Wordless Wednesday: Please Don't Flash

Surprise: We Got to Shoot Seven Sanshin All in a Row !

It wasn't the instruments lined up on the shelf that surprised me.

The location and, the fact they let me take photos, made my day.

This was in the Okinawa Prefectural Museum.

There's just enough redneck left in me to avoid places I can't take my cameras.

Several (formerly) reliable sources had told me "No Cameras Allowed" in there.

So, for years, I avoided going in.

Why would I want someone to take my money, if I can't shoot ?

 

 It Doesn't Hurt to Ask

 

Wednesday, we decided to give the museum a try.

It was one of those days where no outdoor photography would happen.

On a cold, wet morning, Doc Graff and I, both promised the women, we would stay indoors.

As we approached the museum, in Naha, we carried our cameras.

At least photos could be taken, right out in front of the joint.

We took a few shots, then holstered the cameras.

Inside, I walked up to the ticket office and, asked if cameras were allowed.

 

 

Ya Hu Hu Hu Cameras Go Right Through !

 

There are a few restrictions, though.

Some areas, are off limits, for photography.

And, you can't use flash, anywhere.

That was enough to make me run back to the car and, grab all three cameras.

Then, I went and bought a 400 yen ticket.

We hit one little snag, after that.

The lady selling admission didn't mind the tripods.

The gal taking tickets at the entrance, minded.

No tripods are allowed to be used inside the museum.

She let us check them in at the counter and gave us receipts.

Here's how I made the shot of the seven sanshin:

Using a prime 50mm lens at ISO 100  f/1.8  1/15sec we gotterdun.

How do you keep the camera steady when no flash or tripod is permitted ?

Eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep and, don't drink cheap booze !

More at Okinawa Prefectural Museum 





Cherry Blossom (桜) Photos: The Okinawa Challenge

The Weather Doesn't Always Cooperate

 

Today we went up north in Okinawa to check out the sakura for our followers.

Folks planning their weekends like to know how the cherry blossoms are coming along.

There was scarce sunshine, few blossoms and plenty of cold wind.  It even rained a bit.

After checking the situation at UNESCO Nakijin Castle we did some off the beaten path stuff.

Nakijin-jo is having their Sakura Matsuri grand-opening this weekend.  I'd wait.

Ya'll know the Map It Okinawa dude and the crazy places he finds, right ?

He was out in the middle of nowhere, going up a river, to see where it went.  I waited.

That's when the rain started.

It occurred  to me, I hadn't shot a cherry blossom, all day.

That's when I got the idea to shoot some sakura, under challenging conditions.

These few sprigs of cherry blossoms were next to the shelter, I'd be hiding in.

So, I played around with spot focusing on some of them.

And I moved around to give the scene some background, other than grey skies.

This technique can be used anywhere.

It's a good idea, to get your camera off AUTO Mode and play with aperture settings.

Decide if you want the background blurred or, sharpened.

This photo was taken with on-camera flash.

Fooling around with shutter speeds and flash settings gives all sorts of results.

There's no way, I'm going chasing sakura without coming home with some flower photos.

 This cherry blossom photo turned out to be one of my favorite shots of the day.

There's something about a sakura on a rainy day, that I can't explain.

One photo (taken with flash) like this, in the rain, has received over 12,000 views on this blog.

When the weather takes a nasty turn or, the flowers aren't in full bloom, take the challenge !

RELATED POSTS: 

See Cherry Blossoms (桜) in Winter 

Cherryblossom (桜) Festival Okinawa, Japan (Photo Essay)

2012 Nago Cherry Blossom Festival A 12 Photo Essay

NOTE: The best sources, tell me Mt Yadake is at about 50% bloom.

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