All posts tagged: okinawa

Pentax 645Z in Action – Karate Masters Portrait Project

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A quick update on how I shoot the Karate Masters Portrait Project. Back in March 2012 we used the following gear: Pentax 645D with 105mm or 150mm lens Tripod Profoto 7a generator with a ProHead Generic silver beauty dish PocketWizard Plus II radio transmitters Light stand 3.6′ x 6.6′ Lastolite Black Velvet backdrop And the new 2014 setup. Pentax 645Z with 90mm macro lens Profoto 7a generator with Prohead Profoto Softlight Reflector White PocketWizard Plus II radio transmitters 6.6′ x 6.6′ Lastolite Black Velvet backdrop Why the changes? 645D to 645Z – More megapixels and greater dynamic range. (However 566 not 712 images on a 64GB card, and my computer runs like molasses.) Tripod to No Tripod – Faster, more flexible. Ambient light is low so it has little effect on image quality. Action stopped by flash not shutter. Generic silver beauty dish to Profoto Spoftlight Reflector in white – Larger light source, white interior means better control of specular highlights, image quality. Light stand to voice activated light stand (James) – Faster, more flexible. Medium to Large …

Bringing the Light to the Party

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Great time last weekend at the July 2014 Off Camera Flash Workshop. Pete Leong and I had fun with nine photographers who wanted to add a splash of magical light to their images. Thanks to Rouge Imaging for providing modifiers for the workshop and prizes for the students. Thanks also to Yuki Lynn for modeling, and to Summer Johnson for makeup. Information on future workshops can be found on the Photography Workshops tab above.

Typhoon Neoguri – The Aftermath

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Drove around today to get a few shots of the aftermath of Typhoon Neoguri. I didn’t get down to the flooded sections of the 58 as traffic was backed up for many kilometers, but did see how well the Yomitan Peninsular had fared. Driving along I saw an old lady walking slowly along the sidewalk. It wasn’t too windy, but it was raining a little. I stopped to see if she was okay and she told me she was just heading over to the village hall. She told me her name was Tokumura, she was 93-years-old, and that this wasn’t the biggest typhoon she’s ever seen. (I’m pretty sure she laughed at the suggestion.) I asked if she needed a ride, and she said not at all, the hall was just around the corner. As we talked a couple of young Okinawan guys also checked to see if she was okay. I left them chatting, and headed back out on the road. Large waves were still hitting Cape Zanpa, but the strong winds had gone. Most of …

Typhoon Neoguri Approaches Okinawa

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PREPARE FOR A DIRECT HIT FROM CATEGORY 5 SUPER TYPHOON Super Typhoon Neoguri is probably going to hit Okinawa with brutal strength on Tuesday morning. Right now at midday on Sunday it’s a beautiful sunny day, enjoy the lovely weather, but you also need to prepare for the arrival of a meteorological Godzilla. Before it gets windy and rainy. Tidy up the garden / balcony. Bring in your trash cans. Your neighbors won’t be impressed if they find your parasol embedded in their car windscreen. Have bottled water for drinking, and fill the bath so that you have water to refill the toilet cistern if water is cut off. Have plenty of food  that you can eat without using electricity or gas. Have batteries and flashlights ready before you get a power outage. An LED lantern is also a good idea. Have some towels ready as the strong winds can sometimes push rain under doors and around windows if they aren’t sealed perfectly. Rent some DVDs / buy a new book / set up an indoor bicycle …

Tetsunosuke Yasuda, 10th Dan, Okinawa Goju-ryu Karate – Jundokan.

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Although 88 years old, Tetsunosuke Yasuda is still training in karate. Before the portrait session, he held a 10 kilo barbell plate behind his head then started doing sit-ups. Yasuda sensei is one of the few 10th dan masters of karate. It was great to meet him, and an honor to take his photograph. He was smiling almost the entire session. A real gentleman.  

Back in Blue

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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.

Tetsu Gima, Hanshi 9th Dan, Okinawa Goju-ryu Karate – Jundokan

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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.

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey at Futenma Flightline Festival

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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.

Seiyu Nakamura – 10th Dan Okinawa Dentou Shidokan Karate and Kobujutsu

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Seiyu Nakamura is a master of traditional shidokan karate and kobudo. More than a decade ago, Nakamura-sensei was my briefly my karate instructor. It was great to meet each other again, although he did note that we’d both got a little grayer over the years. Once again after shooting the black background portraits indoors, I switched the plug-in 7a generator for the battery powered B1, and we went outside. A huge storm was quickly approaching, but we managed to get a few shots in the sugar cane fields before the heavens opened.

Diving in Okinawa – Dragonair’s Silkroad Magazine May 2014

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I have a feature on scuba diving, and the cover photo, in the May 2014 edition of Dragonair’s Silkroad magazine. Along with the cover, most of the photos used with the feature are also mine, but unfortunately I didn’t have any decent Hammerhead shark images. A big thanks to all my diver buddies who helped providing quotes or posing for pics! Underwater images shot with the Pentax K5 or K5IIs in an Ikelite underwater housing.