All posts filed under: Photography

Karate Masters Portrait Project – Behind the Scenes

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Thought I’d show a few behind the scenes shots from the  latest Karate Masters Portrait Project shoot with Shimabukuro-sensei. We assemble our mini studio inside the dojo of each master. I have a Profoto 7A power pack which plugs into the mains and then a single pro-head inside a beauty dish for light. Behind the karate master I set up a large Lastolite Skylite with black velvet to give a clean background, and so the look of the images will remain constant throughout the entire project. I use the Pentax 645D camera with a 150mm lens and mount this to a tripod, although some shots are handheld. James holds the light and moves it from side to side depending on the stance of the karate master. The flash is triggered by a Pocketwizard remote trigger on the top of the camera, that signals another Pocketwizard that’s attached to the power pack. I take a couple of simple headshots and then we ask the karate master to adopt their favorite stance or show their favorite technique. …

A Photographer’s Christmas Wish List – Lightroom 4

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As Christmas, or more accurately the time for Christmas shopping, draws near, I thought I’d list a few things that would make good presents for photographers. (These are not hints to my own family, but things that I have and, or, would recommend for others) Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 is a photo management and editing program. What is does is create a simple and intuitive workflow for photographers from inserting the SD card into the computer and importing new images, through keywording and adding IPTC data, to editing the image, and then final exports to web, print or other applications. Rather than using Adobe Bridge for data management, then Camera Raw to process files, then opening them up in Photoshop CS6, Lightroom is your all in one solution. The editing part of the program isn’t anywhere near as powerful as Photoshop CS6, but more than enough for most applications. If you have an image that requires serious manipulation then you can simply export the image from Lightroom to Photoshop CS6. Both Lightroom and Photoshop CS6 …

Seibukan Karate 10th Dan Zenpo Shimabukuro

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Shorin-ryu Seibukan Karate 10th Dan Zenpo Shimabukuro, the latest subject of the Karate Masters Portrait Project. Shimabukuro sensei was kind enough to take an hour out of his evening for the shoot, and told us how pleased he was that James and I are undertaking the project. This is always good to hear as the sensei we have photographed can help us connect with the other masters on Okinawa.

Coming Workshops

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Had a great weekend with Katie, Robin, Keith and Bernice on the Photography Fundamentals Workshop. Sunday was a bit wet and windy, but all in all a lovely couple of days with really nice people. Coming Workshops Photography Fundamentals Workshop Move beyond the auto modes by understanding your equipment, controlling exposure & depth of field, and composing images. December 15 & 16 2012 10AM to 6PM Class Size: Max 4 Instructor: Chris Willson Price: US$250 Off Camera Flash Workshop Move your flash away from your camera to create more natural images or to give your photographs a drop of magical light. January 19 & 20 2013 1PM to 6PM Class Size: Max 12 Instructors Chris Willson & Pete Leong Price US$150

In the Studio – Diana

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Last month I did a shoot with Diana, a lovely lady who runs some of the outdoor recreation facilities on Okinawa. For her birthday she wanted a photo session that would show both sides of her personality.  After taking a few classic beauty portraits, she slipped into something less comfortable and we took things up another gear. A big thank you to Diana for hiring me to shoot such a fun concept and to Summer Johnson for makeup.

Philippe Starck – In Tokyo and in the Kitchen

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French designer Philippe Starck, the vision behind creations including the Tokyo Asahi Beer building and its golden radish poo flame. He has also designed some iconic household objects including his modern take on the lemon squeezer and the corkscrew. Designers will look at these objects and note “an interesting interplay of form and function”. Photographers will look at the images and think, “I bet all those polished surfaces were a nightmare to shoot”. Both groups would be dead on.