All posts filed under: Photography

Channeling Michael Bay

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It’s only when I start looking through images in Lightroom that I notice that I’m picking up certain habits while shooting. When using the Profoto B1 strobe, I tend to position it off to my right and a little higher than the subject. For natural light portraits I usually have eye contact, but with off camera flash I seem to prefer them looking out of the frame towards the light. The unexpected result is that several of the images look like stills from a Michael Bay movie. All you need in the next frame is an asteroid, an autobot, or an alien spaceship.

The Okinawan Priestess

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I’m no expert on Okinawan religion, and the facts seem to vary a lot depending on who you ask, but here’s a brief explanation of a ceremony I photographed last week on Kouri Island. Okinawa’s native religion is ancestor worship, and the most important spiritual leaders are women. They are called either noro, yuta, or the more general term kaminchu. Ayako Toguchi is a spiritual leader on Kouri Island, I met her once before at the Unjami Festival. A friend pointed out on this visit that the mural in the shrine office of a woman flying through the air with a dragon is actually a portrait of Toguchi-san. April 3rd, is the third day of the third month in the Okinawan calendar, and a special ceremony was held at Sururu Gama (Sururu Cave) on Kouri Island. The cave is only accessible at low tide, after a scramble down to a hidden beach. Even at low tide the entrance must be cleared of rocks and sand before you can enter the cave. After entering the cave, offerings …

Print Sale! March 1st to 10th, 20% all limited edition prints.

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For just 10 days, I’m having a special 20% off sale on my limited edition prints of Japan. http://www.travel67.com/prints/ This is the first time I’ve offered special pricing since I began producing the limited edition prints in 1998. It won’t happen again in 2014. A2 (17″x 24″) Edition 50 JPY ¥33,000         March 1- 10th 26,400 yen (approx US$264) A3 (12″ x 17″) Edition 100 JPY ¥22,000      March 1- 10th 17,600 yen (approx US$176) Price includes international express shipping with tracking and insurance. All prints are made with the highest quality archival paper and pigment inks so your investment will look great,  long into the future. Ordering – Please email me with the name of the print(s) you’d like, and the size (s). I will then send you a PAYPAL request for payment. Payment must be made before midnight March 10th, 2014 to have the special pricing. Email: chris@TRAVEL67.com Living on Okinawa? If you’d like to come and browse the prints, then send me an email and I’ll send information …

Pentax K3 Exhibition, Tokyo

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A couple of my shots taken with the new Pentax K3 camera will be on display in an exhibit at the Ricoh Imaging Square in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The event takes place from March 26th to April 7th 2014, so if you’re in the area drop in and check out the photographs. If you’d like to see some images from previous exhibitions click on the Exhibitions tab above.

Karate Masters Portrait Project – Narihiro Shinjo

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Narihiro Shinjo, Uechi Ryu karate master, and younger brother of Kiyohide Shinjo. He has won the kata section of karate championships so many times, James and I are having trouble working out the exact number. Just like his brother he is fast, conditioned beyond belief, and very very strong. He is also a lovely man, and has great control, which is a relief when a foot that could probably pass through concrete flies towards your camera.

Studio Lighting Intro Workshop

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Great fun was had by all at the first studio lighting intro workshop. After talking about the different types of equipment available we spent the rest of the weekend taking studio portraits. We began with a single light, added a reflector, and eventually got up to shooting with numerous strobes. Things got comical as we got dressed up for our hospital staff portraits. Individual images were composited together to get the group shot of all six people. Thank you Kathy, Molly, Lemont, Kevin and James! I’ll put dates of future workshop up on the Photography Workshops page. If you’re waiting for a specific workshop, or wanting 1 to 1 training, please send me an email.

500PX

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  I’ve just set up a 500px account, as another way for people to find and browse through my images. I had imagined that having a website, a blog, Flickr, Facebook and Google+ was more than enough exposure, but other professional photographers said that 500px would be a useful tool in reaching new markets. A more significant change is that on Flickr and 500px I will now start uploading images that are 900 pixels wide on the short edge. Posting larger images on the web is always a conundrum. Too large and you could have people stealing your photos and using them commercially without receiving payment, they also they take longer to load on webpages. Too small and the viewing experience for web surfers is diminished. As the resolution of screens has increased, and data transfer speeds have improved, some images on my website and blog were starting to look very small.  The new larger images  will still be watermarked and  the copyright information is still embedded in the metadata, but hopefully people will enjoy …

Pentax 645D II

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Images (not verifiable)  have now begun to appear on the internet of a new Pentax 645D II to be revealed at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show in Tokyo next week. No news of the exact sensor, but a tilt screen would suggest live view, which would mean CMOS not CCD. The Pentax K3 is arguably the best APS sensor DSLR on the market, and it looks like the new 645D will rewrite the rules for medium format digital. For Pentaxians we live in exciting times.