Ryukyu-inu a.k.a. Ryukyu-ken is a rare breed of dog endemic to Okinawa. My friend Roy who owns Musashi said he had to have an interview before he could get a Ryukyu-inu. Roy had to agree to numerous conditions including not neutering the dog and allowing it to be used for stud if needed. Very much on the wolf end of the domestic dog spectrum, it’s an impressive animal.
I’m starting a new project documenting the traditional dancers of Okinawa. The first group I have met with is Udui Haru and their teacher Keiko Miyagi. The group were part of a performance of Macbeth on Friday along with the theater group Ryukyu Cirque. The director of the production is Makoto Inoue, who also plays the role of Macbeth. Dancers Riko Sugama, Hitoshi Tamaki, and Chinatsu Higa play the roles of Lady Macbeth, the gatekeeper, and King Duncan. The performances are at the National Theater Okinawa, in Urasoe on Sept 19, Dec 17 and Feb 6. Curtain up at 7pm. Well worth checking out, a unique blend of Shakespeare and the traditional Okinawan arts.
Morinobu Maeshiro, 9th dan Shorin-ryu Karate of Shido Kan Musei Juku Dojo. Photographed at Naha Budokan Sept 1st 2014
Takashi Okuma, Hanshi 9th Dan Okinawa Goju-ryu Karatedo Kushinkan photographed at Naha’s Budokan on July 16th, 2014.
Koyu Higa, son of Minoru Higa, is 4th dan Shorin-ryu karate. An Okinawan karate master of the next generation.
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 …
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.
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.
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.
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.
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 