All posts tagged: pentax

Timelapse Workshop

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We had a great timelapse workshop this weekend with Mark Thorpe. Here’s a quick video I shot of Motobu Bay. The sequence is made up of 627 frames that were shot from 7.01PM to 8.01PM  The images were then processed together in LRTimelapse. Huge thanks to Mark for teaching the class and to James and Russell for joining and learning new skills. On the second day we worked on adding movement to out shots using equipment by Syrp. We also introduced Mark to Pizza in the Sky. A few things I learned shooting my first day to night transition: I had expected to use the cameras built-in intervalometer, but the Pentax K1 locks down the settings once you start the intervalometer. As you need to make adjustments to the shutter speed during the transition, I had to trigger the shutter manually counting 5 seconds between each one. An external intervalometer will solve this in the future. Bring mosquito repellant. Timelapses are awesome. Motobu is awesome. You are going to put a lot of wear and …

Master Higa and the Minotaur

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Last week I was chatting with Mark Thorpe about his upcoming time-lapse workshop.  He mentioned that Sunday 5th of June was a new moon and possibly the best day of the year for photographing the Milky Way. Mark would be heading out to Mount Fuji, but I thought I’d head over to Zakimi Castle in Yomitan. I doodled the castle and stars on a piece of paper. Then continued to doodle adding  a minotaur into the doorway. I actually have two animal masks sitting in my office. One is a hippo and the other a bull. They hippo has been used for a few rather bizarre photo shoots. I realized that to create a minotaur all I’d need is the bull mask and a suitable torso. Luckily my mate Adam has both the right physique and was free on the Sunday night. Still doodling on my piece of paper, the image was lacking a foreground subject and could use a hero. I’d previously photographed 8th-dan karate master Masaharu Higa at Zakimi Castle and knew he …

Hannah Hooper Yoga

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Early Saturday morning I was out at the beach in Nakijin Village shooting some promotional images for Hannah Hooper Yoga. Hannah wanted some simple clean shots she can use as illustrations and backgrounds for her new website. I used both the 645Z and the K-1 and a Priolite HotSync Flash to add light removing the harsh shadows on Hannah. We also took a few portraits with some softer lighting. Finally we moved to a beach in Motobu that has beautiful rocky walls. A great morning out in the sun. If you’re ever looking for a yogi, check out Hannah Hooper Yoga. 🙂

Pentax K-1 & Priolite – Capoeira

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It’s rainy season in Okinawa, but yesterday morning we had a dry spell long enough to capture Ben and Antonio practicing capoeira at Araha Beach. Gear: Pentax K-1, 28-105mm lens,  Priolite M-Pack 1000 HotSync strobe Using the Priolite HotSync system meant I was freezing the action with the shutter speed rather than the flash duration. This removes the issues you get with ambient light blur when shooting motion with strobes outdoors. ISO 400, f4.5 1/3200 sec   This was my first time shooting Capoeira so it was  tough to anticipate the action. With two subjects performing different moves at the same time it is also tricky to get  images where they are both mid air, correctly illuminated, and in focus. Back flips and kicks are so fast to the naked eye it all happens in such a blur. It’s fascinating to check out the images and see them frozen in time. In some shots they looked like skydivers free falling. I’d also like to try this on a bright sunny day where the strobe would act …

Pentax K1 -Fisherman

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A visit by friend Mike Lynch is always a great photo opportunity because he looks fantastic and tolerates my crazy ideas. Ideas such as making him stand outside on a bright sunny day wearing a sou’wester and bring sprayed with water. Gear used: Pentax K1 with 28-105mm lens at 105mm      1/4000 sec f6.3 ISO 100 Priolite M-Pack 1000 HotSync strobe with white beauty dish full power In most cases when shooting with strobes your shutter speed is restricted to the maximum sync speed of the camera. This is usually around 1/200 sec or 1/125 sec. In turn this then forces you to shoot at small apertures or with dark neutral density filters to control the amount of light.  The Priolite system however has a long enough flash duration that you can sync with fast shutter speeds such as 1/4000 second. With a standard strobe the water droplets would be frozen by the very short duration of the flash, with the Priolite system they are frozen by the short duration of the shutter. Thanks to …

