Going Dutch? Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park in Sasebo, near Nagasaki. An interesting place to wander around, it is very much like a large elaborate movie set. There are windmills, stores selling cheese, Dutch ceramics, and even a teddy bear museum. However, like a movie set, it tends to look best if you squint, and of course “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain”.
June 14 & 15 , 2014 – Studio Lighting Intro Workshop with Chris Willson June 28 & 29 , 2014 – Photography Fundamentals Workshop with Chris Willson July 12 & 13 , 2014 – Off Camera Flash Workshop with Pete Leong & Chris Willson October 4 & 5 , 2014 – Photography Fundamentals Workshop with Chris Willson October 10 & 11, 2014 – Light Painting with Trevor Williams and Chris Willson October 12, 2014 – Advanced Light Painting with Trevor Williams and Chris Willson For more details click on the Photography Workshops Tab. To book a place on any of the workshops please email chris(at)travel67.com I will send you a Paypal request for the class fee. Payment secures your place on the course.
I have a feature on scuba diving, and the cover photo, in the May 2014 edition of Dragonair’s Silkroad magazine. Along with the cover, most of the photos used with the feature are also mine, but unfortunately I didn’t have any decent Hammerhead shark images. A big thanks to all my diver buddies who helped providing quotes or posing for pics! Underwater images shot with the Pentax K5 or K5IIs in an Ikelite underwater housing.
Do you find simply running from A to B no longer a challenge? Do you envy children as they splash in the mud, swing on ropes, and play with fire? Do you want to show the world just how fast, strong and awesome you are? Are you ready to rampage? Coming in November 2014, is Ryukyu Rampage. It will be open to everyone on Okinawa, so whether you’re an Okinawan firefighter, a U.S. marine, or an occasional jogger, all are welcome. The Ryukyu Rampage Website and the Ryukyu Rampage Facebook Page are now online. James (the organizer) asked if I could take a few action shots for publicity purposes, so we headed down to the beach with a few friends from Torii Gym. A huge thanks to everyone who helped out, it was great to see you all in action!
Day 2 began with a procession to the family home where the day’s ceremonies would take place. The groom and family lead the way followed by the rest of the wedding party. Most guests arrived with offerings of food or drinks. The groom awaits the arrival of the bride. The bride arrives with her bridesmaids. The couple then give thanks to their parents. More prayers, more offerings, more changes of clothing. Pao, the bride, manages to quickly grab some food between events. Indoors the ceremonies continue with blessings from monks, and then pieces of red thread are tied around their wrists. Family members give gifts of money. The official ceremony ends and the couple is married. Congratulations Suon and Pao and thank you so much for letting me be part of your wedding. It was such an amazing opportunity to photography the event.
After the western style dress and suit, the bride and groom changed into the first of many traditional Khmer outfits. I’ve been to Japanese weddings where there were three outfits ( a traditional kimono, then a white wedding dress, then a western dress), but at the Cambodian wedding, over the two days, there were close to twenty. After the hotel, events took place at the family home. Tents had been erected outside for the ceremony and there were various offerings to the gods. Part of the ceremony involved close family members giving the bride and groom a haircut. They’d snip away, without actually cutting the hair, then show the bride and groom the result in a little mirror. After another change in clothing, monks arrived and more prayers and offerings were given. After dinner, everyone went home to rest, as the second day of celebrations would begin at dawn.
While in Cambodia I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days photographing the wedding of Suon and Pao. The groom’s sister worked at the Lotus Blanc Hotel where I was staying. One morning, as I returned to the hotel after shooting the dawn, Suon walked into the lobby in a wedding dress. The staff explained that a local photographer would be taking some photos of the bride and groom at the hotel, before they began the traditional khmer wedding celebrations that would last for two days. Knowing I was also a photographer they said they’d be quite happy if I’d like to tag along and take some pics. Hoorah.
By coincidence, I write this post just after reading about a Buddhist British woman being deported from Sri Lanka for having a tattoo of Buddha on her arm. She wasn’t aware that in Sri Lanka this is seen by some as highly offensive, and she was arrested before she even made it out of the airport. Of course, tourists should be aware of local traditions, but this would be an easy mistake to make considering that in several other countries Buddhist tattoos are signs of devotion. In Cambodia many monks had tattoos on their backs and arms.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to photograph karate master Naonobu Ahagon at his dojo in Naha City. It was a great experience to meet another Okinawan icon. In October 2013 he was one of 7 karate masters to be given special recognition by the Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper for his contributions to traditional Okinawan karate. Ahagon-sensei is a master of both karate and kobudo (using traditional weapons). These include the kama (sickles) and sai. I took a few extra shots of Ahagon-sensei surrounded by some of this weapons inside the dojo. Starting from the far left you can see the eku (oars) then nunchaku, a pair of tonfa, and bo staffs. A big thank you to Sensei Mark Spear of the Black Bear Traditional Martial Arts Center in Connecticut for helping set up the shoot.
Siem Reap Pagoda Cats is a small organization trying to help the stray cats that live in around several Buddhist temples near Siem Reap, Cambodia. French ex-pat Josette Vanneur does a daily tour of the temples making sure the numerous felines have food and water, along with arranging medical care including neutering. If you like cats, or just want to read about someone trying to make a difference, visit their Facebook page Siem Reap Pagoda Cats.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 