RIP Ray Harryhausen. An amazing visionary. Thanks for making me believe that skeleton soldiers were real.
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On the banks of the Yamuna River
On the banks of the Yamuna River, Agra, India
Sometimes things don’t go quite as expected. I’m standing on the bank of the Yamuna River with the Taj Mahal right in front of me. My favorite shots from the afternoon, however, are the goat herders that were wandering along the dusty riverbank. The last rays of sun created a glow on everything they touched. Magic.
On the banks of the Yamuna River, Agra, India
Up Close at the Ie Lily Festival
Ie Lily Festival, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
One of the great things about the new 90mm lens for the 645D is that it can focus very close to the subject. Although not a 1:1 macro, it does allow you to get some great detail shots with what has become my standard walk-around lens.
Ie Lily Festival, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
Ie Lily Festival, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
Ie Lily Festival, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
Ie Lily Festival, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform
Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform
Going through some images from shoots earlier in the year. Love the eye contact in these. A huge thanks to Corporal Bermudez of the United States Marine Corps.
Pentax 645D Pentax 645 150mm
Lighting – Charcoal background. Gridded Beauty Dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light . Square softbox front and low as fill. 2 medium size strip softboxes behind that were adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform
Ie Island, Okinawa
Wajee Viewpoint, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
Took a 30 minute ferry ride from Motobu across to Ie Island. I’d never been to the island previously, which is amazing considering I’ve lived on Okinawa for over a decade. It also looks to have some great shore diving.
Ie is famous for beef, togan, and brown sugar, but surprisingly the main crop on the island was tobacco.
Tobacco Fields, Ie Island, Okinawa
Ie island was heavily bombed during the Battle of Okinawa. The local population hid in caves to try and survive the typhoon of steel. In one cave called Niya-Thiya, around a 1000 locals waited out the battle.
Niya-Thiya Cave, Ie Island, Okinawa. During WWII’s Battle of Okinawa, 1000 Okinawans hid in this cave.
US war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed on Ie Island on April 18th 1945. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944, and covered the war in Europe, Africa and the Pacific.
Ernie Pyle Monument, to US war correspondent killed on Ie Island Okinawa 18/4/1945
The main event on Ie Island is the Lily Festival that takes place from the end of April to the beginning of May. There are fields of white lilies, and also several rows of the more colorful varieties of Lily.
Ie Lily Festival, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
Ie Lily Festival, Ie Island, Okinawa, Japan
Vary your Angles (Part 4) What’s the story
Taj Mahal – Flowers
In the late afternoon I crossed to the other side of the River Yamuna to see the Taj Mahal from the Mehtab Bagh Park. Knowing I already had the classic postcard shot of the Taj, I wanted to be a little more creative. The shape of the Taj Mahal is so distinctive, it is recognizable even when out of focus. I first tried a shot with some low hanging flowers, and then moved onto barbed wire.
Taj Mahal – Behind the Wire
These shots of the Taj Mahal behind the wire, are examples of capturing a story in a single image. Of course, unless you provide a detailed caption, it is up to the viewer to determine exactly what the photograph means.
Taj Mahal – Behind the Wire
Taj Mahal – Behind the Wire
No Osprey Protest – Torii Base, Okinawa
No Osprey Demonstration outside Torii Army Base, Okinawa Japan 2 May 2013
Another No Osprey protest took place last week outside of Torii Army Base. It was much smaller than the event I’d previously photographed near the Ginowan Convention Center. On Friday, there were around 100 protestors (and a couple of bulls), and it only lasted for around 30 minutes.
No Osprey Demonstration outside Torii Army Base, Okinawa Japan 2 May 2013
There were several short speeches by leaders of the group about not wanting Osprey helicopters and military bases on Okinawa. Then as a group they faced the gate and shouted their demands. They chanted in Japanese that they didn’t want the helicopters, they didn’t want bases, and they didn’t want military on Okinawa. Then after a brief pause, the chant became “Yankee go home, Yankee go home, Yankee go home.” This was the last thing shouted, and then the protest ended and the gathering broke up.
No Osprey Demonstration outside Torii Army Base, Okinawa Japan 2 May 2013
The presence of military bases in Okinawa is a contentious and complicated issue. The Okinawans have every right to voice their opinions and try to effect change on the political situation. However, to end a demonstration repeatedly chanting “Yankee go home,” left me with with a feeling of frustration and annoyance. I presume what they meant by Yankee is American Military, but Yankee is slang for American not American soldier. It’s a small point, but generalizations like this are at best lazy, and at worst dangerous.
No Osprey Demonstration outside Torii Army Base, Okinawa Japan 2 May 2013
The issue is not about Yankees, it’s about the American military presence. Rather than discussing the continuing presence of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the protest was focused on a particular type of helicopter outside a base which those helicopters rarely visit. Perhaps all they were looking for was a photo and a few lines of text in the local newspaper, but as an effective way of creating change, I think there must be better ways of doing it.
No Osprey Demonstration outside Torii Army Base, Okinawa Japan 2 May 2013
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Okinawa
Snorkeling in Okinawa ( Model – Leia Heider)
Here are a few snorkeling and scuba diving images that I shot both for Leia’s modeling portfolio, and for potential use in travel magazines. You could argue that scuba divers wouldn’t be wearing as much makeup, or that a wetsuit might be more sensible when diving in April. This is true, but as I’m not shooting this as a news story, a photographer can use a little artistic license.
Snorkeling in Okinawa ( Model – Leia Heider)
Scuba Diving in Okinawa ( Model – Leia Heider)
Scuba Diving in Okinawa ( Model – Leia Heider)
Vary your Angles (Part 3) – Populate the Scene
Visitors to the Taj Mahal
Either from a artistic or a commercial point of view, sometimes you want to show people in the shot, sometimes you don’t. Photo editors can be very specific with their requests “I’d like an image of x at dawn with no people” or “I need a landscape shot of z during the day showing tourists visiting but no identifiable faces”.
Visitors to the Taj Mahal
Visitors to the Taj Mahal
Visitors to the Taj Mahal
Visitors to the Taj Mahal
Visitors to the Taj Mahal
Mud Portraits
Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa
Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa
Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa
Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa
Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa
And my personal favorite. Love everything about this shot from the blue goggles to the spit bubbles 🙂
Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 