Pentax K-1 First impressions

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The Pentax K1 is the first 35mm full-frame digital camera by Pentax / Ricoh. For many years Pentax focused on producing great  APS sensor cameras such as the K-5 and K-3, or the medium format flagships the 645D and 645Z. The main features of the K-1 are a 36.4 MP sensor and  5-Axis in-camera shake reduction. These provide high resolution images and minimize motion blur. As with other Pentax cameras you get great build quality and weather sealing. Dual SD card slots  and the same lithium battery I use with the  K-3 and 645Z means it should be a dependable workhorse. Pentax Japan kindly sent me a K-1 and the new FF 28-105 lens to shoot some images for a Tokyo exhibition later in the year.  First, however, I thought I’d just put in a couple of memory cards and a battery and take it with me during Sunday’s workshop in Yomitan. A few things I immediately noticed. The articulated monitor is clear, and has adjustable brightness. On sunny days such as yesterday you can set …

Onbashira – the bold and the brave

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Riding a tree trunk as it slides down the side of a mountain is as safe as it sounds. There are injuries, and numerous participants have died. The Onbashira festival, however, has taken place for over 12 centuries. Every 6 years, tradition takes priority over health and safety, and with a heady mixture of religious fervor and adrenaline, the men go for the ride of their lives. The kiotoshi (tree falling)  part of the Shimosha Onbashira takes place over three days. Friday 8th of April 2016, was the first day, with three different teams riding in the afternoon. Having shot the first team with a 300mm telephoto lens, I switched to the 90mm so that I could put the action in a little more context. When the tree trunks finally comes to a stop, all the members of the team scramble together to celebrate and then start to drag the trunk onwards. The men with white helmets and riot shields at the base of the hill are to stop dislodged stones from hitting the crowds. As …

A day in Kyoto

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I’ve visited Kyoto numerous times before shooting cherry blossom, festivals, and the fall colors. On this trip I thought I’d spend a day shooting some portraits of Yuki in a kimono at various locations in the city. This will allow me to provide clients with some new model released Kyoto images. We started at Ryōan-ji the Zen temple known for its beautiful rock garden. There were hordes of visitors at Kinkaku-ji “The Golden Pavillion” but we found a quiet spot for tea. Ginkaku-ji “The Silver Pavillion” was similarly busy, but I only needed a break in the crowds for 1/125 of a second. We then strolled along the Philosopher’s Path. Quick pose under the umbrella at Chion-in temple, then through Maruyama Park to Kiyomzu-dera. I wasn’t the only person taking pics, and Yuki wasn’t the only person in a kimono or yukata in Kyoto.  A boom in international visitors plus cherry blossom in full bloom meant that the city was not particularly tranquil. I did however get the pics I wanted and I can always find …

Onbashira – Suwa Taisha Kamisha

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Onbashira is a traditional log riding festival held in held in Suwa Town, Nagano Prefecture every six years. Tree trunks are dragged from the mountains to the Suwa Taisha Shrine to be raised as sacred pillars. Kiotoshi “tree falling” is where men risk their lives riding the tree trunks down a steep slope. This takes place in two locations, first there is  “Kamisha” near Chino, then a few days later there is “Shimosha” near Shimosuwa. On the three days of the Suwa Taisha Kamisha the “tree falling” is followed by  kawagoshi “river crossing.” A small rope is towed across the river (in one case by an ugly duckling with swans) which connects to the larger ropes that drag the tree trunk. Dignitaries are carried across the river. Then the brass band wades across! The tree trunk, bedecked with a couple of dozen men, is dragged from the riverbank. Rescue services stand by to try and prevent any of the participants from drowning. An amazing spectacle to witness.