All posts filed under: Photography

Osprey Protests

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These are a few images from a local protest against the arrival of Osprey helicopters. US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey helicopters are now based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in central Okinawa. Locals were protesting against the poor safety record of the Osprey and the close location of Futenma to residential areas. It was one of the hottest days of the summer and the protest took place just after noon. I was actually  surprised I didn’t hear of anyone suffering from heatstroke or worse.  Reports from the organizers put the crowd at 100,000 people. To me this was far too high ( the number of protesters seemed  smaller than the audience in front of the green stage at Fuji Rock which was about 25,000) but it was still an impressive turnout. The Okinawan people didn’t get their wish to keep the Osprey’s out of Okinawa. The helicopters will be based here so that the US military have the latest technology to train with, but it’s a bit of a gamble for the US and …

Mushama Festival, Hateruma Island (Part 3 -The Gods)

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Festivals in Okinawa’s southern islands (collectively know as the Yaeyama Islands) are similar but not identical to those on the main island of Okinawa. Shishi lions and ryukyu dancers are common to both, while it seems only the Yaeyama festivals include the god Miroku (white mask) and the rain god Fusamarah (red mask). The images of the man dressed as the rain god Fusamarah show how the presence of the American military has slowly made it’s way into the everyday lives of Okinawans even on the most remote islands. Local farmers are particularly fond of army surplus uniforms, they must be particularly rugged, cheap, and ubiquitous to have become almost standard equipment for Okinawans working out in their fields.

Matsuri Exhibition – Like, Tweet, Share, Blog, Thumbs up and +

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Only a few days to go until my solo exhibition in Tokyo! I will be at the Pentax Forum everyday, 10.30 to 18.30, from September 19th to September 26th (unfortunately I’ll miss the last few days as I’ll be back in Okinawa).  Please come along, check out my photographs, and say hello. Above is the map to Pentax square from Shinjuku Station. You can also copy and paste this address into google maps: 東京都新宿区西新宿1-25-1 There will be 29 big prints and 5 huge prints on display. It’s a really exciting adventure putting on a big exhibition, and I hope as many people as possible can stop by. It’s free to see the show, you won’t even be forced to buy any camera equipment by the Pentax staff. What I need now is for friends to spread the news, so as it says in the title, please Like, Tweet, Share, Blog, Thumbs up and + this post. Actually, what I really need now is for Typhoon Sanba to change course so my flight isn’t cancelled, but …

Nunchaku by the Numbers

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Masakazu Kinjo demonstrates that there’s more to nunchaku than just swirling them around the body. Use the end to jab and break your attacker’s ribs. Trap the attacker’s wrist between the two shafts of the nunchaku. Use your forearm to bend and twist the attacker’s arm. The step into the attacker to to take control. From here onwards it’s the simple and painful application of leverage. Twist locked arm and apply further pressure to elbow as required.

Mushama Festival, Hateruma Island (Part 1 -The Guys)

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Hateruma is the most southerly inhabited island in Japan. It has its own police station, post office, school, awamori distillery and a summer festival called Mushama. I took a day off from scuba diving off Ishigaki and took the ferry down to Hateruma for the festival. The festival, as so many are, was a gold mine for a photographer. So many interesting faces, great costumes and a welcoming atmosphere. The majority of the spectators were island residents and their families that had returned for the event. Nobody minded that I was wandering around taking photos of everyone, and as usual I was up in people’s face shooting portraits.

Canoe Eyes

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When photographing a person, if you bring the camera above their eyeline and ask them to lower their chin you can create what some call “canoe eyes”. As you can probably guess, they’re described as canoe eyes because the whites of their eyes form canoe shapes. Although canoe eyes appear most commonly in images of people being alluring, they can also be used to produce a more sinister vibe, or even a simple presidential portrait.

In the Studio – Reiko

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An image from a shoot last month with Reiko Winchell, makeup by Summer Johnson. If you’re looking for studio or location photography whether you’re a model needing to update your portfolio, a family wanting some keepsake images, or a couple celebrating an engagement  please check out the sessions page on the blog or website.