Wordless Wednesday MAR 9 2016

Sunrise and Sunset: Photos from Izena Island AUG 30 2014

Not sure how the sunrise would look, this shot was taken at 6:15AM.

While a fisherman took a break, his fishing rod was used in the composition for balance.

Sunset didn't look like it would cooperate with photographers, either.

So, these poles jutting out of the red-colored sea, were utilized as focal points.

The photo was taken shortly after 7PM and, it was time to call it a day.

Hot supper and cold beer were waiting and, I didn't want to disappoint them !

Waiting for Fireworks to Start at an Okinawan Festival

Never Ending Matsuri Season

 

 

It seems like there are too many activities going on to keep tract of, during the summer months.

 In a rush today, preparing for this weekend's nightly events, I discovered something.

A pile of photos from this time, last year, had never been developed.

So, I thought it would be a good idea to show them and explain the rational behind the shots.

Smart photographers, are on the scene, way before the fireworks begin.

The woman, silhouetted in the lower right, of this image, was shooting the setting sun.

Yours truly, got back a little farther and included the moon, in a wide angle composition.

Then, zoomed in to give you a better view.

With, about an hour to kill, before showtime, I decided to take a hike.

The plan was, to get far enough away, to catch fireworks reflecting over water.

The technique, I used, could use some improvement and, I'm working on it this year.

Now, I'm wondering, how that girl in the silhouette (with no tripod) made out !

Related Post: Fireworks Photo: Ogimi Okinawa Japan

Travel Photo: Onna-son Sunset

This photo was taken, about a year ago, as the sun was setting.

Sometimes, after the sun dips below the horizon, I wait and watch for scenes like this.

When the clouds are right, you can get all sorts of colors in the sky.

Living on the east coast of the island, we don't get sunsets, just sunrises.

 Camera: Pentax K5

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 18mm

Exposure: f/22   1/2sec   ISO 100

Related Post: Photos from Onna-son, Okinawa Summer Festival 2013

Travel Photo: Sunset from West Coast of Hamahiga Island

Off island doing some cultural photography, had me on Hamahiga-jima.

Before leaving that island, I decided to checkout the setting sun.

Playing around with different exposure settings, I took 5 or six shots of Okinawa's east coast.

The place looks pretty small, from this perspective but, it's really not that tiny.

For example: Driving home during the hours of darkness, I got lost twice !

Travel Photos: One Minute of Sunset in Okinawa



After spending the day taking photos, in the northern mountains, we saw the sun going down.

The Map It Okinawa Dude pulled over, as quick as traffic would allow.

The photo above was taken at 5:36PM.

From the same location, I backed up and went wide angle.

It was 5:37PM.

We were somewhere on HWY 58, above Nago, Okinawa.

By the time I got back to Kin Town, it was dark.

It's a good thing I left the lights in my office burning.

Do you know what it feels like, stubbing your toes on concrete steps ?

Try it, in flip-flops, sometime. Hurts like a son of a beach !

That's why I leave the office lights on.

Travel Photo: Sunset from a Bridge I Like to Sleep Under

Every once in awhile, it's a good idea to pack up the cameras and, get outta town.

It's too late to catch the sun going down tonight.

The northern areas of Okinawa have some nice, secluded places where you can camp, for free.

If I time this right, I can park the car and walk to a karaoke bar.

Get a little beer drinking and song singing done.

And, be up before the sun, looking for wild critters, to shoot.

Have a great weekend.

I'm outta here !

Seascape Photo from Zanpa Point Okinawa

In previous posts I've shown the Zanpa Lighthouse in daylight and, at sunset.

It had never occurred to me to leave that landmark out of the scene, until yesterday.

The waves were jumping fairly high from the typhoon which blew by the island.

So, I decided to just shoot this composition and call it a seascape.

Travel Photo: Subtle Sunset Silhouettes

Every Photo Has a Story

 

This photo was taken on the west coast of Okinawa, Japan.

The location isn't exactly where I would have gone to shoot a sunset.

But, I had some time to kill and decided to make this composition.

Along came this dude, maybe, in his 50's.  He wanted to see what I shot.

So, I showed him the image on my LCD screen.

He was carrying a point and shoot camera.

It was a fancy model.  He claimed, designed for shooting in low light.

