TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

Gogo Gaga

All the credit for this look goes to makeup artist Summer. I think it’s a hybrid between Kill Bill’s Gogo Yubari and Lady Gaga. A big thanks to Adriesa for spending the evening looking like a glam pirate.

Wagasa Limited Edition Print

There’s a new photograph in the limited edition prints section of the TRAVEL67.com website. Orders placed before December 15th will be shipped and should arrive before Christmas.

For those living in Okinawa a selection of smaller prints are currently on sale at both the Kadena Gift Corner and the Dojo karate bar in Naha. Some of my larger prints from recent exhibitions are also on display in the Dojo so please drop by next time you’re in the city.

Space 2011

After her jaunt as a Flapper girl, Tomoko goes back to the future.

Of course she travels with her faithful sidekick Aibo.

Space 2011 - Puppy Love

Model: Tomoko Peters

Makeup: Summer Johnson

Space 2011 - Close Encounters

Screen Grab from Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats

I had MTV’s songs of the decade on in the background while I was cleaning the house and thought I saw the word Okinawa in a country music video. Went on You Tube to check my sanity and at 2 mins 43 seconds there it is.

I think it’s a CGI billboard on an empty building. 2 seconds later the glass blows out of the windows as the singer walks past. My thoughts are that the CGI designer may have some kind of Okinawan heritage and decided to give a subtle shout out to the little island.

Back to the 1920’s with these shots. The beautiful Tomoko as the Flapper girl and the talented Summer Johnson on makeup.

The Flapper

Pentax 645D
Pentax 67 100mm macro with 67 to 645 adapter

Model: Tomoko Peters
Makeup: Summer Johnson

Lighting – Charcoal Grey background. Gridded Beauty Dish right side as the main light. Rectangular soft box on left , both powered by Profoto Pro-7a. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.

And if you prefer your lighting a bit more moody…

Flapper in the Shadows

Alberto in the Shadows

A couple of images from a recent shoot with Alberto. Smooth.

Alberto on the Mike

D in Motion

Recently I was chatting with another photographer about adding motion to images. When shooting with the Pentax 67II camera I had a very deliberate and static style. The camera was often mounted on a tripod, and on the whole my subjects, whether they were landscapes or people, were not moving.

Shooting digital has given me the ability to push my boundaries and add some dynamism. The reason for this is more financial than technical. If you want to do shots with motion, you are going to have to shoot a large number of frames. At well over a dollar a shot with the Pentax 67 it would have been an expensive way to work. As I mentioned in the previous blog, at the D / Ryan shoot I took over a 1000 frames. I wouldn’t have been happy if I’d had to pay between one and two grand on just film and processing.

Ryan in Motion

Of course not all shots require leaping, punching or pirouetting, but sometimes the ability to add a little movement, might be just what you need.

D Jump

Recently I began working with male models D and Ryan. They are both exceptionally nice guys, focused on what they want, and willing to put in the hard work to reach their goals. Our first studio shoot began with lighting and clothing designed to show off their physiques. If you want to do sports or fitness modeling you’ve got to have done your crunches.

Shadow Play – Ryan

Ryan

During the shoot I took 1024 images, almost filling the 64GB SDXC cards. These are just a few of the images that have been processed.  Will post more soon.