That Time Jerry Hit Me with the Sliders

Three Cameramen Walk into a Bar

One was from Oklahoma, one from Wisconsin and, I'm right here.

It wasn't for the purpose of drinking booze or, anything like that.

We heard a rumor, they served Black Angus cow meat there so, that's why we went.

First, I offered to pay for the lunch because, I had money.

But, the senior guy, insisted on buying for everyone.

Out of respect (maybe) I said, "Alright."

The other two guys, ordered regular size  burgers.

In the past, I had been cautioned about the double burger.

It's way too much for the average person, to eat.

So, that's what I ordered. I don't like being average.

If, you stop and think about it; that's too easy.

Of course, everyone was done eating, before me.

It was quite a filling meal and, took some doing.

Jerry, the guy from Oklahoma, decided to shoot me.

He's actually some sort of preacher, I'd say.

But, he don't mind hearing me cuss so, he's OK.

Don't worry. There was some pretty women in the place.

The gentlemen side of me won't cuss around ladies.

I just pretended, I was a normal person and, ate.

And, Jerry, fired away with his Fuji camera.

These Aren't My Photos

After, he downloads the images, Jerry does some photo processing, to spiff things up.

He likes to play with the sliders, the editing program gives you, for adjustments.

So, the images, of me eating sliders, got tweaked with sliders, too.

He sent them to me and, it gave me an idea. Put them on my blog if, he would consent.

Even though, the subject is me, I don't own the copyright to those images.

So, before posting them, I had to get the photographer's permission.

Look up Jerry TheDissenter on Facebook, to see more of his work.

Then, come back here and let me know something.

Do I look better, eating the sliders on full color or, black and white ?

We Gotta Track This Dude Down

This photo was taken September 4, 2013 at a Sea Turtle release.

It's always a good idea to arrive at events like this, before the action takes place.

It was the first time, I ever saw anything like this so, I went a few hours early.

The guy with the big camera showed up just a few minutes before it all started.

More than likely, he's done these things before.

He had all kinds of waterproof gadgetry for photos and video.

Camera Nuts Are a Special Breed of People

 

 

Easily bored, while waiting for things to start, we find ways to entertain ourselves.

The dude started pointing his big camera at me.

When I noticed, I pointed my lens towards him.

And, we shot each other.

No harm done; we were just shooting photos.

Then the Fun Began

 

 

Once the little turtles are turned loose, it's every cameraman for himself.

In and out of the surf and sand go the baby critters and the cameras.

By the time the last turtle disappeared into the sea, it was dark.

We chatted a bit, before leaving the site.

Being the poor folks we are, neither of us had business cards to exchange.

Now, I have to track this dude down so, I can give him his photos.

And, I want to see how my portrait turned out.

I bet my hair was a mess !

Every Now and Then Along Comes One of Those Days

It Really Started Sometime Last Night

 

 

 

Whenever that Aki Yokoyama gal comes to town I have to see her perform.

So, I grabbed a camera and did some shooting.



She sings, dances, plays the keyboard and a guitar.


This was the first time I saw her use the drumsticks on a guitar, though.


It makes you wonder.  What will they think of next ?




After the band played their first set, I excused myself.  Had to be up early this morning.


Things have been fairly busy around here and I'm way behind on processing photos.


So, I told the band, I'd have something ready to post on Facebook maybe, next week.




Back in the office, I downloaded the photos and decided to develop a few.



Well, I put a handful of them in an album on Facebook.



Then, locked the place-up and decided I deserved a beer.  And, another one and, some more.



The next thing you know, it was going on 3AM.  So, I went home and crashed.



Before the sun came up, I was having my coffee and ready to go.



Sabani boats were racing and a couple of us cameramen were invited.

We were at the beach early but, somehow, managed to miss our boat.




So, we wound up shooting from the shore.



Cameramen are real flexible people.  After we shot some boat photos a plan materialized.



The credit, all goes to Chris Wilson.



He said, "Lets go to my studio so, you know where it is."



We got to see the place, met his dog, looked at all the studio equipment and, drank some coffee.



The next thing you know, I was putting on all kinds of costumes.



Some sort of character-modeling, I guess you'd call it.



We won't mention what characters, yet, because Chris has to develop all his photos.



Let's just say Chris, Doc Graff and I had a blast in the studio.



It involved a lot of cussing, laughing and sweating, on my part.



When someone asks me to be a character, they are going to get then real deal.





Standby for more.....

When I'm Hungry: Where's the Beef ? Short Rant/Photo Essay

 

Hungry Cameraman Needs Red Meat

 

 

There's nothing wrong with the vegetarian crowd.  I ain't pokin' fun at you.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of my diet.

But, I'm carnivorous, too.

After hiking a few hills in the northern part of Okinawa, it gets hungry outside.

And, my stomach starts dreaming about woofin' down a big, juicy lunch.

The best hamburger in Okinawa would be nice, is what Map It Okinawa and I were thinking.

