Author: travel67

Multitasking for Photographers

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The job of a photographer is getting more and more complicated. In the past photographers have had to be their own promoter, accountant, travel agent, porter and therapist. More recently  many photographers have added the role of writer and blogger, but perhaps the biggest change is going to be the increasing importance of both video and sound.  Take a look inside the camera bag of travel photographer Tewfic El-Sawy: * Canon EOS 5D Mark II * Canon G10 (ideal for unobtrusive street photography) * Canon 17-40mm f4.0 * Canon 28-70mm f 2.8 * Canon 24mm f1.4 * Marantz PMD 620 Audio Recorder * Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop (w/LR2 and SoundSlides) * A 250gb G-Tech Mini G-Drive External Hard Drive  * Blackberry & an iTouch  Along with all the camera gear there is a Marantz PMD 620 Audio Recorder. When I met Guardian photographer David Levene a few months ago I noticed that along with  two Canon EOS 5D Mark IIs and a wide selection of lenses he also carried an Edirol Audio Recorder. …

More waterproof cameras… Pentax Optio W80

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Pentax have just announced the latest model in their popular waterproof compact camera range, the Pentax Optio W80. I mentioned in a previous blog about how good these little cameras are as a worry free point & shoot. My sister, dad and Seiko all have different models of the camera, and yesterday I was given my own W60 so that I’m not always borrowing theirs. The W80 will be on sale from next month for just under 300 dollars at Amazon.com. This latest model has 12.1 megapixels and is now coldproof as well as waterproof (to 5 meters) along with being able to record HD video. This does mean that as soon as the W80 is available there should be plenty of places selling off the W60 cheaply. Right now, at Amazon the W60is $259, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this dropped to $200 over the next few weeks. I won’t be using the camera for assignments, but for everyday events, images for the blog and documenting things the dogs have destroyed the camera should be …

Okinawan Bus Driver Kills Boy

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From JapanUpdate Okinawa’s weekly English newspaper: City bus strikes, kills bike-riding youngster Date Posted: 2009-06-25 A seven-year-old boy is dead after being run over by a Nanjo City bus Monday afternoon. Nanjo City Police say the fatality occurred as a city bus driver on the Baten Branch run in Tsuhako, Sashiki area of Nanjo City, on Route 331, encountered the young boy on a bicycle in front of him. The bus driver reportedly tried to get the youngster, Kousei Chinen, to move to the side of the road, and tried to pass him. When the bus driver sounded his bus horn, the noise surprised the elementary school student and caused him to lose control of his bicycle. Chinen fell from the bicycle, and beneath the bus. The driver, realizing what happened, stopped the bus about 100 meters from the accident. A passenger aboard the bus ran to the youngster, saw his school nametag, and called him “Kousei chan, Come on, please. Can you hear me?” The boy was transported to a nearby hospital, where he …

The end of KODACHROME

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On June 22, 2009 Kodak announced it was ending production of KODACHROME slide films.  KODACHROME was an icon in the world of photography. The first professional photographer I talked to said he used nothing but KODACHROME 64. Kodak has however moved on. Not only does KODACHROME amount to less than one percent of Kodak’s film sales there is only one place in the world that still processes the film. I am amazed it has survived this long. Kodak  still produces transparency film. So once again this is not the death of film, but simply a change in the type of film people are using. Kodak’s pro films are the KODAK PROFESSIONAL ELITE Chrome series which I haven’t used, but I am sure are excellent. I however will stick with Fujifilm Provia. It’s what I have used almost exclusively over the past 9 years, and it provides exactly what I want – fine grain and great saturated colors. 

Island Icons – Sanshin Virtuoso Byron Jones

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After mentioning Byron Jones in the previous post I thought I should put up the entire interview for those who didn’t see it in the magazine. Sanshin Virtuoso Byron Jones was born in Quantico, Virginia. In 1985 his father, a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was transferred to Camp Foster on Okinawa. Byron attended high school on base, but developed a deep interest in the local Ryukyu culture. At 19, he started playing the sanshin, a traditional Okinawan three-string instrument, which would become his passion. As his proficiency increased, he gained a reputation in the local and national media as “more Japanese than the Japanese.” Byron now teaches the sanshin at various places including the University of the Ryukyus. What is your musical background? I played the clarinet when I was in the 4th Grade, and in high school, one of my friends taught me to play guitar. I saw a sanshin for the first time while visiting my friend’s house and immediately wanted to learn how to play. It wasn’t possible to rent …

Okinawan Sanshin in a Pussycat Dolls’ Song?

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Listening to the local radio station the other day I heard a song by The Pussycat Dolls. The tune would have been forgettable except for the fact that it sounds like an Okinawan sanshin is playing in the background. Does anyone happen to know if it really is a sanshin? The song is called Whatcha Think About That  The Okinawan sanshin is a three stringed instrument, similar to a banjo. It is a close relative of the shamisen that is played on mainland Japan. Here’s a shot of professional sanshin player Byron Jones that I took for Okinawa Living. 

Polarize your views

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Polarizing light Putting a polarizing filter between the sunlight and your eyes (or your camera) reduces glare and increases color saturation. In the image below the left side had no filter while the right side had a polarizing filter. Polarized Sunglasses Polarized sunglasses are for me one of life’s joys. They make the world just a little bit better. Reducing glare reduces eye strain while driving. When you are on a dive boat you can see what is underwater much more easily. And the sky is bluer with better defined clouds. Polarized sunglasses tend to be more expensive than regular sunglasses and like with most optics you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to quality. I am a fan of Oakley’s polarized sunglasses which manage to combine high optical quality with light weight. Polarizing filters for your lenses Putting a polarizing filter on the front of your camera will have the same effect as polarized sunglasses. It will reduce glare and increase color saturation. It will also halve the amount of …

Fender Japan Stratocasters

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The Fender Stratocaster guitar is an American icon. So why you may ask am I writing about it in a photography blog about Japan… Imitation may be the highest form of flattery, but in the early 80’s Fender USA was trying to deal with a flood of foreign-made Stratocaster-like guitars. Fender decided to make the best of a bad situation and set up Fender Japan to produce Japanese Fender guitars for the Japanese  market. Fender Japan was particularly good at producing vintage reissues. So good in fact that Dan Smith, Fender’s Director of Marketing said:“Everybody came up to inspect them and the guys almost cried, because the Japanese  product was so good – it was what we had been having a hell of a time trying to do.”  Fender Japan guitars are not officially exported to Europe or America, these markets are supplied with Fenders from Mexico or, for the higher end models, from the US. There is a healthy used market however. My friend John exports Japanese made guitars to musicians and collectors all …

Green Tea Coke!

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Most Japanese women prefer to drink green tea rather than soda. This is good for their health but bad for soda companies. But then big business had a cunning plan….. On June 8th, Coca-Cola Plus Green Tea Flavor appeared in stores across Japan.

Gion Matsuri, Kyoto July 17th

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As I mentioned in a previous post it’s probably more useful to learn about festivals before they occur rather than seeing photos of an event you just missed. In exactly one month, on July 17th the main parade of floats will take place as part of Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri. The huge floats are called Yamaboko and are dragged through the streets by teams of men. They do not go through the cobbled streets of Gion but rather trundle along the main shopping streets Shijo, Kawaramachi and Oike. The streets are packed with spectators but usually you can find a spot where you can get a decent view. I recommend the main intersections as this is where the floats have to be rotated 90 degrees, an impressive feat of strength and teamwork. You can read more about visiting Kyoto in my article The Best of Kyoto.