Barbie an American Icon, based on a German toy (Bild Lilli) and manufactured in Japan. The original 1959 Barbies were brunette as well as blonde, and had an even slimmer waist than the modern doll. Interestingly, the original Barbies were always glancing to the side, but from 1971 she looks straight ahead.
A busy couple of days shooting at the Jundokan dojo in Naha City. On Thursday I photographed 9th dan masters Tsuneo Kinjo and Tetsu Gima. The following day I photographed 88-year-old 10th dan Tetsunosuke Yasuda.
I’ve been asked the same couple of questions several times over the last few weeks: Will you buy the Pentax 645Z? followed by Do you recommend that I buy one too? Will you buy the Pentax 645Z? Short answer: Yes Long answer: Yes. The 645Z will be my main camera, and the 645D will become the spare body. The increase in megapixels from 40 to 51.4 does have some advantages, although no client has ever said to me that 40 megapixels wasn’t enough. Future clients, however, particularly those advertising travel destinations on posters or billboards may desire the extra pixels. For exhibitions bigger is usually better, the B0 (39×56) prints at my Matsuri Exhibition in Tokyo were amazing, and later this year hopefully I’ll be exhibiting several A1 (23×33) prints in Naha, Okinawa. Above all, using the best equipment available to me is important for The Karate Masters Portrait Project. The goal of the project is to create a historical record of these martial arts masters. I no longer study karate, but striving for the best, and pushing the boundaries incrementally, is a mindset that …
Military bases cover approximately one fifth of the main island of Okinawa. The most unpopular of the bases is Futenma, and the V-22 Osprey is its most controversial aircraft. Once a year, however, the base opens its gates to all for the Futenma Flightline Festival. There were plenty of Americans and local nationals checking out all the different planes and helicopters on display. There was a lot of interest in the Ospreys, which most people had never seen up close. Posters on the sides of the aircraft showed images from humanitarian missions. Of course, the relocation of Futenma, and the military burden placed on Okinawa is a complex and contentious issue. I’ve photographed several anti-base protests, so it was interesting to see another viewpoint, or at least the other side of the barbed wire fence.
Seiyu Nakamura is a master of traditional shidokan karate and kobudo. More than a decade ago, Nakamura-sensei was my briefly my karate instructor. It was great to meet each other again, although he did note that we’d both got a little grayer over the years. Once again after shooting the black background portraits indoors, I switched the plug-in 7a generator for the battery powered B1, and we went outside. A huge storm was quickly approaching, but we managed to get a few shots in the sugar cane fields before the heavens opened.
Angkor Village’s Apsara Theatre has evening performances of classical dances. I asked the manager if I could take a few portraits after the artists had finished their show, and they said okay. To make things a challenge, I had about 5 minutes to photograph everyone, the external wall of their changing room to use as a background, and the only Khmer I knew was hello and thank you. I used the Profoto B1 to illuminate the darkness, and my tuk tuk driver as light stand and translator. I asked them to look into the light, and captured a few quick pics.
The Pentax 645Z digital medium format camera will be available for purchase at the end of June 2014. It’s predecessor, the Pentax 645D, went on sale in June 2010 for 848,000 yen. You can pre-order the 645Z at B&H for $8,496.95 or from Amazon Japan for ￥777,110. The 645Z uses a 51.4MP Sony CMOS sensor unlike the 40MP Kodak CCD sensor in the 645D. The sensor remains the same size at 43.8mm x 32.8mm, this means it is a crop 645 sensor. The sensor is the same one used in the 50 megapixel Hasselblad H5D-50C camera ($29,000) and Phase One IQ250 digital back ($37,000). At around $8,500 dollars, the 645Z is a third the price of it’s MF digital competitors. The use of a CMOS sensor allows the 645Z to offer live view, a video mode, and a higher ISO range. The PRIME III image processor is significantly faster than in the 645D. The camera can now shoot at 3 fs rather than 1 fs in the 645D and instant reviews will be quicker. The autofocus system and metering systems have also been improved. The …
127km NE of Siem Reap, is the group of monuments and ruins called Koh Ker. It’s relative remoteness compared to other temples means that it receives far few visitors, it’s less “renovated” and overall feels more of an archeological site rather than a tourist attraction. Nearing the end of my time in Cambodia, I was now used to my routine of getting up way before dawn. I hired a car and driver from the hotel, left at about 5AM and we were at the Prasat Thom pyramid not long after 7AM. After Prasat Thom I explored the various other ruined monuments in the area. We drove to each one by car, and I explored the ruins on foot. The whole area was heavily mined which means that it would be inadvisable to ditch the guide / driver and wander off looking for more ruins. There are signs at all the ruins I visited stating they have been cleared of mines. After my visit to the landmine museum I was well aware of the possible consequences if you …
I recently purchased a 25mm lens for my Pentax 645 system. This is one of the new lenses designed for the digital 645D / 645Z cameras alongside the DFA 645 55mm and the DFA 645 Macro 90mm. A few important facts about the lens: At 25mm when used on the 645D it is equivalent to 19.5mm on a FF 35mm camera. This is one of the widest medium format lenses available. I also use the excellent 645 35mm. It’s a heavy beast at 1040g and expensive US$ 4,996.95 at B&H (although still several thousand less than the Hasselblad 24mm). Occasionally they appear used on Ebay, which is where I purchased mine. As with the 645D body, the 90mm, and 55mm, it’s weather sealed so can stand up to the elements. This really separates the Pentax system from other medium format digital systems which are more suited to a controlled studio environment. The front element is curved, which means filters are designed to be inserted internally. The filters are 40.5mm and polarizers can be rotated with a nifty dial on the holder. Interestingly, this …
Tombai walls were built with bricks from dismantled kilns. Behind one such wall in Arita is the home of Hitachi Tsuji. Tsuji-san is a 15th generation ceramic master, and creates porcelain that graces the tables of the Japanese imperial family. Blue and white porcelain is made by applying an blue underglaze of cobalt to white porcelain and then a clear glaze. Prices range from several million to a few thousand yen. There are times when I wish I could take my dog with me when I’m on assignment. This was not one of them. The wagging tail of a labrador, would probably do more damage than a proverbial bull.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 