TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

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F.A.Q.s – Which paper do you use for prints?

Published by travel67

Now that my photography exhibition has finished, I thought I’d put up the answers to a few frequently asked questions.

Which paper do you use for prints?

I use paper by Hahnemühle a very old German company that produces some of the best fine art papers in the world.

The particular paper I use for my Limited Edition Prints and for the prints on display at exhibitions is the Photo Rag Peari 320 from their Digital FineArt Collection.

Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Pearl 320 - Audrey deserves the best!

The paper is actually 100% cotton rather than cellulose, with a pearl coating that give the prints a luminous quality.

Of particular importance is that the paper is certified as archival grade. Some examples of archival testing done on Hahnemühle papers with Epson’s UltraChrome K3 pigment inks can be seen here. Here are the results of another study by Wilhelm Research that tested Hahnemühle papers with Canon’s Lucia pigment inks.

I use Canon’s Lucia inks for their longevity, but also because their professional printers use 12 ink cartridges. This means they produce a wide color gamut that allows me to print rich saturated blues. The fact that under regular glass the prints shouldn’t fade for at least 100 years and under UV-cut glass at least 150 years is why I can offer a lifetime fade free guarantee.

“Natural Framing” at Zakimi Castle, Okinawa

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I needed to get some examples of using natural framing in photographs for a future photo tips article I am writing. Luckily I knew of a suitable location that would allow me to get the images I wanted. Shots taken at 7.30 AM at Zakimi Castle, a UNESCO world heritage site that’s about 15 minutes from where I live. Zakimi Castle has no entry fee, and is permanently open. A fantastic place to take photographs.

Zakimi Castle, Okinawa, Japan

Zakimi Castle, Okinawa JApan

Fujifilm GF670

Published by travel67

Picked up a couple of rolls of film I had dropped off at Kitamura Camera for processing.

Processing for one roll of 220 film (without any pushing or pulling) is 1740 yen. A box of 5 rolls of Provia 220 is 5080 yen. That means film plus processing comes to 2756 yen per roll or 131 yen per frame when using my camera (21 shots on a 220 roll).

Film photographers have to deal with a rapidly reducing number of places that they can process film, and increasing prices of both film and processing.

However, rumors of the imminent demise of film are a little premature. Not only is film still sold and processed, a new film camera was being advertised in the store.

The Fujifilm GF670 is a brand new rangefinder camera with a clever collapsible lens. Weighing just 1kg it shoots in the same 6×7 format as my Pentax 67II. If you want those big beautiful 6×7 transparencies, but don’t want the weight of a Pentax system this could be well worth checking out.

It is available at Yodobashi Camera for 218,000 yen.

Fujifilm GF670 Professional Rangefinder Camera

1:1 RX-78 Gundam model in Odaiba, Tokyo

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To mark the 30th anniversary of the Gundam robot anime series, an 18 meter Gundam model has just been erected in Odaiba, Tokyo.

Various Tokyo bloggers have started to put up images on the net. In most photos it is difficult to judge the actual scale of this bohemoth, but this one at punynari.wordpress.com gives you a good idea.

1:1 RX-78 Gundam Statue Odaiba, Tokyo

The robot will only be up for two months before being moved to an undisclosed location….

I wonder if the marketing people at DreamWorks are kicking themselves for not doing something similar for the latest Transformers movie.

David Carradine – Kill Bill – Hattori Hanzo – Kiyochika Kanehama

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It was announced on the news today that David Carradine is dead. I am a little too young to have grown up watching the TV show Kung Fu, but I am sure that for many this will be a sad day. In recent years Carradine returned to fame as Bill in Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies.

For those who haven’t seen the movies, in one of the scenes in Kill Bill Part 1, Uma Thurman travels to Okinawa to get a samurai sword made by sword smith Hattori Hanzo.

A couple of years ago I did an interview with the only real sword smith in Okinawa – Kanehama Kiyochika. I even got to ask him about Kill Bill…

Okinawan Sword smith Kanehama Kiyochika

From the age of 22 to 31, Kiyochika Kanehama trained as an apprentice swordsmith. At a forge in the Japanese Alps, his sensei Kiyomune Miyairi taught him how to create a blade from lumps of iron ore. For years, he studied the process of folding and honing metal to produce edges so sharp that they are considered a thing of legend. In 1983, he returned to Okinawa to open his own forge. There, he continues to practice his ancient art creating blades fit for a samurai.

What are the different types of samurai swords?

“There are three main types. The first is the tanto, or dagger. It has a short blade less than 30 centimeters long. The second type is the wakizashi; the sword has a medium length blade between 30 to 60 centimeters long. The wakizashi was used for fighting in confined situations such as inside a house when a longer sword would be too cumbersome. Finally, there were the katana and tachi. These were the full length swords the samurai used with deadly efficiency.”

