All posts filed under: Pentax 645D

Aika Wauke Portfolio Images

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A fantastic portfolio shoot with model Aika Wauke. I photographed four different outfits, and kept with a grey or black background throughout, as Aika already had enough white background catalog images. Summer Johnson did her usual impeccable job with makeup and Aika was great to work with. This was my last shoot with the new 645D 90mm macro lens that I had on loan. After the final pics were taken, I sent the lens and some sample images back to Pentax in Tokyo.  I also photographed the session with the new K5IIs which produced excellent results. A blog post with a  comparison of images taken with the 645D and the K5IIs will appear at some point in the future.

Keith’s New Hobby

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It was only when he arrived at the bonsai class, did Keith realize he’d probably bought the wrong equipment. Pentax 645D with 55mm lens Lighting – Charcoal background. Gridded Beauty Dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light . Square softbox front and low as fill. 2 medium size strip softboxes behind that were adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.

In the Studio – Alexis

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A few studio portraits of Alexis, always fun to move away from simple beauty shots and start creating characters. I’ve done several test shoots with the Pentax 645D and the 90mm macro alongside the K5 IIs and the 16-50 / 50-135mm lenses. It’s very easy to switch back and forth between the two systems. The 645D has a much clearer brighter viewfinder, and the images on the rear screen look  more natural, but the K5IIs proved to be easy to use and produced great results.

Toxic Banking

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David started innocently enough. He made a few small trades, always in reputable blue chip companies. As time passed his deals became more risky. He tried to protect himself from the dangers of the market, but each day he found himself a little deeper down the financial rabbit hole. Then came acceptance. He embraced the dark side. His future was in futures. Greed is good.

In the Studio – Sachi

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Model – Sachi Perry MUA – Summer Johnson Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Gridded Beauty Dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light . Square softbox front and low as fill. 2 medium size strip softboxes behind that were adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.

Okinawa Mountain Rescue Team Leader

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Trained in high altitude medicine and glacier rescue techniques, Adam is the leader of the Okinawa Mountain Rescue Service. He has yet to receive his first call, but when that blizzard hits he’ll be ready. Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – White background. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light . Square softbox front and low as fill. 2 small zoom reflectors aimed at background (powered by Profoto compacts). Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.

In the Studio – Alexis

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An image from this week’s shoot. A chance to work with a great new model Alexis, and to test out both the 90mm lens for the 645D camera , along with its little brother the new K5IIs. Model – Alexis Jacoby MUA – Felicia Lee Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal grey background. Gridded Beauty Dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light . Square softbox front and low as fill. 2 medium size strip softboxes behind that were adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.

Visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha

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I’ve been to Fushimi Inari Taisha in south east Kyoto several times. I took one of my most popular images there, a simple geometric photograph of the orange torii gates winding up the mountain. On my recent trip I wanted to get some new images, this time showing a Japanese person visiting the shrine. Of course I could just photograph tourists milling around, but I decided to be a little more proactive. I met up with model Mari and photographer Keith at Kyoto Station, and we took the local train to Fushimi Inari. It was fortunate I wasn’t even attempting a shot similar to the one I’d taken before because the shrine was packed with people. Luckily we could find gaps in the crowds to get some decent images. The image stabilization function on the new 90mm lens added an extra bit of stability which was useful, and the wide aperture gave a nice limited depth of field in the portraits. Fushimi Inari shrine is dedicated to a fox god so there are numerous fox statues, …

Eriha the Maiko

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Eriha is a 17 year old maiko in the Gion district of Kyoto. Only her lower lip is painted red which shows this is in her first year in the profession. I was told that it normally takes three years as a maiko, before the girl become a geiko (geisha). As a young maiko her pinkish kimono and her hair ornaments were  youthful and cute, but these will  change to more formal designs as she gets older. I had always presumed that “real” maiko and geisha didn’t use wigs, and that these were for the “tourist” maiko and geisha. It turns out I was half right. Maiko always use their own hair to create the ornate hairstyles. This means they still have to use special wooden pillows when they sleep. Most geisha, once they have graduated from maiko status, use wigs, and presumably are able to get a much better night’s sleep.