All posts filed under: Photography

The Goroka Show, Papua New Guinea (Part 1)

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Goroka is a town in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. It has less than twenty thousand residents and is accessible from Port Moresby by plane. Coffee is the main cash-crop, and the town is most famous for the 3-day Goroka Show in mid-September. The Goroka Show is a gathering of tribes from all over Papua New Guinea. In 2013 there were around 120 different Sing-sing groups participating. I’d seen some photos online of the festival and so made the journey from Okinawa to Goroka specifically to take some portraits of the various tribes. I took the Pentax 645D camera, the 645 35mm wide-angle and the new 645D 90mm macro. I mainly used the 90mm for portraits. Because it’s a macro lens, I was able to get up close and personal.

Jenna’s Toy Story

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Fellow photographer Pete Leong popped around to the studio with his daughter Jenna. Took a few quick pics of her playing with Mario and Elmo before she began making decorative changes to the studio backdrop. Jenna is super cute, and until a year ago looked like exactly like Boo from Monster’s Inc. She showed me how to draw a rainbow with a fistful of colored pencils.

Unjami Festival on Kouri Island, Okinawa

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Yesterday, August 25th, was the Unjami Festival on Kouri Island, Okinawa. It is a time to give thanks to the gods. Wearing wreaths of ryukyu botanzuru (Clematis taiwaniana var. ryukiuensis) village elders lead the prayers and offerings. At 96 years old, Kaneshi Fusae is the most senior of the village elders. Participants and spectators at the festival received some mochi (sticky gelatinous rice cake). After offerings of paper money and Awamori rice liquor at the shrine, 79 year old Toguchi Ayako lead the way down toward the sea. More prayers  as we crossed the little road that rings the island. And then finally, on a bluff over looking the ocean,  Toguchi-san gave the final blessings. Kaneshi-san was all smiles, another festival completed.

In the Studio – Yuki

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Model – Yuki MUA – Summer Johnson Pentax 645D HD PENTAX-D FA645 MACRO 90mmF2.8ED AW S Lighting – Charcoal background. Beauty dish powered by Profoto Pro-7a as the main light. Small softbox as low fill. Medium size strip softboxes on both sides adding rimlight (powered by Profoto compacts). A fifth compact aimed at the background. Strobes triggered with PocketWizards.