Kluso is a singer / songwriter based in Okinawa. I’ve seen him play live several times, and it’s a pleasure to have someone with such talent and love of music living just down the road. Kluso’s style of music is best described as Americana, a blend of folk, country, blues and rock. Inluences include Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, David Gray and even Oasis. Please check out Kluso’s music on his website, or on iTunes. His new album Determination will be available soon.
Batten down the hatches… It’s turned orange…. must be getting angry
Okinawa is in the midst of a perfect storm of bad weather. Rainy season on Okinawa usually runs from around May 10th to June 23rd, although this year it began 11 days early. Meanwhile typhoon season runs from June 1st to November 30th, but we’ve already had one mild typhoon and a bigger one is on the way. If you’re a photographer and aren’t aware of the effects of continued humidity on your gear please read this previous blog entry: Protecting-your-camera-equipment-from-mould. If you’re new to Okinawa and aren’t aware of what you need to do before a typhoon hits then here are a few pointers. Before it gets windy and rainy. Tidy up the garden / balcony. Your neighbors won’t be impressed if they find your parasol embedded in their car windscreen. Have bottled water for drinking, and fill the bath so that you have water to refill the toilet cistern. Have some food that you can eat without using electricity or gas. Have a batteries and flashlights ready before you get a power …
“Love & Hope” is a new exhibition to be held at the Pentax Forum Gallery in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The exhibition is currently scheduled to take place from June 8 to June 20, and July 6 to July 18. Images will printed B0 size (1030mm by 1,370mm) which should be amazing. The first part of the exhibition will have 10 images each shot by a different photographer. Pentax asked if I’d take part, and they chose this image of Jessica as one of 10 to be exhibited.
All good things must come to an end. I packed up the 25mm lens and sent it with Kuro-Neko (Black Cat Couriers) back to its home in Shinjuku. It’s a pity that the rainy season came early this year, as I’d hoped to have got a wider selection of images with the lens. It’s a huge piece of glass. It’s a giant in terms of size, weight and cost, but also quality. If you have the cash, and want to get as wide as possible, then this lens could be just what you’re looking for.
I’ve had several people asking if I can explain how I took the latest set of studio portraits. Here is the answer with the help of the Lighting Setup generator by Kevin Kertz. The mainlight, a 150cm gridded octobox, was powered by a Profoto Pro-7a 1200W generator. The two hair lights, 30x120cm gridded softboxes, were powered by Profoto ComPact monolights. The generator was triggered with a PocketWizard which then triggered the two hair lights via their optical slaves. I used the Pentax 645D with a Pentax 67 105mm lens and a 67 to 645 adapter.
Continuing on from the location shoot with the E-type Jaguar, we moved into the studio. We worked our way through the various pieces in Suzanne’s LUXE collection so that she will have a wide range of images to work with when producing catalogs, websites or posters. The large files produced by the 645D camera mean that the client (Suzanne) will have more options with how the images can be used and the detail in the pieces was fantastic. A big thanks to Amanda for modeling, and Ursula (Ursula Styles) for hair and makeup. Check out more of Suzanne’s jewelry at Kirakirajewelry.com
PHOTOGRAPHY 101 Weekend Workshops June 25&26 and July 2&3. Who is the course for? The beginner or novice photographer who has a digital SLR and wishes to progress beyond the green fully auto mode. People who want to take better photographs of their friends and family rather than point, shoot and hope for the best. What do I need to bring? Your digital SLR camera, lens, your camera manual, memory card, battery and charger. If you have a digital compact rather than a digital SLR camera then I can lend you a digital SLR for the course. You don’t need a particular brand of camera or lens. What does the course cover? Equipment – The anatomy of cameras, lenses, memory cards, filters and tripods. Exposure – Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, Camera Modes, Metering Composition – Angles, Repetition, Rules, Lines, Simplicity Data Management – Sorting, storing and protecting your images. This is a fun workshop rather than a lecture. As we cover new topics we will be taking photographs, reviewing the images, and discussing the results. …
Light Painting and Night Photography Course July 8 & 9 (& 10) Painting the Night with guest instructor Trevor Williams $150 or ¥12,500 Come join me for two nights of fun and photography. I would like to introduce the magic of light painting and night photography. The first night we will be covering long exposure and night photography essentials. Learn how to make an image rather than take an image. Use time and light to build up your picture from a black canvas in to exactly what you envisioned. You’ll then be prepared for the second night which will focus on light painting and other creative techniques. I will reveal some of my secrets and show you step by step how to create amazing light paintings. You’ll also learn how to make custom tools and use them creatively. Light painting and night photography has a certain magic about it. When the shutter closes you will find your self running back to the camera to see what you have captured. Friends and family will be stunned by the images you’ve been able to create. After the weekend you’ll have …
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 