Once, I saw a dude eat two of them in one sitting.  

Four or five times we got to the Toto La Bebe place and couldn't get in.

They must have changed their hours of operation.  What a bummer.

With juicy, red meat on our minds and stomachs growling, we headed to Nago City.

Then stopped by the Cafe Gusto.  I've had hamburgers here before.

It's a really fancy place so, I hid in the corner.

When the waitress came by I asked for a hamburger. But, they don't serve them anymore.

What you do then, if you want a decent meal is this:

Point at whatever looks good on the menu that is within your wallet's capability.

Some sort of hamburger-tasting thing was on my plate, covered with a diet sauce.

It tasted alright.  I woofed it down too fast to take a photo.

Probably, should have ordered two.  Because I left there saying...

...where's the beef ?

Travel Photo of the Week: Camera Crowd in Hedo

This photo was taken in the Village of Hedo, Okinawa, Japan.

Sunday December 23, 2012 was a special day for the folks up there.

Busloads of culture and history enthusiasts showed up and plenty of cameramen came, too.

The attraction was the reenactment of a ritual from the old Ryukyu Kingdom.

Sometimes, when you are at these cultural events, there is plenty of free time.

Traveling a long distance and waiting for things to get started isn't a lot of fun.

So, what many of the photographers do, is start shooting each other.

That's what the camera crowd did in Hedo this past weekend.

And, I got pictures to prove it.

Then and Now (Photos) Kin Kannon Temple Okinawa, Japan

This photo of Kin Kannon Temple was taken in 1966 by photographer Donn Cuson.

Here is a photo of Kin Kannon Temple taken yesterday afternoon.

Other than Coca Cola and Pepsi vending machines, a cell phone tower and a satellite dish antenna (far left) for the Buddhist Monks to watch TV, the place hasn't changed all that much in the past 46 years.

This temple was built sometime back in the 16th Century as the result of a Buddhist missionary being rescued from a typhoon-wrecked ship by the people of Kin Village.

There are more spirits on these temple grounds than all the other spiritual places I've visited in my travels around the world !



Then Photo was taken with a Canon 7

Now Photo taken with a Canon G12  



NOTE:  It has been brought to my attention that some folks interested in following this Then and Now Series are experiencing difficulty locating the posts.


In the near future a Then and Now page will be created to make things more reader friendly.


Please, bear with me on this.


There are a few of us Ryukyu Cameramen, really excited about this project.


We are traveling all over the island of Okinawa, Japan doing whatever it takes to identify, locate and recompose those photos on the REMEMBERING OKINAWA Website.

It is a work-in-progress that requires plenty of outdoors exercise, research, patience, and time but, we are determined to document every recognizable site we can find.  It's a blast !


Shooting these photos from the same perspective as the original is our goal and that can be a real challenge, at times.

We have received some excellent support from members of local communities in identifying the THEN sites when we tell them it is to obtain a NOW photo, 50-60 years later. 

It dawned on me,  just this week,  we should take photos of the process we go through in making this series.  The smiles we encounter on the faces of Okinawan people, the methods we use looking for a certain location, how we get there and some of the trying, hilarious or dangerous situations we get into to take a photo, are all part of the story.  A book could be written about it but, we are cameramen, and busy.


The good old Google Search for "Then and Now Photos Okinawa" works fine, for now. 
As soon as I get ten in this series of blog posts complete,  a Then and Now Page will be created.


More Then and Now Photos

Foreign Interference at the Naha Okinawa 2011 Tug-O-War

Most of you know, I like to throw a few photos on my blog every day and show off my island.

And, I pretty much like to keep things on the light side.

There's no humor in what I've got today so, if that's what you were looking for, I apologize in advance for disappointing you.

What this photo shows is the view from the reviewing stands at the 2011 Naha Tug-O-War.

The two ends of the Guinness World Record rope (male and female) are being joined.

Some foreigner, I'm guessing by the hair color, decided it was more important for his child to view the joining of the male and female ropes than all the folks in the reviewing stands.

There are over 50 photos I took attempting to capture the joining of the ropes but,  it was impossible to see because of, what I call, foreign interference.

Now, I'm lucky.  I was standing on a ladder at the reviewing stands.  I got a better view.

Two of my fellow cameramen were at different locations so,  I can get photos of the event if I need to.

As a matter of fact,  I can even get a close up shot of the bad parent using a child to obstruct everyone's view but, wouldn't want to give folks the idea that I'm vindictive, or anything like that.

Mind you, I shoot photos at many events and am well aware of people accidentally popping into view when a photographer is trying to compose a photo.  It happens.

This scene was not one of those accidents.  This went on for well over ten minutes.

Yesterday I spoke to a member of the Naha Tug-O-War Committee about this and was asked to blog about it.  So, here I am and I'm not happy.  But, someone needs to speak up.

Cultural insensitivity,  ignorance, or just plain stupidity,  I have no idea what it is.

