All posts filed under: Photography

Tuari Dawson – Māori martial arts

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Portraits of Tuari, a master of Māori martial arts. He is holding a patu, which was made by his father-in-law.It was a real honour and a delight to photograph Tuari, and I am so pleased he could make his way up to my studio in Motobu. My goal is to visit him in New Zealand, as Tuari has offered me the opportunity to document Māori martial arts on location in beautiful Aotearoa. For those interested in the technical specs…. I photographed Tuari in my studio with the Sony A7RIV and the 70-200 GM2. The keylight was a Profoto D2 strobe with a gridded soft white beauty dish. The rim lights were two 1×4′ gridded softboxes with Proheads powered by a pro-7A 1200W generator. The background is a black felt on a Manfrotto / Lastolite EzyFrame. On his previous visit to Okinawa, I did a quick interview with Tuari and took some pics of him on the local beach here in Motobu. It is always a pleasure to hang out with Tuari, often swapping anecdotes of …

Manon & Jeff Wedding, Okinawa

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In October, I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful wedding of Manon & Jeff. It was a delightful open-air ceremony at Sara-no-ue-no-shizen & il Gastro Sara (皿の上の自然& il Gastro Sara), location photography among the orchids at Bios botanical gardens, then the reception back at il Gastro Sara. The reception was fantastic with an amazing array of fine food created by the chefs at il Gastro Sara. Thank you so much for having me as your photographer on your special day.

The Tale of Jasmine in the Lake District

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A little girl, with little curls, came to see the hills. She read about a naughty rabbit, and went in search of thrills. She walked up Orrest Head, and looked down at the lake. But now that she was seven, it was just a piece of cake. She hiked up Wandsfell Pike, and the view was just the best. Mum took another photo, while Dad had a little rest. The Red Arrows roared above, a mountain victory! Then holding hands, they wandered home, for buttered scones and tea.

The Queen & her Thunderbird

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Back in 2017, Zachary bought his wife Kelley a location / studio portrait session for Christmas. Kelley had amazing ideas inspired by classic Disney movies, so we went with a demure princess look amongst Okinawa’s cosmos flowers, then transformed her into an all-powerful queen. With Kelley looking magnificent (or possibly Maleficent), we shot in the studio, then headed over to Bise Village to get images at the beach and amongst the fukugi trees. Zachary was even willing to step in front of the camera so that Queen Kelley could demonstrate the true power of the crown. Over the past 8 years, Zachary has himself transformed into a legendary Thunderbird. It was fantastic to see both Zachary and Kelley in the new Netflix documentary (That’s Zachary (Zeke) in the Official Trailer thumbnail!). So happy to see them following their dreams, and their lovely young family. Hopefully we’ll meet again if they are ever back in Okinawa, but until then safe flights as you serve your Queen and country. Thank you to Audra Pesicka for her great …

Denny Tamaki – Governor of Okinawa & student of Uechi-ryu karate

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Denny Tamaki has been the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture since August 2018. 2018年8月から沖縄県知事に就任した玉城デニー氏。 After becoming governor, Tamaki began studying Uechi-ryu karate under Yoshimitsu Matsusaki, of the Uechi-Ryu Karate Karate-Do Kenyu-Kai. Tamaki explained he started studying karate both for its health benefits and because of its cultural significance to the Okinawa Islands, the birthplace of karate. 知事就任後、玉城氏は上地流空手道を上地流拳優会の松崎賀充先生に師事する。玉城氏は、空手の健康効果と、空手発祥の地である沖縄諸島の文化的意義の両方から空手を習い始めたと説明した。 The Uechi-Ryu Karate Karate-Do Kenyu-Kai is now led by Kiyohide Shinjo Sensei, and I have photographed many of its masters. Although Denny Tamaki is a relatively new student of karate, as the Governor of Okinawa, he is the chairman of the Okinawa Dento Karatedo Shinkokai, and is chair of the committee to inscribe Okinawan karate on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.     上地流拳優会は現在、新城清秀先生が主宰し、私は多くの師範を撮影してきた。 玉城氏は空手の門下生としては比較的新しいが、沖縄県知事として沖縄電燈空手道振興会の会長を務め、沖縄空手のユネスコ無形文化遺産登録委員会の委員長も務めている。 In December 2023, I had the opportunity to attend the end of year training for the Matsusaki dojo, and photograph Denny Tamaki for the Karate Masters Portrait Project. 2023年12月、私は松崎道場の年末稽古に参加し、空手マスターズ・ポートレート・プロジェクトのために玉城デニー氏を撮影する機会を得た。 Although it was a cold blustery day in December, Denny Tamaki and Matsusaki Sensei were happy to head down to the beach for some final training, and a few more …

Ryoichi Onaga 1948 – 2024

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RIP Ryoichi Onaga 1948 – 2024 A student of Eichi Miyazato, Ryoichi Onaga taught Okinawa Goju-ryu karate for half a century in Murcia, Spain. A 10th-dan Hanshi, Onaga Sensei was also Vice Chairman of the Okinawa Goju-ryu Karatedo Kyokai. Through an introduction from Norihiko Masuda Sensei I was able to photograph Onaga Sensei on August 20th 2021. Condolences to his family, friends and students around the world.

Moo Business Cards

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For the last 10 years all my business cards have had a photograph of Japanese snow monkey on the back. Everyone I met on assignments, at workshops, at print sales, and at sessions got a monkey. I used Vistaprint to create hundreds of identical cards and I was good to go. Recently, as my photography and video jobs have become more varied, I’ve wanted a wider range of images to show this variety. MOO allows you to create business cards with up to 50 different designs on the back. The front of the cards are all identical, and I now include a QR code to make finding my website easier. The cards arrived couple of weeks ago, just before my assignment to Hokkaido. It was really fun to allow people to choose their picture, and the designs started many interesting conversations. The cards are a little more expensive that my previous Vistaprint snow monkeys, but the print quality is fantastic, and I now always carry a selection in my wallet and camera bags. After signing …

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 …