TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography

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Leia Heider – Portfolio Shoot (Part 1)

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Leia Heider Portfolio – White T-shirt

Spent yesterday photographing a new portfolio for model Leia Heider. I always start these shoots with a simple natural look. It’s something agencies and potential clients want to see, and should be updated regularly.

Throw on a jacket and you have a classic look, that wouldn’t be out of place in an advertisement for The Gap. The image is toned slightly to give it a different feel to the white T-shirt image.

Leia Heider Portfolio – Denim Jacket

Model – Leia Heider
MUA – Summer Johnson-Makeup Artist

Pentax 645D
HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S

Model Leia Heider – Headshot

Bathing in the Ganges at Dawn

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Dawn over the Ganges River

Dawn breaks over the Ganges. Along the riverbank in Varanasi, hundreds come to bathe in the holy waters.

Bathing in the Ganges at Dawn

F.A.Q.s – What camera bag did you use in India?

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Lowepro S&F belt and harness system

I usually use a Lowepro DryZone 200 bag for hiking, and a Pelican 1510 for studio shoots. However, while in India I used a Lowepro S&F belt and harness system. Attached was a Lowepro Toploader Zoom 55 bag for my 645D, a utility pouch for the other lens, batteries, etc, and a water bottle holder. The above pic clearly shows the system although it’s much less conspicuous if you wear a black t-shirt.

Even better is to then put on a loose fitting shirt which covers all the straps. You now have easy access to the equipment, but are not drawing attention to all your expensive gear. Both bags have zippers so your gear isn’t going to bounce out. The shoulder straps make carrying the 645D far more comfortable than using a single strap. They also prevent your gear from crashing to the floor if the waist buckle pops open, or from disappearing if someone tries to grab the belt, pop the clasp, and run.

Lowepro S&F belt and harness system

I first tried this setup in Istanbul a couple of years ago and found it worked really well. I’ve used it several times since, including shooting Fuji Rock Festival last year. Here’s a shot of me taken by fellow traveller Kim Logue.

Chris Willson photographing the boatman on the Ganges – image by Kim Logue

Following the advice of my friend Shawn I got a couple of pairs of 5.11 tactical pants. The various pockets held sunglasses, hand sanitizer, map, wallet, loose change for small purchases, tissues, ipod and a ballpoint pen. Under my t-shirt I had a neck pouch that contained passport, credit card, and one set of SD cards.

I returned to Okinawa having had nothing stolen. Someone, somewhere tried to clone my credit card and withdraw cash from an ATM, but it was stopped by VISA security. Of course nothing guarantees safety, however, being a little less conspicuous with your gear is probably not a bad idea.

Blog Changes

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Things are going to look a little different on the blog over the next few days. I wanted to post slightly larger images online, so I’ve had to make some adjustments to the layout of the page. Of course, there are going to be some little niggles with the new design, but please be patient, and hopefully everything will be bigger and better in the not too distant future.

Hair Stylist – Aiasha Orick-Fleurantin

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Desiree – Hair by Aiasha Orick-Fleurant

A few shots from a shoot last year to highlight the work of hair stylist Aiasha Orick-Fleurant.

Desiree – Hair by Aiasha Orick-Fleurant

Aiasha is available for weddings, balls and photo shoots. She will be on Okinawa until June 2015. You can contact her via email at hairverbage@yahoo.com or her visit her website A. LaQuin.

Desiree – Hair by Aiasha Orick-Fleurant

Model – Desiree Snyder
Makeup – Summer Johnson
Hair Stylist – Aiasha Orick-Fleurantin

Baba Jee, Boatman on the River Ganges – Varanasi, India

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Baba Jee the River Ganges Boatman

The image above is almost the exact shot I ‘d envisaged when I started planning my trip to Varanasi. Luckily everything fell into place when I found Baba Jee a photogenic boatman, warm golden light at dusk, and the three dimensional quality you get when shooting with a wide angle lens up close.

Pentax 645D Pentax FA 645 35mm f/3.5 AL IF

Baba Jee the River Ganges Boatman

Of course I didn’t just take one photo, but dozens. I switched between the 90mm and 35mm lenses, used both landscape and portrait orientations, and also shot with and into the light.

Baba Jee the River Ganges Boatman

These images were taken at the end of my second day in India, but I knew straight away I’d probably just captured the best shots of the trip.

Baba Jee the River Ganges Boatman

In the Studio – Rie

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In the Studio – Rie

A simple headshot of Rie. This type of straight on shots tends to work only with models with very symmetrical faces. The brown hues in the image give it a warm feel, but it would have been very simple to use a bluer tone, a white background, and a little more light to give the bright high key look you see in adverts for cosmetics.

Model – Rie Tanaka, MUA – Summer Johnson

Pentax 645D with HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S

Beautiful Beards

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Sadhu Holy Man – Varanasi, India

Yoshiaki Gakiya Sensei & Neil Stolsmark Sensei – Matayoshi Kobudo.

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Yoshiaki Gakiya Sensei, Matayoshi Kobudo. Okinawa Kobudo Doushi Rensei-kai

Yoshiaki Gakiya Sensei, 8th-dan Matayoshi Kobudo. i

This week I drove up to Nago to photograph a master of Okinawan Kobudo, Yoshiaki Gakiya. Kobudo is the weapons system of Okinawan martial arts. As well as being experts in unarmed combat, kobudo masters learned how to use farming tools as weapons. In Matayoshi Kobudo, students study a wider range of weapons than most kobudo practitioners.Along with the familiar bo staff, sai, nunchaku and tonfa, they also use tools such as the kuwa (hoe) and surujin.

Yoshiaki Gakiya Sensei and Neil Stolsmark 8th-dan, Matayoshi Kobudo. Okinawa Kobudo Doushi Rensei-kai

Yoshiaki Gakiya Sensei and Neil Stolsmark , both 8th-dan Matayoshi Kobudo.

Gakiya-sensei recently suffered from a major stroke so he can no longer practice kobudo, but it was an honor to see him put on his dogi jacket for a portrait. Gakiya’s top student, Neil Stolsmark, joined the shoot with his teacher. It was touching to see the level of mutual respect between these two men. Neil is immensely proud of his teacher, and Gakiya-sensei broke into a smile as he watched his friend and student stand before the camera.

Neil Stolsmark 8th-dan Matayoshi Kobudo.

Neil Stolsmark with bill-type naginata, 8th-dan Matayoshi Kobudo.

Neil Stolsmark with kuwa, 8th-dan Matayoshi Kobudo.

Neil Stolsmark with surujin, 8th-dan Matayoshi Kobudo.

Morning Ritual – Varanasi, India

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A Sadhu’s Morning Ritual – Varanasi, India

As the sun rises over the Ganges, a sadhu in his loincloth bathes in the river.

A Sadhu’s Morning Ritual – Varanasi, India

Once clean, he removes his loincloth, and applies vibhuti, sacred ash, to his entire body. The ash dries to a grey white powder. For the rest of the day, he wears nothing but a few rings and the simple bracelets on his wrists.