All posts filed under: Pentax 645D

Namba at Night

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Met up with American model Rachael while in Osaka to try and get some images of a person visiting the city, rather than shots of the locals. Namba really comes alive at night so the plan was to use the neon lights as a background and then illuminate the model with off camera flash. It turns out that the male hosts of Dotomburi were fascinated with what we were doing, so they ended up in the shoot too. And finally a shot of Flickr friend Jan Moren who assisted me on the shoot by holding the off camera flash.

Kiku-san and the carrot

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Kiku-san is 92 years old. She has a small garden next to her house where she tends her vegetables. She grows lettuces, radishes, garlic and carrots. There are a few important things to note from this simple series of images with regards to longevity. The first is that Kiku-san grows and eats a large range of vegetables. The second is that she is gardening and exercising even though it’s mid February. Third, she is smiling. So there you are, three keys to a long life. Eat your veggies, exercise, smile. Enjoy the rest of your lives 🙂

Cherry Blossom in Okinawa

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Spring is officially here in Okinawa. Cherry blossom is in full bloom, and it’s starting to warm up. The cherry trees in Okinawa produce dense pink blossoms, quite unlike the pale blooms up on mainland Japan. The most popular viewing spot in Okinawa is not a large public park, but on the twisty road up Yae mountain near Nago City. It’s a pretty drive, but get there very early, or you’ll get stuck in a long line of cars. Equipment: Pentax 645D, Pentax 67 to 645 adapter, Pentax 67 Macro 100mm  

Visions of Japan at Global Gallery – A few thoughts

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It’s been a couple of months since I held my Visions of Japan exhibition at Global Gallery. I’d promised I’d write a  post about the experience of putting on this exhibition, sorry it took so long. (If you haven’t read it all ready, take a look at my previous post Zen and the Art of Photography Exhibitions in which I talk about what I learned from my first few shows) 1) Space I had more space for this exhibition. It was great to be able to show a large range of images. I did however only hire half the gallery to save on rental costs. I was able to display around 20 framed A2 landscapes and 24  matted A3 portraits.  The larger area also gave me the space for several tables from where I could display and sell prints. 2) Costs The basic costs for gallery rental, postcards and posters came to a little over 100,000 yen or $1000. In addition to this were the costs of producing the pieces for display. 3) Sales This …

Inside the Matrix

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I really should wander around with my camera more often. Rather than planning exactly what I want to photograph, I should explore and see what’s out there. It’s both liberating and challenging. As I no longer have to pay for film and processing on each shot, I should use the opportunity to go out and shoot more (or even a lot more). I tend to notice  repetition and geometric patterns quite easily (This may have something to do with my father) which is why I took this shot. I think I read somewhere that people vary in their affinity for shapes and colors. So my question is…. what catches your eye, shapes or colors?  

Lucky Cranes

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I spotted this Red-crowned Crane on the back of a bridal kimono while wandering around Niigata. The Red-crowned Crane is thought to bring luck, longevity and fidelity which is why it’s often found on wedding kimono. Hopefully I will get to see some real Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) later this winter in Hokkaido.

Snow Monkey Portraits

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I didn’t spend that much time with the monkeys this year, but came away with a few good shots. Really pleased with the detail I was getting in the eyes and fur, then a nice drop off into creamy bokeh. Weather proofing of the body and lens was useful as it was snowing at the time, and the monkeys tended to splash when they were getting in and out of the water.