All posts filed under: Okinawa

Okinawa Nature Photographer Shawn Miller

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While Martin Bailey was in Okinawa for the Pixels to Pigment workshop he interviewed my friend and dive buddy Shawn Miller for his very popular photography podcast. Shawn’s a talented photographer both in and out of the water, always learning new things, and pushing the limits of his gear.  Check out Shawn’s scuba photos on Flickr and listen to the interview on Martin’s blog.

Anime Antics at Mihama Manga Mega Expo

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On Friday afternoon there was a small cos-play event in Mihama. I’ve shot much bigger gatherings in Tokyo and Kyoto, but anytime you get people dressing up as anime or manga characters there’s going to be some good photographic opportunities. It was bright and sunny at the time I was shooting so the main challenge was finding patches of open-shade that had a clean, uncluttered background.

Pixels to Pigment Workshop with Martin Bailey

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Had a great time last weekend hosting a Pixels to Pigment Workshop with Tokyo photographer Martin Bailey. The workshop taught photographers how to create a more effective workflow from image capture to print. This meant calibrating the camera to give the correct colors and white balance, both done using an X-Rite color checker passport. Monitors, the projector, both printers and two kinds of paper were calibrated using the X-Rite color munki and the i1Publish Pro 2. Prints were made of both Martin’s and the participants images, and on the second day the prints were laminated and then made into gallery wraps. I’d like to thank Shawn, Michael, David, Justin and David, for coming on the workshop and making it such a fun and successful weekend. A huge thanks to Martin for flying down to Okinawa and sharing his knowledge with us.  For details on future Pixels to Pigment workshops in other parts of the world please check out Martin’s website.

Summer in Okinawa

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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

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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.

Pygmy Seahorse, Okinawa

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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

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A great shoot yesterday with 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. 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.

Super Typhoon Guchol

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Super Typhoon Guchol will be passing near Okinawa (or even hitting us directly) from mid Monday to early Tuesday. This has the potential to be dangerous so if you’re new to Okinawa here are a few things that you need to do (and probably should have done already). Tidy up the outside of your house or garden. If it can be picked up and carried by 150 mph winds, you don’t want it outside. A patio chair flying through the air is not a good idea. Buy supplies. Charge batteries and buy new ones. Typhoons have the potential to take out the power supply for hours or days. Not too bad during the day, but a real pain if you’ve not got working flashlights at night. Buy food and bottled water for a few days. Rent some DVDs but also have some books ready if the power goes out. Fill the bath or containers with water. Water supply can go out. A bath full of water, will allow you to flush and refill the toilet. …

Every Underwater Photographer a Diver

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Perhaps the most famous of the United States Marine Corps’ mantras is “every Marine a rifleman”. It doesn’t matter what specialization you go into, each marine must still undertake regular training and assessment in their ability to fire a rifle. I mention this as there should be a similar mantra with regards to scuba: every underwater photographer a diver. The key issue is that if you’re an experienced diver and an inexperienced photographer, you may get mediocre shots, but you’ll dive safely and within your limits. If you’re an experienced photographer and an inexperienced diver, you can quite easily, and very quickly, find yourself in serious trouble. An SLR camera in a housing is large, heavy, bulky, expensive and demands your concentration. Add strobes and you’ve just magnified all these factors. If you are having any issues with your diving – buoyancy, navigation, exhaustion, air management, decompression etc then the camera is only going to make things worse. Spend too much time looking through your viewfinder and not enough time checking your gauges and you …