All posts filed under: Okinawa

Riley Marx – Fitness Model

Published by

A few studio images for the portfolio of fitness model Riley Marx. We’ll do a second session outdoors when rainy season has finished. Always great to work with such a dedicated athlete. If you’d like to have a go at using studio lighting, the next Intro to Studio Lighting Workshop is June 14 & 15, 2014. Click on  the workshops tab for more details, then send me a message to book a place.

Diving in Okinawa – Dragonair’s Silkroad Magazine May 2014

Published by

I have a feature on scuba diving, and the cover photo, in the May 2014 edition of Dragonair’s Silkroad magazine. Along with the cover, most of the photos used with the feature are also mine, but unfortunately I didn’t have any decent Hammerhead shark images. A big thanks to all my diver buddies who helped providing quotes or posing for pics! Underwater images shot with the Pentax K5 or K5IIs in an Ikelite underwater housing.

The Okinawan Priestess

Published by

I’m no expert on Okinawan religion, and the facts seem to vary a lot depending on who you ask, but here’s a brief explanation of a ceremony I photographed last week on Kouri Island. Okinawa’s native religion is ancestor worship, and the most important spiritual leaders are women. They are called either noro, yuta, or the more general term kaminchu. Ayako Toguchi is a spiritual leader on Kouri Island, I met her once before at the Unjami Festival. A friend pointed out on this visit that the mural in the shrine office of a woman flying through the air with a dragon is actually a portrait of Toguchi-san. April 3rd, is the third day of the third month in the Okinawan calendar, and a special ceremony was held at Sururu Gama (Sururu Cave) on Kouri Island. The cave is only accessible at low tide, after a scramble down to a hidden beach. Even at low tide the entrance must be cleared of rocks and sand before you can enter the cave. After entering the cave, offerings …

Lab Report – Disturbance in the Cosmos

Published by

I haven’t offered family portraits in the cosmos fields. I’ve done model shoots in the cosmos, but I’ve usually referred parents with kids on to other photographers. However, in preparation for sessions next year, I decided I’d do a test shoot to work out the best locations and angles etc.  Bear played the role of a small child, and things were going fine, until I thought the pics might look better without the orange collar. Bad idea. Never feed Gremlins after midnight, never call Chuck Norris a sissy, and never remove Bear’s collar. Not unless you have a clearly defined strategy as to how you are going to catch, and then clean the ball of mud and fur, before putting her back in the car. She’s too fast for me, she’s too fast for the camera’s autofocus. In conclusion, from Spring 2015 I will offer family sessions in the cosmos fields. If your children like to roll around in the mud, then run until exhaustion, no problem. They’ll be going home in your car!

Karate Masters Portrait Project – Narihiro Shinjo

Published by

Narihiro Shinjo, Uechi Ryu karate master, and younger brother of Kiyohide Shinjo. He has won the kata section of karate championships so many times, James and I are having trouble working out the exact number. Just like his brother he is fast, conditioned beyond belief, and very very strong. He is also a lovely man, and has great control, which is a relief when a foot that could probably pass through concrete flies towards your camera.

Video with the Pentax K3

Published by

The Pentax K3 can record FullHD video so thought I’d give it a go during the weekend’s workshop. The above footage is handheld, and sound is recorded with the built-in mono microphone rather than an external stereo mic, but it looks pretty good.  Will have to spend a lot more time learning how to get the most out of the camera’s video capabilities. These moving pictures, however, are an interesting development. In fact, I’d hazardous a guess, and say it’s probably going to catch on.