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Let there be underwater light (Part 3)

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It will shine still brighter when night is about you. May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. Once the sun has dropped below the horizon, you can continue to dive, you just have to bring your own light with you. Night divers normally have a large, bright dive light and a smaller backup dive light. Some strobes have a modeling light which can act as the main dive light, but you still need at least one other dive light. In someways it is actually easier to take photographs at night, the fish are often dopily lounging around while crustacea like shrimps have come out of their crevices and scuttle about the reef. Diving at night, with or without a camera, is a strange if not surreal experience. It’s a bit like being in the middle of an Alien movie: labored breathing, flashlights peering in to the darkness, the ease at which disorientation sets in, and an awareness that something toothy might be lurking just outside your …

Shorinryu Karate and Ryukyu Kobudo Master Hiroshi Akamine

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Hiroshi Akamine a master in both Shorinryu Karate (no weapons) and Ryukyu Kobudo (a whole range of weapons). Lovely man based out of a new dojo in Tomigusku. On the wall of Akamine’s dojo there was an old black and white image of Akamine’s teacher posing for a photograph with a bo (staff). It isn’t part of the portrait series, but James and I thought it would be nice for Akamine to have a shot of him in the exact same pose many years later. The sepia tone was added in Photoshop to match the original image.

“Matsuri” Photo Exhibition at Pentax Gallery Shinjuku Tokyo

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I got a call from Pentax yesterday saying that from September 19th to October 1st 2012 I will have a solo exhibition of my matsuri (Japanese festival) images at the Pentax Forum Gallery in Shinjuku, Tokyo. There will be about 30 large prints, highlighting my favorite photographic subject. It’s several months away, but thought I’d let everyone share in the exciting news and hope to see some of you in September.

Juggling

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Another brief note to say that I’ll be back to posting soon. The Trevor Williams workshops went great, have done several portfolio shoots with local models, another couple of karate master portraits and slowly getting to grips with underwater photography. Along with that there’s been the usual drama with a computer that occasionally misplaces hard drives (hooray for Time Machine) and a labrador that is continually shedding hair.

Busy Busy Busy

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It’s been a little hectic the last week with various shoots, and getting ready for the coming workshops. Blog posts will follow soon. Also a quick reminder that there are a few places left on the retro portrait workshop and the light painting workshops. As a bonus it looks like the rain will have finally stopped. Here’s one of my favorites from last year’s course.

Pick and Tuck Dressage and Eventing

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Riding instructor Alexis leaves Okinawa today, but will soon be back in the saddle on American soil. Alexis wanted some new images for her company Pick and Tuck Dressage and Eventing so we set up a shoot to take some horse jumping and barn images. For the horse jumping images I used a long 400mm telephoto lens and prefocused the lens on the bars of the jump. With the lens on a tripod and everything focussed and framed I just waited for the Alexis and Sky to be in the classic legs tucked position before firing the shutter. I took photos of two different jumps, once facing almost into the sun producing a backlighting effect, and the other with the sun almost behind me. I prefer the style of lighting and the more muted tones of the above image, but it’s all a matter of preference. I wish Alexis and her husband Michael safe travels back to the States. Okinawa, and particularly Sky, will miss them.

Gojuryu Karate 10th dan Tetsuhiro Hokama

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A great day last weekend shooting with Gojuryu karate 10th dan Tetsuhiro Hokama. As is clear from the following photos the idea that karate is a weaponless martial art is clearly not accurate. Although many practitioners state that karate means empty hand, the original meaning of the word was Chinese hand. Improvised weapons, many from farming equipment, were very much part of karate. It might seem strange to see a karate master using duct tape covered nunchaku, but it’s also impressive that he’s using them so much he’s got to give them a little reinforcement. “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far” Theodore Roosevelt, a big proponent of the rokushaku bo. Tonfa now used by police forces across the world. Never start a fight at the Okinawan dragon boat races. The Okinawan sai, as used by Raphael. Hopefully before you clicked on that link you weren’t thinking of this other Raphael. Hokama-sensei showed how the kama can be used between the opponents legs to end the fight very quickly. And if …