What I think someone should do is apologize to the Mayor of Naha for this foreign interference.

Er, ya think I should just get vindictive ?

VISIT MY WEBSITE FOR THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Photography Tips: How to Shoot the Guinness Tug-O-War

It doesn't have to be the Guinness World Record Tug-O-War, you can use these photography tips as a how-to for any festival or event where a few hundred thousand people decide to gather in the street for your photographic pleasure.

This photo was taken at the 2010 Great Naha Tug-O-War with a 250mm zoom.  Call it a far-away close-up.  The focal length you have available on your camera determines how much distance you and your camera can be away from the crowd. Before zoom lenses were invented the cameraman's method of zooming-in was HIS FEET !

The trick I used here to bring you up close, without having to get into the crowd, was get some elevation, high above them.

To catch a shot of the monsterous rope without a crowd bumping into the tripod or popping up ruining my attempts at Auto Focus, I shot this photo early in the morning.

Climbing tall buildings is one way to avoid the crowds and squeeze as much of them into the photo frame as your lens will permit.  I have no idea what it cost for the TV station to put their cameraman up in that crane.  But, I figured as long as I was going for a climb, I might as well get higher than him.  My elevation was FREE.

This year I plan on letting some one younger do the rooftop climbing and let them use the SIGMA 50-500mm.  All the photos above were taken with an 18-250mm lens.

Not to worry, somebody like, RyukyuRusty's Mom, we'll bring along a safety leash so nobody falls and hurts my lens.

Taking some photos at ground level, among the crowd is always fun.  You may have to use manual focus, or get the camera off continuous auto focus and just lock your focus on a selected subject.

The only way to capture a close up like this, is fight your way through the mob, bump a few shoulders, forget using a tripod, step on toes, or get yours stepped on and go for a quick handheld shot.  This photo was taken in 2009.  Last year, by the time I got off the rooftop to get my souvenir from the Guinness Record monster rope, they were done hacking strands to give away and kicked me off the street.  Everybody wants a chunk of the rope because it's supposed to bring you good luck, if you take a strand home.

For a big event like the Naha Tug-O-War what you really need is cameramen operating from several different angles, if you plan on photographing all the activities taking place.

If you happen to be in Naha Okinawa for the 41st Guinness World Record Tug-O-War this Sunday afternoon you are liable to run across any number of Ryukyu Cameramen, except maybe, not RyukyuRusty.  He'll be tied to a water tower on top of a tall building.

Say "Hi" if you want but, please don't step on my toes.  I'll be in the thick of it trying to grab some of that rope.

Now, you could use my photography tips for the Guiness Tug-O-War anyplace on earth with a bit of imagination.  Like, THE WALL STREET PROTESTS, comes to my mind.

Somebody ought to get a team together, go out there and getterdun.  Dontcha think ?

Look at What I Stumbled Upon !

UNBELIEVEABLE GOOD FORTUNE !

This is a scene I literally stumbled upon around 1PM yesterday afternoon.

Months of preparations, visits to the remote location, translators helping, interviews with the locals, researching online, nothing prepared me for this.

Saturday night we drove to the village of Ogimi. We scouted out the area in the rain as the sun was going down.

In a little Mom and Pop store I found sake. I asked the woman at the checkout which was the most popular with the locals and bought a bottle.

We asked about the village office and discovered it was still open. We got a ride there in an air-conditioned van. It was quite a distance away and I'm glad we didn't have to walk in the rain.

My translator met with some officials. She gave them the sake and they put it on the table with the sake and beer they were drinking.

Real nice folks, they shared some drinks with us while we asked lots of questions about the events that would take place Sunday. The Unjami is a Festival held only once a year. I like to know what's going to take place and where so I can get the best photos possible when it happens.

We camped out under a bridge right alongside the ocean. The place had a great breeze and felt better than air-conditioning when I'd been there before.

It rained on and off all night long. It was dry under the bridge but I almost froze to death. It was cold.

I cat-napped on and off all night long. It rained on and off all night long.

It was good to see the sun come up. I wanted it to get back up in the 90's like it usually does. I like it hot even if I do cuss the heat occassionally, I'd rather be hot than cold.

It warmed up pretty well after sunrise but, still rained on and off through the morning.

We had three seperate districts to visit in the village to catch all the festival events.

It was pretty much a gaggle of photographers stumbling over each other at every event I went to throughout the day.

A mad dash here, rush to get there and set up a camera to shoot from the best location. Then, just when you think you're all set, another dozen idiots with cameras show up. And they screw up your preparations. You move, adjust and recompose. And another dozen idiots show up.

Then there was a mad dash back towards town where the main event would take place in a harbor.

No parking was available. Streets were blocked off. No problem, we drove back to the outskirts of town. We'd park under the bridge where we slept and walk back into town.

That's when I stumbled upon this scene. No other photographers were there.

To be continued.....