What makes samurai swords so special?

“Small lumps of iron ore are heated to between 1400˚C and 1,500˚C using pine charcoal until the metal fuses. This molten mass is stretched, folded, and beaten. The process is repeated until the steel is made up of thousands of layers. The secret, however, is not just in the number of layers, but also the different types of steel that make up the blade. High carbon steel is very hard and can be honed to a sharp edge. It is also very brittle, and a sword made entirely of high carbon steel could shatter. Low carbon steel is softer and more flexible. A samurai sword, therefore, is constructed with a core of low carbon steel surrounded by layers of high carbon steel. It produces a blade that is both strong and razor sharp.”

How do you know who made a blade?

“The name of the swordsmith, along with the town or region he is from, is etched into the steel on the tang of the blade hidden beneath the hilt. If you take any of my swords apart, you will see my name there.”

How do your swords differ from those on the mainland?

“The scabbards of the blades are made using Ryukyu lacquerware techniques. Many of the sheaths also have Okinawan emblems such as the dragon on them, or they include local materials in their construction like shark skin for the hilt.”

How much does a sword cost?

“A tanto dagger with a lacquerware sheath is around ¥550,000 (US$5500). A katana with plain wooden scabbard would be upwards of ¥1,300,000 (US$13,000). If money is no object, the hilt, handguard and scabbard can be adorned with gold and precious stones.”

In the movie Kill Bill, Uma Thurman travels to Okinawa, so that she can get a katana made by the swordsmith Hattori Hanzo. There is even a little shîsâ on the blade he makes for her.

“I’m afraid there’s only one swordsmith on Okinawa and that’s me. As for the movie, well to be honest, I haven’t even seen it.”

Etched into the tang of the blade is name and town of the sword smith

(Interview first published in Okinawa Living Magazine January 2006)

Gran Turismo 5 – the trailer

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Gran Turismo is a car racing simulator for the Sony Playstation. As the Playstation evolved from PS1 to Ps3, the game also grew in size and complexity, each time amazing gamers with super realistic graphics and incredibly realistic driving. The popularity and importance of this game to Sony is huge, over 50 million units have been sold.

The release of Gran Turismo 5 is comparable to that of a hollywood blockbuster. Although there is no set release date, the first trailers have appeared.

Things have certainly come along way since the days of Pong.

The Beastie Boys – Japanese Street Icons?

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At the 2009 MTV Video Awards Japan, the Beastie Boys were presented with the Street Icons Award by Nigo.

Not sure how this award was decided as most young Japanese have no idea who the Beastie Boys are.

The Beastie Boys are however obvious fans of Japan. Why else would you dress up as Japanese construction workers and dance in Shibuya and Shinjuku train stations. And who better to defend Tokyo from an enormous octopus headed monster than the Beastie Boys at the helm of a giant robot.

Print Prices – Why the change in currency?

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As some people have pointed out, a few months ago the prices for limited edition prints available on my website suddenly changed from US dollars to Japanese yen.

At exhibitions in Japan all the prices for my prints are in yen. With fluctuating exchange rates, the only way to guarantee that the prices are the same whether you purchase on the website or through a gallery was to have everything in the same currency.

You can check the prices in your local currency using a universal currency converter.

Paypal will convert the amount from yen to your local currency when checking out, along with taking all the necessary shipping details. As always, A2 and A3 size prints include free international shipping and insurance.

Okinawan Bull Fighting

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During the summer months bull fighting takes place in several bull rings on Okinawa.

I have mixed feelings on the whole situation. Compared to Spanish bull fighting it is delightful. Okinawan bull fighting is a battle between equals rather than men against beast. The Okinawan bulls lock horns and then push each other until the weaker bull turns and runs. The bulls are not killed, and are looked after by their owners better than many pets. Near where I live, you regularly see the bulls being taken for walks. ( Something I really should photograph now that I think about it. )

Some bulls however do get injured, which is hardly surprising when both combatants have a big pointy horn on either side of their head. With the potential for animals to be injured or even killed is the cost of this entertainment too great?

Okinawan Bull Fighting

Happy Birthday Big Ben

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Today is the 150th birthday of Big Ben.

Happy Birthday Big Ben!

I am aware that Big Ben is the bell rather than the building surrounding it, but you can look at the photos and imagine the bell nonetheless!

These pictures were taken a couple of years ago when Britain was having a terrible summer of almost constant rain. Just happened that the weekend I was in London was glorious weather. Hoorah!