Author: travel67

smc PENTAX-D FA645 25mmF4AL[IF] SDM AW

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Pentax has announced that a new super wide lens will arrive in April for the Pentax 645D system. It looks like it will be an amazing piece of equipment. At 25mm it will be the equivalent of a 19.5mm lens on a FF 35mm camera. If mounted on a film 645 camera (or a future full frame 645D) it will be the equivalent of 15.5mm.  Similar to the new 55mm it has excellent optics enclosed in a weatherproof body. An interesting thing to note is the built in filter holder behind the large curved front lens. The dial on the left allows you to rotate a circular polarizer while the filter is sealed away inside the lens. This is a great feature, and is something I really like about my huge 67 400mm lens.  A few things that may rise a few eyebrows…   At 1070 grams this is going to add a fair bit of weight to your camera bag. At around 4000 dollars (￥361,782 at Amazon.co.jp) this is a serious amount of money. It …

Okayama to Osaka

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Took the bullet train from Okayama to Osaka. I’m not a trainspotter, but it’s hard not to be impressed by these trains. The N700 is the latest version of the 700 series train. Max speed is 300 km/h (186 mph) and, due to its ability to tilt, it can take curves in the track at 270 km/h.

Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Man Festival) in Okayama

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Things have been a little hectic the last few weeks. Just got back from a weekend up on the mainland. Saturday night was the Hadaka Matsuri in Okayama. (You can read more about the city in  The Best of Okayama. ) Hadaka Matsuri or Naked Man Festival  is one of Japan’s most unusual festivals. It will culminate with a brawl between about 9000 almost naked men. At the start of the evening, things are more subdued. Locals light candles and say their prayers as they await the chaos. Inside Saidai-ji Temple the monks begin to chant. The smoke from incense burners hangs in the air. A lone man stands at the temple. It’s close to freezing outside, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He won’t be alone for long…

Kiku-san and the carrot

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Kiku-san is 92 years old. She has a small garden next to her house where she tends her vegetables. She grows lettuces, radishes, garlic and carrots. There are a few important things to note from this simple series of images with regards to longevity. The first is that Kiku-san grows and eats a large range of vegetables. The second is that she is gardening and exercising even though it’s mid February. Third, she is smiling. So there you are, three keys to a long life. Eat your veggies, exercise, smile. Enjoy the rest of your lives 🙂

On the bookshelf: Going Pro

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There are some interesting photography books available that discuss how to work as a photographer. I thought I’d discuss a few of them in the same post as they are less about the art of photography and more about the realities of surviving as a professional. There are many books out there, these just happen to be four that are on my bookshelf. The first, Photographs That Sell and Sell… by Roger Antrobus is a brief introduction to stock photography. The book was published in 2003, and due to the changes in the stock industry, is now, in some respects, very out of date. The good points are that it explains how, if you can capture great photographs, it is possible to sell them as stock images to newspapers, magazines, and advertising. Antrobus shows examples of his images that made him a lot of money, and explains why he thinks they were successful. What is not discussed is that the price paid for stock images has crashed in recent years, while the number of people taking …

Cherry Blossom in Okinawa

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Spring is officially here in Okinawa. Cherry blossom is in full bloom, and it’s starting to warm up. The cherry trees in Okinawa produce dense pink blossoms, quite unlike the pale blooms up on mainland Japan. The most popular viewing spot in Okinawa is not a large public park, but on the twisty road up Yae mountain near Nago City. It’s a pretty drive, but get there very early, or you’ll get stuck in a long line of cars. Equipment: Pentax 645D, Pentax 67 to 645 adapter, Pentax 67 Macro 100mm  

Visions of Japan at Global Gallery – A few thoughts

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It’s been a couple of months since I held my Visions of Japan exhibition at Global Gallery. I’d promised I’d write a  post about the experience of putting on this exhibition, sorry it took so long. (If you haven’t read it all ready, take a look at my previous post Zen and the Art of Photography Exhibitions in which I talk about what I learned from my first few shows) 1) Space I had more space for this exhibition. It was great to be able to show a large range of images. I did however only hire half the gallery to save on rental costs. I was able to display around 20 framed A2 landscapes and 24  matted A3 portraits.  The larger area also gave me the space for several tables from where I could display and sell prints. 2) Costs The basic costs for gallery rental, postcards and posters came to a little over 100,000 yen or $1000. In addition to this were the costs of producing the pieces for display. 3) Sales This …