All posts filed under: Photography

Vary your Angles (Part 4) What’s the story

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In the late afternoon I crossed to the other side of the River Yamuna to see the Taj Mahal from the Mehtab Bagh Park. Knowing I already had the classic postcard shot of the Taj, I wanted to be a little more creative. The shape of the Taj Mahal is so distinctive, it is recognizable even when out of focus. I first tried a shot with some low hanging flowers, and then moved onto barbed wire. These shots of the Taj Mahal behind the wire, are examples of capturing a story in a single image. Of course, unless you provide a detailed caption,  it is up to the viewer to determine exactly what the photograph means.

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Okinawa

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Here are a few snorkeling and scuba diving images that I shot both for Leia’s modeling portfolio, and for potential use in travel magazines. You could argue that scuba divers wouldn’t be wearing as much makeup, or that a wetsuit might be more sensible when diving in April. This is true, but as I’m not shooting this as a news story, a photographer can use a little artistic license.

In the Studio – Talisa

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Model – Talisa Galarza Makeup and Hair – Mallika Sharma of Glam Girl Sharma Pentax 645D     Pentax 150mm 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.

Mud Festival – Kin Town, Okinawa

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The Mud Festival in Kin Town is the biggest even in the annual calendar for locals. There are various food vendors, and a performance by Ryujin Mabuya, but the highlight is a field the size of a swimming pool that has been flooded with about 20 centiemeters of muddy water. There are some swings, rubber rings, a slide, and various floats for the kids to play on. It doesn’t take very long before every child is covered head to toe in a layer of brown sludge.  

Yanbaru Birdwatching Tours

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Shawn Miller and I went out to Yanbaru very early this morning for a birdwatching tour with birder and wildlife artist Ichiro Kikuta. Ichiro has just started offering guided birding tours, either 2-hour dawn tours from 6AM to 8AM, or all-day tours. He can speak some English, is very personable, and has a huge wealth of knowledge about Okinawan wildlife. Shawn and I specifically wanted to see the Noguchi-gera, the rare woodpecker that is endemic to the subtropical forests of northern Okinawa. Ichiro knew where a pair of the woodpeckers were feeding their chicks, and guided us to the nest. We spent a couple of hours photographing this particular bird, while Ichiro identified other species of birds we spotted or heard. Ichiro can be contacted by phone at 090 6867 3160 or email at kikuta-ichiro@mbp.nifty.com 2-hour dawn tours are ¥6,000 per person. All-day tours for one to four people are ¥¥18,000 (1p) ¥24,000 (2p) ¥30,000 (3p) ¥36,000 (4p).  

645D Price Reduction

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The U.S. price for the Pentax 645D has just dropped a massive 1800 dollars. This may tempt some to jump from full frame 35mm to something a little bigger, it also could be seen as an indicator that a Pentax 645D II is on its way.  Rumors are it could be 60 megapixels, a larger sensor (although not FF 645), and priced significantly higher than the original 645D. Pentax 645D at B&H for US$6996.95 Pentax 645D at Amazon US via Adorama for US$6996.95