And my personal favorite. Love everything about this shot from the blue goggles to the spit bubbles 🙂
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In the Studio – Talisa
Model – Talisa Galarza
Makeup and Hair – Mallika Sharma of Glam Girl Sharma
Pentax 645D Pentax 150mm
Lighting – Charcoal background. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. Medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa
The Mud Festival in Kin Town is the biggest even in the annual calendar for locals. There are various food vendors, and a performance by Ryujin Mabuya, but the highlight is a field the size of a swimming pool that has been flooded with about 20 centiemeters of muddy water. There are some swings, rubber rings, a slide, and various floats for the kids to play on. It doesn’t take very long before every child is covered head to toe in a layer of brown sludge.
In the Studio – Amanda
Model – Amanda ‘Hamilton’ Perez
MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist
Pentax 645D
HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S
Lighting – Grey background. Octabox powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. A medium size strip softbox on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.
Yanbaru Birdwatching Tours
Shawn Miller and I went out to Yanbaru very early this morning for a birdwatching tour with birder and wildlife artist Ichiro Kikuta. Ichiro has just started offering guided birding tours, either 2-hour dawn tours from 6AM to 8AM, or all-day tours. He can speak some English, is very personable, and has a huge wealth of knowledge about Okinawan wildlife.
Shawn and I specifically wanted to see the Noguchi-gera, the rare woodpecker that is endemic to the subtropical forests of northern Okinawa. Ichiro knew where a pair of the woodpeckers were feeding their chicks, and guided us to the nest. We spent a couple of hours photographing this particular bird, while Ichiro identified other species of birds we spotted or heard.
Ichiro can be contacted by phone at 090 6867 3160 or email at kikuta-ichiro@mbp.nifty.com
2-hour dawn tours are ¥6,000 per person. All-day tours for one to four people are ¥¥18,000 (1p) ¥24,000 (2p) ¥30,000 (3p) ¥36,000 (4p).
Traditional Karate Training Equipment
Okinawan karate has several training techniques that are designed to strengthen and condition the body using simple everyday objects. Sanchin are heavy jars that are gripped with the fingertips. Makiwara is a striking post the top of which is often wrapped in leather or straw. It is similar to a boxers punching bag, but with a smaller target.
In the photo below Gaja-sensei demonstrated how a simple bucket of stones was used for fingertip conditioning. He thrust his hand in so hard and fast, the force sent some stones flying out of the bucket.
Here’s a short clip showing a few different techniques by various masters including Kiyohide Shinjo.
Leia Heider Portfolio Shoot – On location (Part 1)
645D Price Reduction
The U.S. price for the Pentax 645D has just dropped a massive 1800 dollars. This may tempt some to jump from full frame 35mm to something a little bigger, it also could be seen as an indicator that a Pentax 645D II is on its way. Rumors are it could be 60 megapixels, a larger sensor (although not FF 645), and priced significantly higher than the original 645D.
Pentax 645D at B&H for US$6996.95
Pentax 645D at Amazon US via Adorama for US$6996.95
