He said he remembered me, from one of the outer islands.  I didn't remember him.  Groan.

What could I do ?   Say, "Yeah, I remember you, too.  The guy with the black hair !"

Instead, I just said, "Really ?"

Then, I mumble to myself something about pretty girls in bikinis.

Anyway, on with the story.

The guy said the photo I took, reminded him of Tahiti.

Well, I couldn't argue because, I've never been there.

But, the thought occurred to me, "I wonder if thought he saw me there, too ?"

Watching him try to compose the same shot I had taken, I noticed he couldn't hold steady.

So, I told him to rest his camera on my tripod and he got a somewhat similar shot.

He thanked me and, went on his way.

Now, I'm wondering.  Does Tahiti really look like that ?

If it does, I have a suggestion for the Mayor of Onna-son.

Quit planting firework launchers on the beach.

Get some girls in bikinis !

For more camera tricks: Photo Tips

 

 

 



Somewhere in Okinawa: The Uncooperative Sunset

Dropped off to shoot tonight's sunset, miles from home, I was in unfamiliar territory.

Looking out over the East China Sea, towards the horizon, things weren't going to go well.

So, I turned around and shot this pile of rocks and a dead tree.

It isn't exactly a sunset photo.

But, it worked for me !

Summer Officially Starts Tomorrow !

Summer Solstice June 21, 2013

 

It all depends on where in the world you live and a lot of other scientific stuff.

Some people call it the longest day of the year.

It's really the day we get the most daylight.  That's if you live north of the equator.

Here is a photo I took in June of 2011 as the sun was setting on the west coast of Okinawa.

Tomorrow the sun will rise at 4:25AM and set at 6:59PM Japan Standard Time.

If the silly tropical storm we're having, gets done blowing, we may have sunshine.

Like, about 14 hours worth of sunshine on the first day of summer !

Now, I'm not sure what normal folks will be doing.

Grabbing the cameras and heading for the hills, sounds like a good plan to me.

If you have trouble thinking of things to do for summer solstice, check this out:

10 Ways to Celebrate Summer 

While you are there, do what (typical redneck fashion) I did.

The Old Farmer's Almanac, gives away all kinds of neat things, for free.

I got a whole pile of stuff and didn't spend a dime. Don't tell them I sent you.  OK ?

For more scientific minds:  Everything You Need to Know: June Solstice 2013

Another informative resource: AboutComGeography: Summer Solstice

Not Excited Enough Yet ?

 

Another goodie, I found while Googling June 2013, has to do with this month's full moon.

This will happen just after I recover from the first day of summer.

We are going to have an extraordinary Supermoon the 22-23 of June.

Don't miss out on all the summer fun !

June 13, 2013 Crescent Moon and Sunset Near Ie Jima

Sometimes the Sun Won't Cooperate

 

Last night a break from processing Dragonboat Race photos was in order.

The Map It Okinawa dude came by and wanted to go somewhere for sunset photography.

We drove from one island to another trying to make the best of the situation.

Low hanging clouds can sure ruin sunsets.

The plan, was to get a beautiful, bright sun, going down behind Ie Jima.

Scouting positions around Sesoko Island we figured it wouldn't be possible, from there.

Back on the main island of Okinawa the sun was already dipping below the horizon.

That's alright for silhouette photography, if you like the colors in the sky.

The scene didn't thrill me.

So, I shot the crescent moon.

Then, backed up all the way to 18mm and got the moon, along with the sunset.

 Map It Dude had no idea what I was doing next.

Off the seawall and out in the street, I went and squeezed his silhouette in the frame, too !

The above photos taken with a Pentax K5 and 18-250mm lens.

Location:  GPS N 26 39.528   E 127 53.098 on Motobu Peninsula.

Old Goat Back from Long Weekend (Photos)

These photos are just a quick preview of this old goat's weekend.

It started, sometime Saturday at a place nicknamed The Shark's Fin.

Some world class kayakers invited me to hangout with them.

We fooled around on the beach until sunset.

After sunset, the kayak people were celebrating the end of the day.

Now, I want to be a kayaker, too.

See the dude sitting in the kayak ?

He made that thing, himself.

All that's wrapped around the frame, to make the contraption float is Plastic Wrap !

