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2024 Calendars

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The 2024 Okinawan Spirit Calendar is available at the Chris Willson Photography Shopify store. The calendars are created print on demand at numerous locations around the world. If you are based in the US or CA make sure to select the US & CA version so that it is created in the correct part of the world! https://b0d25b.myshopify.com There is also a 2024 Japanese Spirit Calendar that is also available. I’ll also be putting in the option to buy individuals prints in the store. Currently there’s a Wagasa Kyoto Umbrella print that is available as a canvas or as a framed print. https://b0d25b.myshopify.com

Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate S2#3 Yoshimasa Matsuda

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I’m very happy to announce that the full-length interview with Okinawan karate master Yoshimasa Matsuda is now available on YouTube, and also ad-free on Bujin.tv The episodes are taking longer to create than in the previous series, mainly as we are asking more questions and delving deeper into the experiences of the teachers. Matsuda Sensei used a mixture of Japanese and Uchinaguchi (the Okinawan language) in the interview so as well as being important from a karate perspective, I think the interview is also a good recording of an Okinawan switching naturally between the two languages. When you watch the episodes on YouTube please click the like button, subscribe to the channel, and make a comment about what you enjoyed most about the video. These things will all indicate to the YouTube algorithm that the video is worth sharing with others. You can learn more about the video series here: https://travel67.com/the-karate-masters-portrait-project/sensei-documentary/ I’d like to say a huge thank all those who are sponsoring and supporting this second series. SERIES TWO SPONSORS Martin Pinto – Essex …

O.I.S.T. Photography

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Our team have worked with the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology for several years. We’ve photographed and videoed several events including graduations and TEDx events. Recently we were one of the teams asked by OIST to produce some new commercial photography. The photographs will be used in a variety of media, and as they appear in public, we’ll be able to share them. This week a new banner promoting research appeared with two of the four images created by our team. I shot the first pic and underwater specialist Shawn Miller shot the third pic. Always a pleasure to work on interesting projects

Intangible Cultural Asset Holders in the Field of Okinawan Karate and Martial Arts with Weaponry

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On May 19th 2020 six Okinawan Karate Masters were recognized by the prefecture as an Intangible Cultural Asset Holder in the Field of Okinawan Karate and Martial Arts with Weaponry. I am honored to have photographed them all for the Karate Masters Portrait Project over the past 8 years. Congratulations to Iha Sensei, Kikugawa Sensei, Maeshiro Sensei, Nakahodo Sensei, Iha Sensei and Takara Sensei! I’m also happy to announce that episode 8 in the YouTube series Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate is now online. I’m really proud of all the work that went into this episode, the team that helped create it, and the sponsors and supporters of the series. Iha Sensei speaks a mix of Japanese, Okinawan (a separate language not a dialect of Japanese), and English. It made transcriptions and translations a challenge, and there were even a few corrections after it went live, after getting some extra feedback from Nakasone Sensei.   Please like, comment, and share the videos so that the YouTube algorithm introduces it to others.

Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate #7 Tsuguo Sakumoto

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Tsuguo Sakumoto, 7 times consecutive world champion, and coach to 9 world champions including Arata Kinjo, Takuya Uemura and Ryo Kiyuna. He is 9th-dan in Ryuei-ryu karate. Ryo Kiyuna is one of Japan’s best chances to win a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 (2021) Olympics so Sakumoto Sensei is more than ever a very busy man. Luckily he liked the portraits of him I shot in 2014 so we managed to get to interview him last September for the Sensei: Masters of Okinawan Karate Series. You can learn more about the series, and even how to support is here: https://travel67.com/the-karate-masters-portrait-project/sensei-documentary/

2020 Workshops

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Last weekend was the final photography workshop of 2019. It’s a real pleasure to share my passion with others and a delight that Jasmine gets to join us on our adventures. There are going to be a limited number of workshops in 2020 due to competing work on the Karate Masters Portrait Project, the karate video series, the 2020 Olympics, and a trip to the UK.  There will be two Fundamentals Workshops at the start of the year, and another couple yet to be scheduled in the fall. Come join the fun in 2020. Click on the links below to the Facebook event pages. January 11th & 12th Photography Fundamentals with Chris Willson February 8th & 9th Photography Fundamentals with Chris Willson

100 Kata for Karate Day 2019

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October 25th is Karate Day in Okinawa. There was a ceremony at the Karate Kaikan in the morning where 6 masters performed a kata, and in the evening there was the 100 Kata for Karate Day event organized by James Pankiewicz of the Asato Dojo and the Dojo Bar. This year the event took place in Matsuyama Park, one of the key spots for Okinawa karate. The kids started at 5pm and were joined by the adults at 6pm. Great job everyone. Here are some pics of the awesome kids going for their century. Video of the festivities on Karate Day and on Kokusai Street on the following Sunday coming soon….

Gamelan Dancers

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Early Sunday morning I had the opportunity to photograph the musicians and dancers of a Gamelan Indonesian dance group. I shot portraits using natural light and a wide aperture against green vegetation. I also used the felt black background and a single strobe setup from the karate masters series to create a second set of images. Here’s a quick behind the scenes shot showing the black Lastolite background leaning against our car, and a Profoto B1 strobe with OCF beauty dish on the stand. Portraits were shot using the Pentax 645Z with the 90mm and 55m lenses. A huge thank you to the Gamelan dancers and musicians, and to Michael Lyon for setting up the shoot. Looking forward to seeing your performances in the future.