All posts filed under: Japan

Thank You!

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A big thank you to all the people who came by the exhibition or offered their encouragement from afar. It was a fun and hectic six days.  This was my  fifth exhibition, and the largest so far with 23 landscapes and 24 portraits on show. It was great to meet so many people and listen to their comments. The snow monkey images “Relaxation” and “Monkey Hug” along with “Fireworks at Itsukushima” were very popular, however, the clear favorite was the “Into the Mist” shot of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. I also learned a lot more about marketing, image selection, sales, and digital displays, but I’ll leave comments on them for another post. Right now I have to make sure that people who ordered prints get them before Christmas, and that the images from recent studio shoots are edited and sent to the models. Busy, busy busy.

Pro Skateboarder Tetsuharu Sai

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Yesterday I did a shoot with professional skateboarder Tetsuharu Sai. Photographer David Washington helped provide the battery power and assistance, while skateboarder Matt Hill got me the introduction. The setup was relatively simple. I used a Profoto 300W compact strobe with a magnum reflector, this was powered by David’s Tronix Explorer XT battery pack and triggered with a PocketWizard. We used a flash meter to first check the ambient light and then measure exposure with the flash.  I expected to struggle as I didn’t have a lens wider than the 645D’s 55mm but this turned out to not be a problem It looked like we might have to postpone the shoot due to bad weather, but the rain didn’t get past a few drops and the cloudy skies added a bit of drama to the background. Thanks again to Tetsuharu, David and Matt for making this shoot possible.

Busena Terrace Resort

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Last month I was updating the Okinawa chapter of a Japan travel guide. This meant I had to drop by numerous hotels to check the quality of the rooms, prices, amenities etc. I saved the best till last, and last week I toured the facilities at the Busena Terrace Resort. The location is great, the beach lovely, rooms are luxurious and yet understated, and the service impeccable. The reality is that it is also a little outside my budget (rooms range from  42,735 to 577,500 a night). Although I’ve been on Okinawa for 10 years, I’d never visited the resort. Somehow I’d presumed they wouldn’t allow non-guests into the complex. However, you can enjoy the beach (inc. showers etc) if you pay 2,000 yen per car, and anyone can dine at the restaurants. I’d recommend stopping by for tea and cakes at least once. The hotel is located beside the Bankoku Shinryokan where the 2000 G8 summit took place, there is also an underwater observatory and a glass bottom boat if you’re looking to do …

Visions of Japan – Global Gallery December 8 – 13

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  From December 8th to 13th, I will have a Visions of Japan exhibition at Global Gallery in Plaza House. This will be my biggest exhibition yet, with around 20 A2 size landscapes and 20 A3 size portraits. The gallery will be open from 11am to 7pm and I’ll be there most of the time.  Along with the larger limited edition prints, there will also be a selection of smaller prints for sale. As a bonus, Global Gallery is located next to the Indian restaurant Krishna, so I know I won’t be going hungry.

Discovery Channel Magazine – Yonaguni Underwater Ruins

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A few months ago I took some photos of marine geologist Kimura Masaaki for Discovery Channel Magazine. A couple of my images were used in a recent feature about the “lost civilization” off the coast of Yonaguni. The magazines finally arrived today so I thought I’d share a couple of scans. Can’t post any larger images on the web, and I’ve desaturated the area around my pics, but it gives you the general idea. Hopefully I will visit Yonaguni in the spring to get my own underwater shots. The second image is of a rock Kimura-san found which has a clear “X” carved into the surface. It is, he believes, proof that the ruins are man-made.

Peace Memorial Park

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Peace Memorial Park is located on Mabuni Hill where the Battle of Okinawa came to a close. The Peace Memorial Museum describes life during and after the war, the Peace Memorial Monument contains a 10-meter statue of a person praying, and the Cornerstone of Peace is line after line of granite blocks bearing the names of over 240,000 who died. Japan (Okinawa) 149,193,   Japan (other prefectures) 77,166,   USA 14,009   Republic of Korea 365,    North Korea 82,   UK 82,   Taiwan 34 As with the  Himeyuri Peace Museum this is an important place to visit, especially if you are living on Okinawa.

Himeyuri Peace Mueseum

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This month I’ve been updating the Okinawa chapter of a Japan guidebook. A huge part of this is fact checking, but I’ve also revisited most of the major attractions and landmarks on the island. Yesterday I stopped by Himeyuri Peace Museum and the Peace Memorial Park. Before the battle of Okinawa, the Japanese mobilized Okinawan junior high and high school students. One group of high school girls, the Himeyuri students, were assigned as nurses. 222 young girls and 18 teachers found themselves in underground caves dealing with the dead and the dying. Worse was to come. When their unit was dissolved they were left to fend for themselves in a Typhoon of Steel. Caught between the Japanese and American forces, 80% of the girls were killed. Japanese propoganda had told them that capture by American forces would result in torture and rape. Some girls threw themselves off  cliffs, others huddled around a grenade and pulled the pin. This is an important place to visit for anyone living on Okinawa. It’s not an easy experience, but as …

Kadena Gift Corner – October 23rd

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Next Saturday, October 23rd I will be selling prints and answering photography questions at Kadena Gift Corner  on Kadena Air Base. The Kadena Gift Corner will be open from 10am – 2pm so please stop by if you’re in the area. For those of you who don’t have access to the base, don’t worry. I will also be having an exhibition and print sales in December at Global Gallery in Plaza House. Hope to see some of you on Saturday!