Whitemouth moray, Malibu Beach, Okinawa
Still shooting fish that are stationary…
Nemo in Pink
Not sure about this one.
More stationary fish…
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Summer in Okinawa
Poolside – From the portfolio of Michelle Santos
Summer is here in Okinawa. The asphalt gets so hot it’s tough to walk around in bare feet. Some people retreat to the air conditioned malls. Jusco and San A always seem at their busiest during the blistering heat. The other option is to head to the ocean or to the pool.
Above is a shot from a portfolio shoot with model Michelle Santos. Lovely sunny day, but to combat the harsh shadows I used a strobe and umbrella for some fill light.
Workshop Updates
There are a couple of places left on the Photography 101 Workshop with Chris Willson on July 14th & 15th 2012.
There are several places left on the Pixels to Pigment Workshop with Martin Bailey August 4th & 5th.
For more details on the courses check out the workshops page.
To book either course send an email to chris@travel67.com
This will be the only 101 workshop for the summer, and probably the only time the Pixels to Pigment Workshop will be held in Okinawa. Please make the most of this opportunity to learn from Martin.
Hope to see many members of the Okinawan photography community at one of the courses.
Gliding through the rays
Turtle at Cape Manza, Okinawa
Just a quick shot of a turtle gliding through the sun’s rays at Cape Manza. First turtle I’ve seen since diving with the camera, and reasonably pleased to have got an in focus shot of a moving subject.
Fight Club Okinawa
Fight Club in Okinawa
The first rule of fight club, don’t get blood on the camera.
Street Fighter Darryl
The second rule of fight club, don’t get blood on the camera.
The no look punch
The third rule of fight club, don’t mess with Elmo.
Makeup artist Summer Johnson.
A huge thanks to Darryl for taking a beating and to makeup artist Summer Johnson for supplying it.
Dangerous Jobs – Hazmat Specialist
Dangerous Jobs – Hazmat Worker
Back in the studio playing around with light. I like the look of these images, they could be promo photographs for a new discovery channel series titled “The world’s deadliest jobs” or quite possibly “The world’s deadliest jobs with Shawn Miller.”
Dangerous Jobs – Hazmat Worker
I used some artistic license with the gas mask, deciding to place the air filters on the outside rather than the inside of the mask. I thought it looked a little more interesting, but due to the reversal of the one way valves, made breathing a little tricky.
Pygmy Seahorse, Okinawa
The pygmy seahorse, Bargibanti’s seahorse, (Hippocampus bargibanti) Okinawa, Japan
The pygmy seahorse was one of the top species on my underwater Okinawa shot list. Very happy to have managed to photograph one this morning.
The seahorses are tiny, about the size of my thumbnail. They are also fantastically well camouflaged, blending perfectly with the fan corals they live on. Wikipedia states that the species was only discovered when researches were studying the fan corals in the lab.
Shorin-ryu Karate 10th Dan Master Sokuichi Gibu
Shorin-ryu Karate 10th Dan Master Sokuichi Gibu
A great shoot yesterday with Shorin-ryu Karate 10th Dan Master Sokuichi Gibu.
Shorin-ryu Karate 10th Dan Master Sokuichi Gibu
On friday afternoon, James Pankiewicz and I headed over to the dojo of karate master Sokuichi Gibu. Another great opportunity to photograph an Okinawan icon.
Shorin-ryu Karate 10th Dan Master Sokuichi Gibu
Sokuichi Gibu may look fierce in his portraits, but he was exceptionally friendly and willing to run through a wide selection of poses, and a few fierce kicks.
Shorin-ryu Karate 10th Dan Master Sokuichi Gibu
Matsuri!
Matsuri Exhibition at the Pentax Forum (Draft Postcard)
Here’s the first draft of the DM or promotional postcard for the Matsuri exhibition at the Pentax Forum in September. The next step is selecting and printing images. Most of the images I’m choosing from are in my Matsuri set on Flickr, please check them out and let me know if there are particular favorites you’d like to see in the show.
A couple of creatures you shouldn’t touch (or stand on).
Lionfish – Pterois volitans
These two Okinawan locals have a lot in common with the karate masters. They’ll stay out of your way minding their own business, but if you mess with them, they’ll inflict serious injury.
Lionfish have venomous fin rays which if touched will cause extreme pain in the healthy, and possible death to the young, elderly or sick. Lionfish can be found at many of the dive sites on Okinawa, but seem to be most common in calmer areas such as Malibu Beach. Lionfish are however easy to spot, and unless you’re completely unaware of your surroundings, relatively simple to stay clear of.
Stonefish are extremely well camouflaged and have a powerful neurotoxin that is more deadly than the sting of the lionfish. They usually sit quietly on the coral reef and want nothing to do with humans. If threatened they raise their dorsal fin spines and will inject their poison. Stand on a stonefish with bare feet and you’re going to experience severe pain and possible death. Last Saturday at Maeda, a half dead, but fully venomous, stonefish was right next to divers and snorkelers as they entered the water.
Stonefish
So what does this mean for those who want to enjoy marine sports on Okinawa?
Except for the netted off beaches, don’t walk into the ocean with bare feet. Ideally wear felt soled dive booties. Fins that you wear with bare feet are great for boat dives, but on Okinawa where you often dive from the shore, boots and open-heel fins are a better option.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 