They are also a common gift, when you might otherwise give a bunch of flowers. When people start a new business, move house, or even hold an exhibition it’s quite common to see an impressive display of orchids. If you want to see a large variety of orchids on Okinawa, check out Bios Botanical Gardens in Uruma City or the Tropical Dream Center located in Expo park a short walk from the Churaumi Aquarium.
Great Photography 101 workshop last weekend. Saturday was all about the fundamentals, looking at how we can better control aperture, exposure and composition, then on Sunday we explored the Yomitan peninsular to practice our techniques. Shirley got this great shot of a couple posing at Cape Maeda. I like the way she’s positioned the couple away from the center of the frame for better composition, and captured the decisive moment as they both smile for their own photograph. And here’s a shot of me demonstrating that you sometimes have to get down to the same level as your subjects. As one of Japan’s most famous diving and snorkeling spots it was not surprising that on a gorgeous day in August there were plenty of people enjoying the water. I took at quick photograph of the scene, and when looking at the image on the computer it reminded of the Where’s Wally books. (Where’s Waldo in the U.S.) I put the full size image up on Flickr, scroll around the screen to check out everyone having …
Adan trees are a common sight along the beaches of Okinawa. They seem to tolerate the salty soils and buffeting winds better than almost any other plant. At first glance, the adan fruit is often mistaken for a pineapple. I don’t know any people that eat it, but it does seem to be a popular treat with the island’s crab population.
Here’s a couple of night photographs I’ve taken since Trevor’s light painting course last month. The first shot had an exposure of about half a minute, the second shot was closer to 15 minutes.
Not often that you look up at the night sky and wonder if The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are about to burst through the clouds.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 