TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

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SDXC Memory Cards

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Transcend SDXC 64GB

Pretty much as Mr. Moore predicted, there has been rapid growth in computing power, and at the same time data storage capacity. The original “standard capacity” SDSC cards had a max capacity of 2GB. These were supersceeded by the “high capacity” SDHC cards that ranged from 4GB to 32GB. And now we enter the era of the “extended capacity” SDXC cards ranging from 32GB to 2TB. One of the recent firmware updates to the Pentax 645D camera was to allow the use of SDXC cards. I currently use two 32GB SDHC cards in my camera, and write the data to both cards simultaneously. I needed to get an extra set of cards so thought I’d try a pair of the SDXCs.

A Transcend SDXC 64GB card is about 90 dollars on Amazon.com, 7500 yen on Amazon Japan and a cringeworthy 66 pounds on Amazon UK. As with all tech equipment you can be happy that by waiting you didn’t have to pay the $150 List Price. However, in six months to a year prices will have surely dropped, if not halved, again.

With the 32GB card I could store 355 RAW files from the 645D. With the 62GB card I get 712. Not sure where the space for the two bonus photos appeared from, but I’ll happily take them. You never know, shot 711 and 712 may be when the magic happens.

Pentax 645D with 64GB SDXC

Okinawa Island Produce

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Okinawa Island Produce - Organic Fruits and Veggies Delivered to Your Door

Okinawa Island Produce brings organic fruits and vegetables right to your door. The company’s founder travels around Okinawa making contacts with the local organic farmers. She takes orders for the produce through her website, and then makes home deliveries. It’s a wonderful idea. Her company supports the local farmers and provides her customers with the freshest, tastiest fruits and veggies available.

On the Bookshelf – Robert Capa

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Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection

Robert Capa was one of the great war photographers. He was also one of the founders of the Magnum photo agency, along with Henri Cartier-Bresson. Capa covered five major conflicts from the Spanish Civil War in 1936 to the First Indochina War in ’54. His images of the D-day landings are perhaps Capa’s most haunting. The shots taken as he scrambled from the landing craft towards the beach are iconic. It feels almost absurd for me to sit in eerie silence and stare at an image that was taken during the chaos, violence and noise at Omaha Beach.

Omaha Beach landing on D-Day by Robert Capa

Capa was masterful at photographing people, whether they were his famous friends like Hemmingway and Picasso, or prisoners of war, the poor and the destitute. One of his portraits is of a French woman holding the baby she had fathered with a German soldier. The sequence of images shows her with her head shaved, and then being jeered as she is paraded through the town. The smiles of the crowd would have been pleasant in almost any other situation, but here they just show another facet to the brutality of war.

German POWs by Robert Capa

Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection is a weighty tome covering images from that start of his career in 1932 to his death during the First Indochina War. Take a look through the pages for a masterclass in photography, and a powerful glimpse into some of the most important events in history.

Reef Encounters – Alisa & Jared

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Alisa & Jared Hilton

A few images from an early morning beach shoot with Alisa & Jared Hilton. Glad I could work with them during one of the brief moments they’re in the same place at the same time. One of the sacrifices that comes with serving your country is the amount of time you are away from your family. I guess it makes those moments together that bit sweeter.

Alisa & Jared Hilton

Trash Talking Okinawa

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Laundry Day

In Okinawa, you have to pay a small fee for the disposal of trash. You must buy specially marked bags for your regular household waste, and buy special labels to stick on larger items such as washing machines, televisions, or refrigerators.
The problem is that old appliances now appear as if by magic at your local park, woodland or beach. I feel the rage inside of me growing…

Upgraded to digital? Send your old TV to relax by the beach.

The rubber left the road.

Beach Buddies – The Thomas Family

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All Smiles - The Thomas Family

Here are a few images from a lovely beach shoot with the Thomas family. A big thanks to Leonard, Rebecca, and Jabari for a fun morning.

Beach Buddies - The Thomas Family

Father and Son - The Thomas Family

Time to go home - The Thomas Family

“Alive & Kicking”

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This October if you happen to be flying Dragonair from Hong Kong, check out their inflight magazine Silkroad. Inside you’ll find a feature I wrote on Okinawan Karate. A big thanks to all the karate masters who let me wander into their dojos with my camera and notebook. ありがとうございます

"Alive & Kicking" Silkroad Magazine October 2011

In the Dojo

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I spent Saturday morning in Naha’s Budokan (The Prefectural Martial Arts Center) photographing Tameshigiri Taikai ( the slicing of rolled tatami matting with a samurai sword).

Hamamoto-sensei swiftly lops of the head of the mat.

Hamamoto-sensei smoothly slices through the roll of damp tatami matting. The matting is analogous to human limbs in its resistance to a blade. Impressive and yet somewhat unnerving.

Another mat cleanly dispatched.

A Surgical Strike

I’m told the man in the above photograph is a surgeon. He certainly had impressive blade control, although would be somewhat nervous if he took a katana rather than a scalpel into the operating room.

Dojo portait of Iaido Master Hamamoto-sensei

After the class I was able to get a quick portrait of Hamamoto sensei. I used a beauty dish, powered by my Profoto generator as the main source of illumination. A silver reflector added a little fill from behind. Not as portable or convenient as a hotshoe flash, but I love the light it produces, and what are friends for if not to help lug all your gear around. (A big thanks to Jen and James)

In the Studio

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Here’s a couple of recent studio portraits of Alisa and Tory. Both are building up their modeling portfolios and I wish them both a great deal of future success. It was also my first opportunity to work with the talented makeup artist Summer Martinez. Summer and I will be working on several exciting projects over the next few months so keep this blog bookmarked 🙂

Studio Portrait - Alisa Hilton

Studio Portrait - Tory McKellar

Leaving Istanbul

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Aya Sofya Sunset

Blue Mosque at Sunset

72 hours after arriving in Istanbul I manage to get back on the same rooftop for the sunset. Amazing 3 days, well worth a visit. A big thanks to the people of Istanbul. A photographer’s paradise and the perfect place for a face hunter.