He put the kayak in the ocean and paddled-away.

 After the kayakers passed out awards and certificates we found a karaoke bar.

And, sort of, took over the place.

We were singing karaoke, drinking and having a great time, well into the night.

When they ran out of Orion Beer, we went back to our campsite.

 This is a photo of the Sharks Fin taken at 5:33 this morning.

I was up at sunrise because I had to go to another island.

They had goat fights.

It was a long, and busy weekend, for this old goat, and I had a blast.

It's time to shut these computers down, go home, shower and get some sleep.

Sometimes, I forget.  I ain't exactly a kid, anymore. I just have fun until I pass out.

That's the best way to enjoy being an old goat.  More later.....

September 2012 Editor's Picks (Photos)

Ie-Shima Sunset

A Fisherman in Nakijin

Things have gotten horribly busy around here this month.  I love it that way.

Only two photos were entered in a contest and I probably won't have time to do any more.

Speaking of contests: Don't forget to read the rules and get your name submitted for the:

ONE MILLION VIEWS GIVEAWAY

Friday Photo: Silhouettes at the Elephant's Nose

The Elephant's Nose at Manzamo in Okinawa, Japan is a popular tourist attraction.

This is a photo taken at sunset Friday July 20, 2012.

More about silhouettes in Photography Tips 


Related Posts:

 Sunset at the Elephant's Nose

The Twisted Umbrella at Manzamo

The Bird Watching Tower at Nature Mirai (Photo)

A great place along the Okukubi River in Okinawa, Japan to start the day is here.

Nature Mirai, if things ever get caught up, will be getting a Tripadvisor review from me.

Today I started off with the cameras at this spot and ended up here at sunset.

On a hot summer morning this place provides shade and a cool breeze.

Facing west makes it ideal for a camera early in the morning.

Late afternoon it isn't much good for bird watching because the sun gets in your eyes.

If they had towers on both sides of the river, I'd probably never go home.

Could the wife have had something to do with that ?

Visit my website for today's Feature Photo

Photo Essay: A Ryukyu Mike Sunday. Can You Hang ?

Here's a photo shot from the doorway of My Place 12:08AM Sunday of an Eisa Group doing what they'd call Bon Odori up in mainland Japan. 

Here, in Okinawa it's called Eisa Dance and it can be seen anytime of year, not just during Obon season.

We also have this custom in Okinawa where Saturday night doesn't end until you go to sleep.  So, this photo was taken Saturday night, as far as I'm concerned.  There were a few of us drinking beer and running out in the street everytime we heard the drums of the Eisa Dancers nearby.

Lucky for me, a guy I'll start calling RyukyuRu volunteered to be my driver for Sunday.  That way I got to consume all the beers I wanted and wouldn't have to worry about driving under the influence, which happens to be  A SERIOUS CRIME IN JAPAN.   I was home sometime early in the morning.  I remember, it was daylight after I walked the dogs.  So, I turned off the porch light and ZZZzzzzzzz....

By 9AM or so I was in my office chugging iced coffee and doing my Homepage Photo of the Day, blog post and groaning stuff like "I'll never drink again until next time".

Around noon RyukyuRusty and RyukyuRu were here and we goofed off for awhile before heading out to try and pinpoint the exact location of this waterfall.  This shot was taken at 2:41PM from a bridge along an expressway where people drive like they own race cars.

Rusty had to go do Obon stuff with RyukyuRusty's fiance so he left.  I was convinced, if we took some of the backroads and looked around for access roads and trails, we'd find a way to get closer to that waterfall.  

We discovered a trail, alright.  It lead us through the woods, buzzing with mosquitos, up to this place where someone was raising honey bees.  So, I shot this photo at 3:33PM and we got the heck out of there.

RyukyuRu started up a site called MAPITOKINAWA and it's attracting quite a following, so he's always looking for off-the-beaten-path locations. 

I had plenty of time to kill because the main event I needed to shoot wouldn't happen until 8 at night. 

As long as he was driving I figured we'd hit some of the places in Yomitan that I'd already been.

The blog post I did on this Buddhist Statue was probably the most controversial one I've ever done.  I guess it'd be a toss up between the Buddhist Statue of Shinran Shonin in NYC and some comments I made about a Gal who wants to be President of the USA shooting mooses.

