All posts tagged: 645Z

Nobuko Oshiro, Kyoshi 8th dan Okinawa Karate-do Shorinryu, Taishinkan Association

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At 8th-dan Nobuko Oshiro is the highest ranked woman in Okinawa. On Friday, I photographed her at her dojo in Urasoe. At 68 she is strong and healthly, kicking high and punching hard. In a country where women are sometimes seen as decorative “office flowers” Oshiro sensei is breaking down boundaries and shattering ceilings. The phrase “you hit like a girl” is not going to be uttered in her dojo as anything other than a compliment. Photographed with the Pentax 645Z and 90mm lens. Lit with a single Profoto pro-head in a white softlight reflector powered by a 7a generator.

Godzilla – Nissan GTR

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A fun shoot with another Japanese icon. The Nissan GTR is a technological marvel, able to make far more expensive European and American supercars look archaic and sluggish. Shot with the 645Z and 25mm lens. Shutter speed was kept relatively slow at 1/125 to show motion on the road. A huge thanks to Michael for bringing his beast to the shoot.

Wide angle portraits – Kensho Tokumura, Hanshi 9th-dan Ryukyu Dento Kobujutsu Hozon Budo Kyokai

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Kensho Tokumura, Hanshi 9th-dan Ryukyu Dento Kobujutsu Hozon Budo Kyokai photographed for my Beyond the Dojo project on the beach in Heshikiya, Katsuren, Okinawa. These images were all shot with the Pentax 645Z paired with the 25mm wide-angle lens. A Profoto B1 strobe with a white softlight reflector was used for off camera flash. I’m really enjoying shooting these wide-angle portraits. The kobudo weapons when held towards the lens give a wonderful depth to the images.

Lotus Eclat

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Lotus, an iconic British motoring brand. Makers of lightweight sports cars including classics such as the Esprit and Elise. The most famous Lotus was the white submersible driven by Bond several decades ago, but they are still building amazing vehicles and competing in F1. Rudding Park Hotel was a great backdrop to take a picture of the car before we headed out into the Yorkshire Dales.

Yotsudake Dancers, Ryukyu Dynasty Parade, Kokusai Street.

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Yotsudake is one of the traditional Ryukyu dances. The dancers wear a flower shaped hat, and a bingata kimono. They hold a pair of instruments similar to castanets which are made from four (yotsu) pieces of bamboo (take). They clap the yotsudake in time to the music. These images were all shot with the Pentax 645Z and the 90mm lens. The 90mm lens is an excellent portrait lens, allowing a shallow depth of field when needed and also has image stabilization to reduce motion blur due to camera shake.

Halloween in Mihama

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Mihama’s American Village in Chatan Town is the place to be on Halloween. The fancy dress competition is probably the most popular event of the year. I stopped by on the way home from helping set up the Okinawa 9 exhibition in Naha and took a few pics. I used the Pentax 645Z, 90mm lens and the Profoto B1 strobe with a beauty dish for light. Spooky fun.

Toyota 2000GT

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I took some more photographs of a client’s Toyota 2000GT on Sunday night. An exceptionally beautiful motoring icon, and now extremely rare. It was fun to get into the driver’s seat for a moment while I was checking the lighting. It’s not often you get to sit behind the wheel of a million dollar car. In both images I used the Profoto B1 strobe and a medium softbox to add some light to the car (above) and subject (below).

World’s Largest Tug of War

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Last weekend was the world’s largest tug of war. It is held each year on route 58 in Naha City, Okinawa. First the two halves of the rope are joined together with a giant wooden pin. Kings of the west side and east side are then carried to the center of the rope. Thousands of spectators including Okinawans, tourists and local American military take part in the event pulling for either the East or West team. I was pleased that this year I could add to my selection of images of the tug of war . I already had a fantastic overview shot from 2010, but it was great to get some POV shots from the center of the action. The above shots were all taken with the Pentax 645Z and the 25mm lens held above my head on a monopod. The photo below was with the Pentax 645D and 55mm.