Latest Posts

Busena Terrace Resort

Published by
Busena Terrace Resort, Okinawa, Japan

Busena Terrace Resort, Okinawa, Japan

Last month I was updating the Okinawa chapter of a Japan travel guide. This meant I had to drop by numerous hotels to check the quality of the rooms, prices, amenities etc. I saved the best till last, and last week I toured the facilities at the Busena Terrace Resort. The location is great, the beach lovely, rooms are luxurious and yet understated, and the service impeccable. The reality is that it is also a little outside my budget (rooms range from  42,735 to 577,500 a night).

Although I’ve been on Okinawa for 10 years, I’d never visited the resort. Somehow I’d presumed they wouldn’t allow non-guests into the complex. However, you can enjoy the beach (inc. showers etc) if you pay 2,000 yen per car, and anyone can dine at the restaurants. I’d recommend stopping by for tea and cakes at least once.

The hotel is located beside the Bankoku Shinryokan where the 2000 G8 summit took place, there is also an underwater observatory and a glass bottom boat if you’re looking to do more than just lounge on the beach.

Visions of Japan – Global Gallery December 8 – 13

Published by

 

From December 8th to 13th, I will have a Visions of Japan exhibition at Global Gallery in Plaza House. This will be my biggest exhibition yet, with around 20 A2 size landscapes and 20 A3 size portraits. The gallery will be open from 11am to 7pm and I’ll be there most of the time.  Along with the larger limited edition prints, there will also be a selection of smaller prints for sale.

As a bonus, Global Gallery is located next to the Indian restaurant Krishna, so I know I won’t be going hungry.

Discovery Channel Magazine – Yonaguni Underwater Ruins

Published by

A few months ago I took some photos of marine geologist Kimura Masaaki for Discovery Channel Magazine. A couple of my images were used in a recent feature about the “lost civilization” off the coast of Yonaguni. The magazines finally arrived today so I thought I’d share a couple of scans. Can’t post any larger images on the web, and I’ve desaturated the area around my pics, but it gives you the general idea. Hopefully I will visit Yonaguni in the spring to get my own underwater shots.

Discovery Channel Magazine Aug 2010 Yonaguni

Discovery Channel Magazine Aug 2010 Yonaguni / Kimura Masaaki

The second image is of a rock Kimura-san found which has a clear “X” carved into the surface. It is, he believes, proof that the ruins are man-made.

Discovery Channel Magazine Aug 2010 Yonaguni

Discovery Channel Magazine Aug 2010 Yonaguni / Kimura Masaaki

F.A.Q.’s Which camera should I buy?

Published by

I’m asked this question just as frequently as What lens should I buy? and it is even harder to answer.

If you want a simple point and shoot,  then I’m still a big fan Pentax’s waterproof Optio series. I’ve mentioned them in previous posts, and their latest model is the W90. I also have friends who are very happy with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 and the Sony DSC-TX5. They all do a similar job, they’re waterproof, shockproof and take reasonable pictures / video.

PENTAX OPTIO W90

PENTAX OPTIO W90

The next group to consider are the entry level digital SLRs.

Moving from a Point and Shoot to an entry level SLR has several advantages and a few disadvantages.

Advantages include a larger sensor, minimal shutter lag, and more creative control. This means you tend to have higher quality images, you are less likely to miss the moment , and you (rather than the camera) can easily adjust things like focus or depth of field.

Disadvantages include cost, size, weight and maintenance. Digital SLRs are great, but the best camera is the one that you have with you. If you’re going to always end up leaving the SLR at home and just using the camera on your phone, then you’re “investing” in an expensive paperweight.

Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony all make good entry level digital SLR cameras for  around 500 dollars. The prices I’ve quoted are all current prices on Amazon.com, but it’s worthwhile shopping around for the best deal, or if you want personal service or advice support your local camera store.

Rather than list megapixels, frames per second or auto focus points, here are a few general things to remember when buying your first SLR.

You are buying into a system, a Nikon body will only work with a Nikon mount lens. Any flash with have to be Nikon compatible. The lithium batteries are usually specific to a particular brand or even model. All camera brands have a wide range of lenses and accessories, but you should check that they are readily available in your area.