This photo was taken at 4:45PM Sunday.  I think I'll just be a cameraman and leave the politics and religion stuff to other people who think they're smarter than me.  Hah !

At 5:27 I took this photo.  That's three times in about a week I've been to this site but, Ru had never been here before and this is definitely an out of the way location which isn't on the beaten path.

It was 5:43PM when I took this shot and to tell the truth, we were lost when we discovered it.  I'll take a wild guess and say it's probably an UTAKI.  RyukyuRu can do the research and pinpoint the location. 

I just love getting lost on Okinawa.  It's an island so, sooner or later, some road will lead to the ocean !

We got to Zakimi Castle, the UNECSO World Heritage Site just as the sun started getting low in the sky. 

I've never been here at sunset so, I was having a blast looking at the way the light fell on the castle walls from different angles.  It's 6:26PM in this photo.

Not much of a history fan when I was growing up this kind of stuff would bore me.  Now, I'm older and wiser.  If you went this way to attack the castle back in the old days, you were in for a surprise.  It leads to a dead end.  The defenders of the castle, from the walls above, would simply drop rocks on your head.  When I was a kid I liked throwing rocks.  Teachers just didn't know how to make history fun. 

Oh, almost forgot, it's 6:31 in this photo.

Once we got inside the castle I got on top of the walls and looked for places where you could catch the low rays of the setting sun.  Time: 6:57PM.

This shot was taken with my back towards the ocean and the sun setting behind me at 7:12PM.

Here's where you'd go if you wanted rocks dropped on your head during an attack on the castle. 7:14PM.

The moment I was waiting for happened in this photo at 7:18PM.  No tourists moving in the scene, just a guy and his beer cooler watching the moon rise over Zakimi-jo Castle in Okinawa, Japan.

For a parting shot, I like to get in a position and take a photo that gives a sense of how it might appear to a resident of the castle, centuries ago.  No cellphone towers, tourists running around with their cameras, just a simple view of the moon rising outside a castle wall.  Feel the quiet.

RyukyuRu had to be awake at 4AM to get ready for work so we headed back towards Kin Village.  We stopped near this Lady Liberty Statue because I'd heard of a place we might get to see some Seaturtles hatch and make the mad dash for the sea.  This photo was taken at 8:53PM.

It's not like this every Sunday, only when it doesn't rain.  I could use a few more backup drivers for Ryukyu Mike Sunday's if anyone is interested.  The pay is just job satisfaction.  Can you hang ?

The Couple on the Castle Wall at Sunset (Photo)

                Sunday August 14, 2011 at 7:27PM  UNESCO Zakimi-jo Castle in Yomitan Okinawa, Japan.


FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR DIRECTIONS AND A MAP TO ZAKIMI CASTLE

Ryukyu Rusty at National Geographic Traveler: Photo Contest !

Keep yer eyes on this guy, he's going places, I tell you.  Here's a photo Ryukyu Rusty has in National Geographic Traveler's 2011 Photo Contest. It's a fisherman casting his line off the cliffs during sunset at the Zanpamisaki Lighthouse in Okinawa, Japan.

HERE'S WHAT WE SHOULD ALL DO:

They have a whole bunch of buttons on the page for Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, Digg, StumbleUpon, Send to a Friend and even one button that says MORE.  I'm gonna try them all out and I hope some of my followers have the time, in their busy schedules, to hit all those buttons, too.

Ryukyu Rusty isn't really interested in winning some prize in a contest.  Somebody else, ahem- ahum, just put the photo in there for him.  But, wouldn't that be cool, if this photo showed up in National Geographic Traveler Magazine, someday?  Last time I looked there were only twelve-thousand-some other people entered in the contest.  Let's see what we can do to narrow down the odds a bit ! 

JUST HIT THE "HERE'S WHAT WE SHOULD ALL DO" LINK, OK ?

Photo of the Week: Sunset at the Elephant's Nose in Okinawa

This photo was taken last night at a tourist attraction called Manzamo in Okinawa, Japan.  We really don't have any elephants native to the Ryukyu Islands.  People with imaginations a whole lot sharper than mine call the rock formation in the left third of the frame, "The Elephant's Nose". Do you see the elephant ?