It’s been a very busy few weeks and things aren’t slowing down. On Saturday night the new Pentax 645Z arrived. Bear had been hoping that box was filled with dog biscuits, so was somewhat disappointed at the mundane, inedible contents. I got to take a few pics the following day while teaching a fundamentals workshop. I’ll be doing many shoots over the coming weeks, and will put up a full review of the camera. Busy, busy, busy.
You can dive in Okinawa all year around, but from July to October the water is warm, and rough seas are less frequent. The occasional typhoon does disrupt the fun, but these months are perfect for underwater photography. It’s going to be a fun summer.
The second sensei in the recent trifecta of Jundokan karate masters. Tetsu Gima, Hanshi 9th Dan, Okinawa Goju-ryu Karate – Jundokan. On a technical note, I now use a 20.5″ Profoto White Softlight Reflector rather than a generic 16″ silver beauty dish. This doesn’t change the look of the images, but gives better control over specular highlights and a wider spread of light.
Barbie an American Icon, based on a German toy (Bild Lilli) and manufactured in Japan. The original 1959 Barbies were brunette as well as blonde, and had an even slimmer waist than the modern doll. Interestingly, the original Barbies were always glancing to the side, but from 1971 she looks straight ahead.
A busy couple of days shooting at the Jundokan dojo in Naha City. On Thursday I photographed 9th dan masters Tsuneo Kinjo and Tetsu Gima. The following day I photographed 88-year-old 10th dan Tetsunosuke Yasuda.
I’ve been asked the same couple of questions several times over the last few weeks: Will you buy the Pentax 645Z? followed by Do you recommend that I buy one too? Will you buy the Pentax 645Z? Short answer: Yes Long answer: Yes. The 645Z will be my main camera, and the 645D will become the spare body. The increase in megapixels from 40 to 51.4 does have some advantages, although no client has ever said to me that 40 megapixels wasn’t enough. Future clients, however, particularly those advertising travel destinations on posters or billboards may desire the extra pixels. For exhibitions bigger is usually better, the B0 (39×56) prints at my Matsuri Exhibition in Tokyo were amazing, and later this year hopefully I’ll be exhibiting several A1 (23×33) prints in Naha, Okinawa. Above all, using the best equipment available to me is important for The Karate Masters Portrait Project. The goal of the project is to create a historical record of these martial arts masters. I no longer study karate, but striving for the best, and pushing the boundaries incrementally, is a mindset that …
Military bases cover approximately one fifth of the main island of Okinawa. The most unpopular of the bases is Futenma, and the V-22 Osprey is its most controversial aircraft. Once a year, however, the base opens its gates to all for the Futenma Flightline Festival. There were plenty of Americans and local nationals checking out all the different planes and helicopters on display. There was a lot of interest in the Ospreys, which most people had never seen up close. Posters on the sides of the aircraft showed images from humanitarian missions. Of course, the relocation of Futenma, and the military burden placed on Okinawa is a complex and contentious issue. I’ve photographed several anti-base protests, so it was interesting to see another viewpoint, or at least the other side of the barbed wire fence.
Angkor Village’s Apsara Theatre has evening performances of classical dances. I asked the manager if I could take a few portraits after the artists had finished their show, and they said okay. To make things a challenge, I had about 5 minutes to photograph everyone, the external wall of their changing room to use as a background, and the only Khmer I knew was hello and thank you. I used the Profoto B1 to illuminate the darkness, and my tuk tuk driver as light stand and translator. I asked them to look into the light, and captured a few quick pics.
The Pentax 645Z digital medium format camera will be available for purchase at the end of June 2014. It’s predecessor, the Pentax 645D, went on sale in June 2010 for 848,000 yen. You can pre-order the 645Z at B&H for $8,496.95 or from Amazon Japan for ￥777,110. The 645Z uses a 51.4MP Sony CMOS sensor unlike the 40MP Kodak CCD sensor in the 645D. The sensor remains the same size at 43.8mm x 32.8mm, this means it is a crop 645 sensor. The sensor is the same one used in the 50 megapixel Hasselblad H5D-50C camera ($29,000) and Phase One IQ250 digital back ($37,000). At around $8,500 dollars, the 645Z is a third the price of it’s MF digital competitors. The use of a CMOS sensor allows the 645Z to offer live view, a video mode, and a higher ISO range. The PRIME III image processor is significantly faster than in the 645D. The camera can now shoot at 3 fs rather than 1 fs in the 645D and instant reviews will be quicker. The autofocus system and metering systems have also been improved. The …
127km NE of Siem Reap, is the group of monuments and ruins called Koh Ker. It’s relative remoteness compared to other temples means that it receives far few visitors, it’s less “renovated” and overall feels more of an archeological site rather than a tourist attraction. Nearing the end of my time in Cambodia, I was now used to my routine of getting up way before dawn. I hired a car and driver from the hotel, left at about 5AM and we were at the Prasat Thom pyramid not long after 7AM. After Prasat Thom I explored the various other ruined monuments in the area. We drove to each one by car, and I explored the ruins on foot. The whole area was heavily mined which means that it would be inadvisable to ditch the guide / driver and wander off looking for more ruins. There are signs at all the ruins I visited stating they have been cleared of mines. After my visit to the landmine museum I was well aware of the possible consequences if you …
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 