All posts filed under: Photography

Island Icon – Kyoko Nakamoto

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Dreams of Paradise Kyoko Nakamoto is an Okinawan artist whose paintings of “Paradise” show a world of beauty and vibrant colors where childlike inhabitants live simple, happy, and equal lives. When did you start painting? As a small child, I scribbled and painted all over the walls of our house. My mother never got angry, perhaps because we were living in a rented house. During high school, I knew I wanted to be a painter. However, when I went to university, I set aside my ambitions and chose to study business rather than art. After graduation, I got a job at an insurance company, but three days a week, I kept my dream alive by going to night classes at art school and slowly improving my skills. After ten years, I quit my job selling insurance and began working as an illustrator for magazines and packaging. Two years after that, I achieved my dream and became a full-time painter. Was it hard to suddenly start a new career? Of course, it was a tough decision. …

Shuri Castle Portraits (645D)

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Dropped by Shuri Castle early this afternoon to take some photos. Unfortunately the sky clouded over and scaffolding covered half of the building. I did however mange to get a couple of portraits of the girls in traditional Okinawan costume that pose with visitors to the castle. After a couple of days with the camera I was comfortable enough using it for these opportunistic shots. I quickly opened up the aperture with the thumb dial to blur the background, moved the girls into some open shade and took a couple of photographs of each girl. I just realized that I never showed the girls the preview images after I took the shots. I hadn’t even considered it! It was only 30 minutes later when I sat down with a cold drink that  I even looked at the pictures I’d taken. I think this is a case of delayed chimping. Must remember I’m shooting digital not film 🙂  I will however make a couple of prints and drop them off next time I’m at the castle. …

645D Portrait Test

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Having taken photos of the dog and a quick landscape I wanted to give the camera a bit more of a challenge. I hoped to take a portrait shot that would show all the detail in a person’s face down to individual strands of hair. I knew just the man for the job. Now check out the full size image on Flickr. (Click view all sizes then click full image.)  For those who don’t have the time or patience. Here’s an idea of what you can see. This is John’s right eye. (As a bonus, the shot of the eye also reveals how I lit the photograph, a single gridded beauty dish just above my right shoulder.) There’s a whole lot of detail in the image. More importantly I am pleased with the way the image looks, the gradations in colors look pleasing and natural. If I can take shots like this out in the field, I’ll be a happy man. Thanks to John for being a great model. I’ll make sure you and Martha …

Manza Hotel test shoot.

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The story continues… Attached Kirk baseplate to camera so I can mount to tripod. Drove to Cape Maeda. Set up tripod. Set aperture to F11. Took a photograph of the Manza Hotel. Hung around for a couple of hours chatting to Nate, Luna and Akira. Unfortunately the sky clouded over so there was no spectacular sunset. I learned how to set copyright information, and  change colour space from sRGB to AdobeRGB. Returned home  and copied files. Uploaded small res. image to blog and full size image to Flickr. I am sure most experienced digital photographers will be shaking their heads, looking at the blown out highlights in the cloud by the hotel. I realize it’s a rookie mistake, and with time I will learn to use the histogram, but I am still amazed by the witchcraft that makes my pictures appear instantly on the back of my camera. More confusing  is the purple fringing that seems to be appearing on some of  the windows of the hotel. You will have to look at the full …

First images with the 645D

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The story so far… Charged battery. Turned on camera. Set language (to English), set date, set time. Inserted  32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC card into each of the two memory card slots. Attached lens. Placed piece of bread behind ear. Pointed camera at Bear (the dog). Took a few photos of Bear until she started barking and lunging at ear. Connected camera to computer with USB cable (Must buy card reader). Copied a couple of images to desktop. Opened in Photoshop. Added file info. Added TRAVEL67 watermark. Resized for blog and added another TRAVEL67 watermark. Uploaded small images to blog and full size images to Flickr. So there you go. The first couple of images from the 645D. I haven’t changed any settings.  This was auto exposure, auto white balance, sRGB, and saving as a Jpeg to both memory cards. Need a cup of tea, and then will head out to get a few non-dog photos. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Pentax 645D arrives!

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Pentax seems to have gone with Apple’s less is more idea for box design. Nice. Inside the box… Japanese manual & Menu Reference. (My bilingual friends wince. They are going to be pestered a lot during the next few weeks.) The camera. Just plugged in the battery charger…

SMC PENTAX D FA 645 55mm F2.8AL (IF) SDM AW

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The postman just delivered my new 645 55mm lens. The 645D body should arrive in the next couple of days. This is the first autofocus lens I have bought in 9 years. It is also the first lens I’ve ever bought without an aperture ring. The lens does have depth of field markings which are important for me, although it looks like it will be much harder to use them accurately compared to my larger 67 lenses. A big bonus of the lens is that, just like the 645D body, it is All Weather (AW). This is a useful feature for travel photographers, especially those who live in “Typhoon Alley”. Of course the most important thing about a lens is the quality of the images it produces. For that  I shall have to wait a few more days, until then this is an impressive paperweight with a very very long name.

Japanese Gentleman

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It’s interesting how I (and perhaps many other people) have completely different reactions toward cigarette smokers and pipe smokers. The reality is that they are both inhaling tobacco, the only difference is the delivery system. I saw this smartly dressed, Japanese man at Matsuyama castle. If he’d been smoking a cigarette I probably wouldn’t have approached him, but he was carefully packing tobacco into the bowl of his pipe. I went over and we talked as he smoked his pipe. The scene was very similar to the one with Gandalf and Frodo at the start of the Fellowship of the Rings. After our conversation, I asked if I could take a couple of photographs. He was more than happy to pose for a couple of shots, and then with his pipe extinguished he continued on his way. A lovely encounter with a charming man.

Matsuyama Castle, Ehime

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Matsuyama Castle is one of the other main attractions in Matsuyama City. From the city center, it is a short walk uphill to the castle. For those who believe only horses should sweat, there is a ropeway and chairlifts. Cherry blossom was in full bloom during my visit, and when the clouds cleared I managed to get some nice shots. (If you walk up to the castle before the chairlift opens you can even take photographs free from the crowds.)

Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama City

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Dogo Onsen is the oldest hot spring in Japan, and a special bath for the royal family. According to legend, a white heron once dipped its injured leg into the spring’s warm waters and was miraculously healed. White herons can be seen on the pillars around Dogo Onsen, on yukata worn by guests, and most famously on the roof. The onsen building is delightful, an island of ornate wood and tile  in a sea of concrete and asphalt. Dogo Onsen was the inspiration for the bathhouse in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Just as in the movie, it is an enchanting place to visit. (If you haven’t seen the film, rent, borrow, or buy a copy. It’s very good.) For ¥250 you can go for a guided tour of the onsen, but unless you are very shy or have tattoos, there are far better options. For just ¥400 you can bathe in the Kami-no-Yu bath. For ¥800 you can bathe in the Kami-no-Yu bath and follow this with tea and senbei. The best option is for …