A fun shoot with another Japanese icon. The Nissan GTR is a technological marvel, able to make far more expensive European and American supercars look archaic and sluggish. Shot with the 645Z and 25mm lens. Shutter speed was kept relatively slow at 1/125 to show motion on the road. A huge thanks to Michael for bringing his beast to the shoot.
Another in the Beyond the Dojo series shot with Shimabukuro sensei at Katsuren Castle. The castle is a very important place for him. On January 1st he holds the first training session of the year within its walls. His grandmother was also one of the noro (priestesses) that would lead prayers at the castle shrines. Shot with the Pentax 645Z and 25mm lens. Profoto B1 strobe with white softlight reflector.
Tsuneo Shimabukuro, 9th-dan Uechi-ryu Karate and 9th-dan Ryukyu Kobudo. Photographed as part of the Karate Masters Portrait Project on September 16th, 2015. Photographed using the Pentax 645Z, 90mm lens, Profoto 7a generator with pro-head in a white softlight reflector.
Yesterday, Shioya Ungami was held in Shioya Bay on the north west coast of the main island of Okinawa. Shioya is part of Ogimi village which is famous for having one of the longest living populations in the world. The festival begins with prayers and then the men of the village race dragon boats across the bay. The only woman in the boat is a yuta which is a local priestess. When the dragon boat arrived at the beach, the yuta was carried across the water so she didn’t get her feet and clothes wet. Many of the ladies and girls of the village wade into the water to sing and bang drums as encouragement for the dragon boat racers. They also stopped and prayed after the arrival of the first set of boats. The boats then raced back across the bay again as the ladies sang and waved. After the races the singing and dancing continued. Many of those laughing and bounding around were in their seventies and eighties. Many of the spectators were …
Kensho Tokumura, Hanshi 9th-dan Ryukyu Dento Kobujutsu Hozon Budo Kyokai photographed for my Beyond the Dojo project on the beach in Heshikiya, Katsuren, Okinawa. These images were all shot with the Pentax 645Z paired with the 25mm wide-angle lens. A Profoto B1 strobe with a white softlight reflector was used for off camera flash. I’m really enjoying shooting these wide-angle portraits. The kobudo weapons when held towards the lens give a wonderful depth to the images.
Obon (or bon) is a traditional festival to honor the spirits of ancestors. In Okinawa families often have picnics at the tombs where the remains of previous generations were laid to rest. Eisa are traditional Okinawan folk dances usually performed during Obon. There are huge commercial gatherings of dancers such as the All-Okinawa Eisa Festival in Koza, but small local events take place all over the prefecture. Last weekend I drove down to Heshikiya on the Katsuren peninsular to photograph their local eisa event. The dances begin around dusk, but I like to arrive early to get some portraits and preparation shots before the event begins. At the Heshikiya Eisa all dancers are 25 years old or younger. As with many parts of Japanese life there is a clear hierarchy of members, and as with many of these hierachies it is based on age. In this group, the oldest take on the senior chondara roles (black jacket). Next are the chondara with the traditional brown and white costume, and then the younger drummers. Women can …
Honored to get an award from Cezar Borkowski and the World Ryukyu no Kaze Society for documenting the karate masters of Okinawa with James Pankiewicz. A big thank you to those who nominated me for this, and of course to the inspirational karate masters who let me take their portrait. Although we produced a book in December , we are nowhere near completing the project. James and I will hopefully continue to photograph the karate masters on Okinawa for many more years.
Last week I had a maternity session with fellow photographer Wendy Sparks. It was a pleasure to photograph her family at this special time. Motobu has great locations for sessions including secluded beaches and Bise’s fukugi trees. Studio sessions are also possible at the new house. Thank you Wendy & Brian for choosing me as your photographer and allowing me to share a few of your pics on the blog. All the best with your growing family, and your move back to the States.
At the start of the year there were whispers in the air that Universal Studios might build a theme park in Okinawa. Not long after there were rumors that officials were considering both Nago’s Neo Park, and Motobu’s Expo Park as possible locations. In March, Glenn Gumpel (CEO of USJ) stated that they were considering a park in Okinawa. In the last few days it has been announced that the park will be a tropical resort with the theme of relaxation without the Universal name. It’s wonderful that giant corporations are looking to invest in Okinawa. They can help it grow as a tourist destination, but I think a somewhat generic tropical resort may be a missed opportunity if USJ and the Okinawan Government are hoping for it to bring about a new surge in tourism. There are already several excellent resorts that cater to those looking for a tropical paradise. Busena Terrace and Hotel Orion Motobu are both superb with luxurious facilities set on pristine beaches. If visitors want to sample traditional culture they can head …
Last Saturday was the Expo Park fireworks festival in Motobu. The event is famous for the spectacular display of 10,000 fireworks, followed shortly after by the island’s longest traffic jam. A few quick tips for shooting fireworks: Capture multiple bursts of fireworks in one image using a long exposure. Don’t open the aperture too wide or have the ISO too high or the fireworks will show up as white. In the above shot I used ISO 100, F14 and 30 seconds. Use a nice stable tripod. Shooting only the fireworks in the sky is one option, but including some other visual elements that are unique to that particular event may make for a stronger image. The ocean and the tiny palm trees beneath the fireworks are included in the first shot to show scale and place. However the torii gate at Itsukushima is perhaps the best background I’ve had for a fireworks image.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 