From Beppu, I took the ferry across to Yawatahama on the island of Shikoku. I then headed north to the historic town of Uchiko. Uchiko is famous for its vegetable wax candles and Uchiko-za a Kabuki and Bunraku theater. It was an interesting place to walk around for a few hours. Kosyo-ji Temple at the top of the hill had an impressive giant reclining buddha statue that I hadn’t expected. And finally, I almost asked this guy for directions, but he wasn’t very talkative.
I’m pretty sure that saying Korakuen Garden is a tautology as -en means garden. But, for the sake of clarity, I’ve titled this post Korakuen Garden, Okayama. Here’s a bit of info from The Best of Okayama. Okayama’s mild climate and fertile soils mean that the prefecture is known for its quality rice, grapes and peaches. One of Japan’s most popular children’s stories is about Momotaro, the boy who was born from a peach, and a statue of Momotaro greets visitors at the city’s main train station. The area’s fertile soil also contributed to Okayama’s Koraku-en becoming one of the country’s top three gardens. Constructed between1687 and 1700, Koraku-en was designed with an expansive lawn for leisurely walks, a tea plantation, paddy field, and the Yatsu-hashi zig-zag bridge. Another classic feature of the garden is its use of borrowed landscape. Okayama Castle, although outside the boundary of the garden, is “borrowed” so that its presence on the skyline makes it appear as an integral part of the scenic landscape. Before this trip, I didn’t have …
A final image from the shoot with Dani. Again a change in lighting, hair and make-up. As always a big thanks to the team: Model: Daniela Pagan Make-up: Kim Clay Hair: Wendy Richardson Lighting: Eboh Ajeroh
I visited Okayama Castle several years ago when writing The Best of Okayama. It was good to drop by again on my latest trip, especially as the sky was postcard blue. (These shots are good examples of images where I have left room for text. Doing this hopefully makes things easier for the photo editor and the graphic designer laying out the page.) Here’s the description of the castle from The Best of Okayama. Modern Japan may be dominated by giant corporations, but for centuries it was feudal lords or shoguns who ruled the land. A lord’s castle served as both a military stronghold and as a sign of his power and status. Nearly all Japanese castles were painted white, the most famous example of which is Himeji-jo. With its elegant towers and iridescent walls, Himeji-jo is thought to be Japan’s most beautiful castle, and became known as The White Egret Castle. Eastern philosophy says that everything has its opposite: Yin and Yang, good and evil, life and death. The White Egret Castle in Himeji has …
Wind Rider Kiteboarding instructor Mike Davison can usually be found speeding across the ocean surface, using the waves to launch himself into the air. Mike grew up in Chicago, but moved to Okinawa in 1990. In 2001, a friend introduced him to kiteboarding, and he was immediately hooked. He bought his own kite and board, and then quickly realized he wanted to share his new found passion for the sport with others. He earned his first instructor’s certification 18 months later and began teaching his friends how to ride the waves. In 2003, he set up his own shop Patriot Kites, and today he continues to share his love for the sport with more and more people. What is kiteboarding? “Kiteboarding is a new sport that came into the limelight about 15 years ago. Kiteboarding uses the power of the wind to pull you along. It can be done on the sand, snow, lakes or the sea – anywhere the wind blows.” How does a kiteboarding kite differ from a regular toy kite? “The kites …
These are images from a recent shoot with model Daniela Pagan. I’m really pleased with the photos. Dani looked great, and Eboh’s ideas for lighting worked brilliantly. Kim and Wendy did a fantastic job with make-up and hair. As for me, I merely rocked up and tried to make the most of working with a group of talented people. Big thanks to them all. Model: Daniela Pagan Make-up: Kim Clay Hair: Wendy Richardson Lighting: Eboh Ajeroh Wardrobe: Eboh Ajeroh & Ursula Ajeroh
These are a couple of images taken from the same shoot with Liz. Along with a change in make-up, the light illuminating the background and the light shining on the hair had purple and pink gels. The main light on the face was a beauty dish which creates lovely soft light and donut-shaped catchlights in the eyes. Every time I see the first of these photos I start humming “Don’t stop believing” from Glee. Again, a big thank you to Liz, Eboh, Kim and Wendy.
Here are a few images from another studio shoot I did with Eboh a couple of weeks ago. It’s very interesting working as part of a team, and I’m pleased with the images I got. The caption for the second shot could be “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you’re my only hope.” And giving credit where it’s due, here are the credits: Model: Liz Craig Make-up: Kim Clay Hair: Wendy Richardson Lighting: Eboh Ajeroh Fantastic group of people to work with.
Today, June 1st, sees the U.S. release of “Life” the latest series by the BBC Natural History Unit. If you’ve already seen Blue Planet, or Planet Earth you will be well aware of just how good these productions are. I grew up on these programs, they inspired me to study ecology at university, they inspired my love of travel, and now they inspire me to get out into the world and take photographs. I can not recommend them more highly. Both Blu-ray and DVD versions come in two variations Life (narrated by David Attenborough) and Life (narrated by Oprah Winfrey). I’m a fan of Oprah but for me (and probably a large proportion of the British public) Attenborough is a broadcasting icon beyond compare, so I know which version I’ll order.
Kim Clay is a professional make-up artist living on Okinawa. Normally she isn’t the one in front of the camera, but a couple of months ago Eboh and I took a few photographs of her testing out a retro glamour look. Here’s a shot inspired by the poster above.
