The cheapest way for me to get to Papua New Guinea was to first fly Jetstar to Cairns. As we are in typhoon season and there was the possibility flights might be delayed I gave myself a buffer of a few days in Cairns before catching my next flight for PNG. Palm Cove just north of Cairns city center is an idyllic stretch of beach. I arrived just before dawn, but decided it was probably best not to go for an early morning swim.
Batteries charged, lenses cleaned, memory cards formatted. This is going to be interesting…
A few shots from a series I’m doing on classic toys. I actually had Optimus Prime, an “Action Man” and even a much later version of the Goldfinger DB5 when I was a kid. Unfortunately due to the nature of conflict (play) most sustained serious injuries. I’m pretty sure the enemy agent that ejects from Aston Martin was lost on Christmas Day. Action Man had a severe case of limb dislocation, and I believe the leader of the Autobots lost both his hands during an encounter with a hamster.
Bear standing in as a three year old girl as I set up the studio lights for Jenna’s Toy Story. Used a medium size rectangular softbox as the main light and positioned it just above the camera. Bear is now a 6 year old girl. She was not allowed on set during the shoot just in case she decided to (playfully) tear off Elmo’s head.
As a tropical storm approaches Okinawa, it’s time to grab your surfboard and carve up the waves. If you can’t surf, then you can always photograph those who can. You just need a long lens, a pair of Oakley’s, and a laissez-faire attitude to having all your camera gear covered in sea spray.
A couple of shots from yesterday’s dive at Cape Maeda. It was packed with tourists snorkeling out to the blue cave, but deep beneath the surface, it’s much quieter. Not sure what the species in the top photo is, it looked like a small anemone that was yet to have a tenant. The anemone in the image below, however, already had an irate looking occupant.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, One Ring to light them all, and in the studio blind them. A week ago I bought an old Profoto Pro-7 Ringflash on Ebay. Steven over in Denmark mailed it off to me and it arrived this morning. First thing was to check that it actually worked by shooting the dog. Ringflashes create a unique style of light that is popular for some types of fashion photography. If you look at Bear’s eyes you can see the distinctive ringflash catchlights. It can also be used as a fill light to make sure there are no deep shadows.
Recently there has been a giant upheaval in the miniature world of Lego. After decades of the figures all being the same height and shape, there is a new group known as “Lego Friends”. After themed lego sets for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter, you might guess the new figures would have a passing resemblance to Chandler and Joey. Instead, these Lego Friends are an even more bizzare creation, they’re little girls. The girls are actually taller than the men, they’re less boxy, and they have manes of flowing hair. They also have more natural skin tones (unless you live in Springfield, where bright yellow faces are perfectly normal). Is Lego playing to gender stereotypes? Is it giving up on tradition to make a quick krone? Or is it simply evolving and introducing Lego to more discerning children? Except for a worried looking policeman, the arrival of the girls to Legoland has brought nothing but smiles.
Which makes Michael the great grandfather of a certain biker gang…..
Michael was the first choice for the roles of Gandalf, Moses and Dumbledore. He declined all offers saying the jobs would provide very little as a challenge to him as an actor. He hopes to broaden his range by playing Fantine in an off-Broadway production of Les Misérables.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 