Author: travel67

White Mouse or Black Tablet

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A friend asked if I wanted to buy a black tablet. He told me I’d be able to interact with the world in ways I couldn’t even dream about. I’d become faster, more agile, in more control. He’d been a user for a few months, but decided to quit. He offered me a deal. “You take the white mouse – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the black tablet – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” I paid him the cash, he mailed me the tablet. The mouse is caged, but will this be a bitter pill to swallow. To paraphrase, Pietro a photographer friend asked if I’d like to buy his Wacom Intuos4 graphics tablet. He wasn’t using it much and thought I’d find it valuable when editing in Photoshop or Lightroom. He offered me a great deal so I took it. I’ve never used a tablet before and heard they take some getting used …

Karate Masters Portrait Project – Hanshi 10th dan Yoshitaka Taira

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These are the first images in the Karate Masters Portrait Project. The idea is to document the hanshi (grand masters) of karate. I wish I had started this project several years earlier before some of the hanshi passed away. Hanshi 10th dan Yoshitaka Taira Images are shot with the 645D which means I have fantastic detail, important for an archival project. I used a portable black velvet screen to have clean background and then used a single studio light with a beauty dish for illumination. I plan to shoot all portraits with the same setup.

In the Studio – Adriesa

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Another couple of images from the studio. Thanks to both the model Adriesa Kane and makeup artist Summer Johnson. Of interest to photographers is that I used an extra light in this setup. As well as the beauty dish above my right shoulder and the rim lights behind each shoulder of the model I also added a medium softbox as fill at my feet. This gives a flatter, less moody look to the shots when you don’t want such intense shadows on the model’s face. It also adds light to the lower part of the body reducing the spotlight effect of a gridded beauty dish. The catchlights in the eyes also change, with reflections from both the beauty dish (donut shape) and softbox (rectangle shape).

Pentax K-01 Mirrorless Camera

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While in Tokyo I stopped by the Pentax Forum in Shinjuku to have a chat about a possible solo exhibition there in autumn. I also had the chance to check out the new Pentax K-01 camera. It’s a mirrorless camera which allows the designers to make it more compact, but they have kept the same APS size sensor used in the K5, and the standard pentax lens mount. The result is a relatively compact camera that produces high quality images and has access to a wide range of Pentax lenses. A new pancake lens, as show in the photographs, makes this a system you could keep in your pocket. Another great feature of the camera is its aesthetics. Pentax hired designer Marc Newson and allowed him to break free of the standard utilitarian mold that is used for most digital SLRs. Overall a very cool product. The camera is now available for preorder at Amazon Japan, Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K. and B&H.

UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson – Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo

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While in Tokyo, I saw an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the Saitama Super Arena. Ultimate Fighting is a mixed martial arts competition where fighters can win by knockout, tap out, or points. The fighters come from a range of disciplines including striking styles such as boxing, karate and kickboxing along with submission styles that include aikido, judo, and wrestling. Fighters compete within their own weight class, but fighters of one style can be paired against any other style. This means you get matches between boxers that want to keep their distance and use punching power against submission fighters that want to take the fight to the mat and bend limbs in the wrong direction until their opponent taps out. The bouts take place in a octagon with wire walls rather than ropes. You definitely get the feeling you’re watching something not far removed from gladiatorial combat. The stadium atmosphere, however, was more friendly and reverential than bloodthirsty. The Japanese audience clapped and cheered for fighters from all countries, the greatest cheers were for combatants …

Pentax 645 FA 150mm F2.8 v Pentax 67 SMCP 165/2.8

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Introduction One of the benefits of shooting with Pentax is the ability to use lenses from a larger format on smaller cameras. With an adapter, you can use Pentax 67 lenses on the Pentax 645 or Pentax 35mm cameras. You can read more about this in previous blog posts here and here. The crucial question is would the old school lenses stand up to the high resolution images created by the 645D. I was really pleased with the results I was getting when using the 67 105mm lens, but unsure about the telephoto 165mm. I’d tried it once or twice but found the images soft. As I recently acquired a 150mm 645 lens I could compare lenses of similar focal lengths and see what the differences were. Method I taped a page from a catalogue to a concrete post about 3 meters away, then took a shot of the page using both the 645 150mm lens and the 67 165mm lens with 67 to 645 adapter. I also photographed the page at three different f …

Brand it like Beckham

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Beckham’s popularity continues in Japan. Once idolized for his ability to curve a soccer ball with pinpoint accuracy, he now seems to be famous for being famous. In the middle of Shibuya, five giant versions of Beckham stare down at the passersby. Tommy Lee Jones, holding a can of Boss Coffee, is a mere mortal in comparison.

April / May Photography Workshops

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Now that I’m back from Yonaguni and Tokyo I can start organizing the coming workshops. Please click on the links to see more details about each class. I’ve put in two Photography 101 workshops in April so that people who aren’t yet comfortable with their digital SLR can master the basics before taking part in the Light Painting Workshop. I’ve also had requests for another Off Camera Flash course, hopefully this will happen later in the summer. April 14/15 – Photography 101 Weekend Workshop with Chris Willson US$250 April 28/29 – Photography 101 Weekend Workshop with Chris Willson US$250 May 3 – Going Retro Mini Workshop with Trevor Williams and Chris Willson US$50 May 4/5 – Light Painting Workshop with Trevor Williams and Chris Willson US$150   To reserve a place send an email to chris@travel67.com (please write WORKSHOP on the subject line) Please state the name and date of the workshop you wish to book. I’ll send a paypal request for the course fee. Once payment is made your place on the course is confirmed.