If you have photographer friends it would be worth considering getting the same brand of camera as them, even if it’s not the same model. As mentioned above, this compatibility will allow you to borrow each others lenses and accessories. Perhaps more importantly it will mean you have people who can help you with more technical aspects. A Canon film camera was quite similar to a Nikon film camera, but digital SLRs have so many buttons, options and menus that the differences between brands can make them seem like different beasts. If you have no photographer friends and haven’t joined a camera club, then there are online forums for every camera brand. Digital Photography Review is a good place to start.

If you can get to a camera store then you should try and spend some time holding the different cameras. Different people have different hand sizes so what feels comfortable and ergonomic to one person may feel unnatural to another.

Possible entry level digital SLRs (in alphabetical order)

Canon Rebel XS with 18 to 55mm lens $499

Canon Rebel XS

Canon Rebel XS

Nikon D3000 with 18-55mm lens $449

Nikon D3000

Nikon D3000

Pentax K-X with 18-55mm lens $514

Pentax K-X

Pentax K-X

Sony A380 with 18-55mm lens $495

Sony Alpha A380L

Sony Alpha A380L

Usually entry level cameras are sold with a reasonable but not great kit lens. All the above cameras include a basic 18-55mm lens. The à la carte option would be to buy the body only and select your own lens. (You could then get a 50mm 1.8 lens as mentioned in the previous FAQ post).

All the above cameras will allow you to take great pictures. Yes they are “entry level” but they do a good job.  You can spend more money, or even a lot more money, but I’ll leave the discussion of those cameras for another day.

Peace Memorial Park

Published by

Names of those killed during the Battle of Okinawa are inscribed on low granite walls.

Peace Memorial Park is located on Mabuni Hill where the Battle of Okinawa came to a close. The Peace Memorial Museum describes life during and after the war, the Peace Memorial Monument contains a 10-meter statue of a person praying, and the Cornerstone of Peace is line after line of granite blocks bearing the names of over 240,000 who died.

Japan (Okinawa) 149,193,   Japan (other prefectures) 77,166,   USA 14,009   Republic of Korea 365,    North Korea 82,   UK 82,   Taiwan 34

Flame of Peace - Peace Memorial Park

As with the  Himeyuri Peace Museum this is an important place to visit, especially if you are living on Okinawa.

Himeyuri Peace Mueseum

Published by
Thousands of origami cranes hang outside the Himeyuri Peace Museum

Thousands of origami cranes hang outside the Himeyuri Peace Museum

This month I’ve been updating the Okinawa chapter of a Japan guidebook. A huge part of this is fact checking, but I’ve also revisited most of the major attractions and landmarks on the island. Yesterday I stopped by Himeyuri Peace Museum and the Peace Memorial Park.

Before the battle of Okinawa, the Japanese mobilized Okinawan junior high and high school students. One group of high school girls, the Himeyuri students, were assigned as nurses. 222 young girls and 18 teachers found themselves in underground caves dealing with the dead and the dying. Worse was to come. When their unit was dissolved they were left to fend for themselves in a Typhoon of Steel. Caught between the Japanese and American forces, 80% of the girls were killed. Japanese propoganda had told them that capture by American forces would result in torture and rape. Some girls threw themselves off  cliffs, others huddled around a grenade and pulled the pin.

This is an important place to visit for anyone living on Okinawa. It’s not an easy experience, but as  Carl Sagan said “You have to know the past, to understand the present.”

The Himeyuri Peace Museum is located off route 331 close to the southern tip of Okinawa.

http://www.himeyuri.or.jp/info.html

 

Kadena Gift Corner – October 23rd

Published by

Next Saturday, October 23rd I will be selling prints and answering photography questions at Kadena Gift Corner  on Kadena Air Base. The Kadena Gift Corner will be open from 10am – 2pm so please stop by if you’re in the area.

For those of you who don’t have access to the base, don’t worry. I will also be having an exhibition and print sales in December at Global Gallery in Plaza House.

Hope to see some of you on Saturday!

On the bookshelf: Photographing People: Portraits, Fashion, Glamour

Published by

 

Photographing People: Portraits - Fashion - Glamour by Roger Hicks

Photographing People: Portraits, Fashion, Glamour by Roger Hicks

 

Photographing People: Portraits, Fashion, Glamour by Roger Hicks is another good book by publishers RotoVision. Along with the expected mix of portraits, fashion and glamour shots there is a nice variation between commercial, editorial and personal work. As the book was published in 2001 nearly all of the cameras used are film, but  digital photographers will still benefit from the lighting diagrams. A used hardback copy is less than 20 bucks on Amazon, and sure to provide some photographic inspiration.