All posts filed under: Okinawa

Sanguwacha Festival, Henza Island, Okinawa

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Sanguwacha Festival is held each year on Henza Island, Okinawa, Japan. The traditional rituals combine the practice of cleansing in the ocean with prayers for a bountiful harvest and safe fishing. Two large paper fish are carried by teams of local school children through town and then out into the ocean. The elderly residents at the village’s day service came out to wave as the procession went past. At low tide, everyone was able to wade across through thigh deep water to the nearby island. There the local priestess gave a blessing over offerings of awamori, fruit, and containers of diced octopus. Back on the main island the women danced and sang as the giant paper fish made their way back to the village. A fantastic experience to get in amongst the action, using a wide angle lens to capture the scene. (Sony A7RIV with a 16-35mm lens)

Okinawa green tree frog – Zhangixalus viridis

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While working in the garden cutting back the shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) I came across this cute Okinawa green tree frog (Zhangixalus viridis). Jasmine was interested to see the frog with its giant sticky toes, and bright yellow eyes. I got a few pics and video with the iphone before going back and getting the big camera. The Okinawa green tree frog is a  rhacophorid frog endemic to the Ryukyu Island chain. It is not uncommon, but although I hear a veritable frog chorus when it rains, I only occasionally come across them in the garden.

2023 Highlights

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2023 was a year of consolidation and preparation. Travel was limited, but the months were filled meeting fascinating people, and documenting their stories. The biggest change was Jasmine turning five. She has graduated from baby seats to booster seats, Duplo to Lego, and Paw Patrol to Bluey. My mum and dad visited in autumn, and it was great to reconnect. Yuki was amazed at just how many cups of tea we drank. 2023 saw the return of several major events in Okinawa, including the dragon boat races, competitive sports, and local festivals. I’ve met so many wonderful people from all different backgrounds. It was a pleasure to meet, photograph, and interview the Māori martial arts master Tuari Dawson. Recording him singing on the beach was unforgettable. I’ve continued my project to document the masters of Okinawan karate, shooting both indoors on the black background and on location. The Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate series has grown in popularity with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and Instagram. Series Two has included Okinawan icons such …

Shinugu Festival, Ada Village, Kunigami

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The Shinugu Festival in the tiny hamlet of Ada, is a celebration of traditions, with hopes for good health and a good harvest. Denny Tamaki the governor of Okinawa, attended the festival for the first time. (Second person on second row, standing next to guy in the green shirt.) The lady in the picture below told me she had to wait 2 more years to be 100. Full of life, every time she referred to herself she touched her nose with her drumstick. She bossed around all the younger ladies in the group. Young ladies who were only in their 70’s or 80’s.

Ryukyu Guardian Lions v Taipei Predators

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On July 1st 2023 the Ryukyu Guardian Lions took on the Taipei Predators in an off-season American football game. I had the opportunity to shoot from the sidelines, and be up close to the action. I used a couple of Sony A7RIVs with the 200-600 and the 16-35 lenses. I managed to get they key shots I wanted which included the quaterback 藤原 慶太 throwing the ball, and defensive line Gabe Edwards shutting down the opposition. Wide receiver 池口 伸之 had a fantastic run to score a touchdown that sealed the game. As RGL won the game it was also good to photograph the celebrations, and gett pics of both teams. You can find more information about the team at https://ryukyuguardianlions.com

Andrea Klementisová – Gojuryu Karate

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A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to photograph a karate world champion, Andrea Klementisová. After winning numerous karate championships around the globe Andrea moved from Slovakia to Okinawa. She has assisted Okinawa prefecture with the promotion of karate overseas, and helped with the organization of tournaments. She is now also teaching classes at the Asato Dojo in Naha, City. Meeting Andrea also gave me the opportunity to start a new series of portraits, Sensei: The Next Generation. Unlike the original series of portraits which are all shot with a single key light, my thought is that these will also be lit with a rim light from behind. Shooting with a single light against a black background worked well with the oldest karate masters as they usually had either white hair, or were bald. If you photograph a person with black hair against a dark background, they can sometime melt into the darkness. Adding a rim light or hair light helps the subject stand out. James and I also recorded an interview with …

Dragon boats are back!

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After a four-year hiatus, the dragon boats are once again racing during the Golden Week holidays. Friday afternoon had the finals of the regular races with the boats crews made up of both locals and Americans. The sky was overcast, but luckily it was not raining on the day. After these races the special dragon boat race took place, which the crews in traditional costume, along with flag bearers and karateka. I’m not sure of the names of the sensei performing with the black-robed crew, or the blue-robed crew, but the white-robed crew was led by Onaga Sensei, a karate master I’ll be photographing in the coming weeks. Checking back through my archives I found a pic from 2011 when I actually managed to get in one of the boats for a race. Can’t believe I was shooting with a medium format digital camera, in the rain, on a boat that might sink! After going further back in the archvies, I found images shot with the Pentax 67ii medium format film camera around 20 years …

Bise Village Kimono Shoot with Tomoko

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A great experience photographing Tomoko before she leaves the island next month. Bise Village in Motobu Town is famous for its fukugi trees Garcinia subelliptica which are used as windbreaks and provide shade. The idyllic tree-lined avenues are particularly photogenic and are recently the setting for a Japanese tv drama Chimudondon (ちむどんどん). Professional photography/video in Bise Village of clients in formal wear (bridal or kimono) now requires booking and a shooting fee, but it remains one of my favorite locations. Kimono styling by Yuki. Sony A7RIV with 50mm f1.2 lens. Profoto B1 strobe with softlight reflector to add a little fill.