The cheapest way for me to get to Papua New Guinea was to first fly Jetstar to Cairns. As we are in typhoon season and there was the possibility flights might be delayed I gave myself a buffer of a few days in Cairns before catching my next flight for PNG. Palm Cove just north of Cairns city center is an idyllic stretch of beach. I arrived just before dawn, but decided it was probably best not to go for an early morning swim.
Batteries charged, lenses cleaned, memory cards formatted. This is going to be interesting…
A few shots from a series I’m doing on classic toys. I actually had Optimus Prime, an “Action Man” and even a much later version of the Goldfinger DB5 when I was a kid. Unfortunately due to the nature of conflict (play) most sustained serious injuries. I’m pretty sure the enemy agent that ejects from Aston Martin was lost on Christmas Day. Action Man had a severe case of limb dislocation, and I believe the leader of the Autobots lost both his hands during an encounter with a hamster.
Bear standing in as a three year old girl as I set up the studio lights for Jenna’s Toy Story. Used a medium size rectangular softbox as the main light and positioned it just above the camera. Bear is now a 6 year old girl. She was not allowed on set during the shoot just in case she decided to (playfully) tear off Elmo’s head.
Fellow photographer Pete Leong popped around to the studio with his daughter Jenna. Took a few quick pics of her playing with Mario and Elmo before she began making decorative changes to the studio backdrop. Jenna is super cute, and until a year ago looked like exactly like Boo from Monster’s Inc. She showed me how to draw a rainbow with a fistful of colored pencils.
A few porky pics, showing the love many Okinawans have for pigs. To be more precise, that love is usually when Miss Piggie is in a bowl of ramen, or a can of spam. I believe the owner of this truck sells “ham”burgers, but I would like to believe it is actually the vehicle of the Hogfather a superhero that saves pigs that are on their way to the Okinawa Ham factory. Not sure what the police pig enforces, but I’ve heard he has no time for squealers, and he’s sometimes described as a bit of a boar.
As a tropical storm approaches Okinawa, it’s time to grab your surfboard and carve up the waves. If you can’t surf, then you can always photograph those who can. You just need a long lens, a pair of Oakley’s, and a laissez-faire attitude to having all your camera gear covered in sea spray.
A couple of shots from yesterday’s dive at Cape Maeda. It was packed with tourists snorkeling out to the blue cave, but deep beneath the surface, it’s much quieter. Not sure what the species in the top photo is, it looked like a small anemone that was yet to have a tenant. The anemone in the image below, however, already had an irate looking occupant.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, One Ring to light them all, and in the studio blind them. A week ago I bought an old Profoto Pro-7 Ringflash on Ebay. Steven over in Denmark mailed it off to me and it arrived this morning. First thing was to check that it actually worked by shooting the dog. Ringflashes create a unique style of light that is popular for some types of fashion photography. If you look at Bear’s eyes you can see the distinctive ringflash catchlights. It can also be used as a fill light to make sure there are no deep shadows.
Yesterday, August 25th, was the Unjami Festival on Kouri Island, Okinawa. It is a time to give thanks to the gods. Wearing wreaths of ryukyu botanzuru (Clematis taiwaniana var. ryukiuensis) village elders lead the prayers and offerings. At 96 years old, Kaneshi Fusae is the most senior of the village elders. Participants and spectators at the festival received some mochi (sticky gelatinous rice cake). After offerings of paper money and Awamori rice liquor at the shrine, 79 year old Toguchi Ayako lead the way down toward the sea. More prayers as we crossed the little road that rings the island. And then finally, on a bluff over looking the ocean, Toguchi-san gave the final blessings. Kaneshi-san was all smiles, another festival completed.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 