TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

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The Lake District

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As a child, I spent many weeks in the Lake District on family trips or school camps. As a teenager, I returned with my friends to hike or rock climb risking life and limb on Borrowdale’s Brown Slabs or Troutdale Pinnacle.

Wordsworth quote near his grave. The Lake District, Cumbria, UK

I return for a couple of days to merely wander and take a few pics for travel articles. The home of Beatrix Potter, Wordsworth’s Grave, a leisurely boat ride, followed by an amble.

Lake Cruise on Derwent Water, The Lake District, Cumbria, UK

The sight of climbers out on the crags brought back a flood of memories. But we had more important things to do. Tea and cake.

Castle Crag , North Western Fells, Lake District, Cumbria, United Kingdom

London Calling

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Back in Okinawa, after a 3-week trip to the UK. Uploading images from SD cards to the computer while unpacking.

Revisited the Lake District, London, and Paris. Shot some new images for my travel portfolio and spent time with family. I’ll put up some pics on the blog as the images get organized. The photo above is of Yuki crossing London’s Millennium Bridge in front St. Paul’s Cathedral. (Rebuilt after the attack of the Death Eaters…)

Looks like the rest of 2016 is going to be busy with numerous workshops, editorial and commercial work already on the calendar. I’m also taking bookings for family sessions in Motobu between now and December.

Toshiko Taira – Japanese Living National Treasure

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Bashofu is a textile made out of banana fibre. The only place still producing bashofu is a small workshop in Ogimi Village, Okinawa. It’s survival as a craft and art form is due to Toshiko Taira who is recognized as a Japanese Living National Treasure.

Banana plantations owned by the Ogimi Village Bashofu Hall, Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa

Bashofu production at Ogimi Village Bashofu Hall, Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa

Toshiko Taira age 96 Japanese Living National Treasure, Ogimi Village Bashofu Hall, Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa

Ryukyu Indigo plants for dye at Ogimi Village Bashofu Hall, Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa

Indigo dying of bashofu at Ogimi Village Bashofu Hall, Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa

Bashofu production at Ogimi Village Bashofu Hall, Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa

Bashofu kimono at Ogimi Village Bashofu Hall, Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa

A real honor to photograph one of Okinawa’s icons.

Pentax K-1 Exhibition, Tokyo

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If you’re in Tokyo between September 14th and 26th, check out the Pentax K-1 exhibition at the Ricoh Imaging Square Shinjuku. There will be images by 18 photographers from across Japan. Glad to be part of the team 🙂

https://travel67.com/exhibitions/

The Ricoh Imaging Square Shinjuku is 5 minutes walk from Shinjuku Station. It’s on the middle basement floor of the Shinjuku Center Building which is next to the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower just west of the station.

The Shinjuku Center Building is next to the distinctive Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

Water Buffalo Crossing

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Why did the water buffalo cross the road?

A) She thought she was a chicken.

B) She thought she was a zebra.

C) She thought she was a Beatle.

Banana Spider – Pentax K-1 and 50mm macro

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Big banana spider in the garden so thought I’d check out trying to maximize the depth of field when shooting macro with the K-1 and a 50mm macro lens. F32 gives the deepest aperture, but requires a lot of extra light. I used a B1 strobe on full power to get enough light on the subject to give the correct exposure.

1/200 f32 ISO 100 K-1 with Pentax-D FA 50mm F2.8 Macro

Very pleased to have spiders in the garden, as hopefully they’ll stay busy eating mosquitoes.

UPDATE: After finding another spider in the garden I notice there have variations in the color of the pedipalps. (Orange in the pic above, yellow in the pic below.) And yes I had to google arachnid anatomy to find out what they are called.

Underside of another banana spider (yellow pedipalps)

Chondara – Okinawan Clowns

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Chondara are clowns that encourage the performers, and entertain the crowds during Okinawa’s summer eisa dance performances.

They can be young or old, but you see very few women chondara.

Usually they wear a straw conical hat and a short striped basa kimono. The makeup is nearly always white with designs drawn on to the face.

Chondara at the Heshikiya Eisa Festival, Katsuren, Okinawa, Japan

The designs on the face vary between the chondara, but more surprisingly, unlike western “whiteface” clowns, a chondara doesn’t always stick with the same face. Below we can see the same chondara at Ryukyu Mura with four different faces.

Send in the clowns!

Shintoku Takara 10th dan Okinawa Uechi-ryu

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On Monday evening I photographed Shintoku Takara, 10th dan Okinawa Uechi-ryu Karatedo Kyokai. At 86 years old Takara sensei is one of the elder statesmen of Okinawa karate. We met at the family dojo in Kitanakagusku, but on finding out we live in Motobu he was excited to tell us how their family was from Bise Village just a couple of kilometers from our home.

One interesting bit of trivia about Takara sensei is that he was one of the Uechi-ryu masters who taught F1 champion Nigel Mansell in Okinawa . Mansell received his shodan certificate in 1994 (1st dan black belt).

Shitoku Takara 10th dan Okinawa Uechi-ryu Karatedo Kyokai

Shintoku Takara 10th dan Okinawa Uechi-ryu Karatedo Kyokai

We photographed Takara sensei along with his son Kazuya Shintoku, and his grandson Uechi Takenori. This is the first time for us to photograph three generations of karateka together.

Kazuya Takara 8th dan, Shnitoku Takara 10th dan, Takenori Uechi, Okinawa Uechi-ryu Karatedo Kyokai

Summer Workshops

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Another great Fundamentals workshop last weekend. Becoming a regular at the various cafes in Motobu and Yomitan.

After a hot Sunday, we reviewed the images in my friend’s cafe Majorca.

On July 30/31 we’ll have the North & South intermediate workshop. Then the next Fundamentals Workshop will be on August 6/7.

More details can be found on the WORKSHOPS page. Get in touch to book your place!

Sessions – The Ball Family

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Great family session on Sunday evening with the Kayla, Adam, and little Alice.

Kayla and Adam came out to Okinawa a year ago to train with 10th dan master Yoshio Kuba of Okinawa Goju Ryu karate. In the past few months they’ve also added Alice to their family.