Here'a a scene I spotted as we were leaving the Okinawa International Orchid Show the other day.
While most people are attracted to the souvenirs like jewelry, books, postcards and even flowers they sell in the gift store as you exit the place, I look for something different to do.
Anything, but another flower, would be fine to shoot. I looked up and saw this stained glass on the ceiling.
Hah, I bet nobody going to a flower show ever even thought of snapping a picture like this.
First, I set up the tripod and just guessed where I was aiming, set my exposure and snapped a fairly decent photo. But, I wanted more of the scene and wouldn't be able to do it with the camera on the tripod.
I ripped my camera off the tripod and asked the girls at the information booth if it'd be alright to lay down on the floor to take the photo the way I wanted. They signaled "OK".
Then, I laid down on the floor and composed this photo. I had to hold steady for 1/6 of a second. You can do that by planting your elbows real tight against your body, keeping your head on the floor and squnching the viewfinder real tight against your face. Nothing moves.
It's better than a tripod. You become a human bodypod and your camera can take sharper photos than it could with a tripod if you do it right.
So, practice finding things you can shoot by laying on the ground; most people don't realize "Sometimes it's worth a look up".
There is a word of caution I'd like to share with Mothers and Fathers who let their daughters run around in way-too-short skirts. Tell those girls to stay clear of cameramen laying on the floor.
While I was down on the ground with my camera, a whole flock or busload of them came by.
I was there just to shoot stained glass.
A different cameraman may have thought sometimes it's worth a look up for other reasons.
What do they feed those girls? Something makes them oblivious.
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Obviously I didn't take this picture because that'd be me sitting alongside the Okukubi River in Okinawa, Japan with my hands full.
This photo was taken by my sidekick, Rusty and I had no idea he was sneaking up behind me to snap the picture with his cell phone camera or I would have fixed my hair, smiled, or maybe stuck my tongue out at him.
We're not exactly what you'd call professional birdwatchers but, we try to shoot some professional-looking pictures of birds in the wild.
Part of being successful at wildlife photography is patience and another part is knowing the habits of the critters you want to shoot.
We know the area in front of the cameras is a spot where an osprey dives and comes up with some good sized fish. It's just a matter of being there and having the right settings on the camera when the split second event takes place.
You can spend hours getting your outdoor studio set up to catch a shot of wildlife in action and waiting for your guests to make an appearance. And, sometimes nobody shows up.
The minute you decide to move on to another location or walk away from your camera to take a break a freakin' osprey will hit the water with the speed of lightning, grab a humongous fish dinner and leave you cussing for moving away from your position.
Well, nature called and Rusty had to go drain his radiator, or something. I figured maybe instead of us doing birdwatching and not seeing any birds, maybe it was the other way around; the birds were watching us.
An osprey could have been up in the pines and seen Rusty leave his camera. If the bird figured he could make a dive and grab a fish dinner without getting caught in a photo because there was nobody but some old man sitting there, he was wrong.
The old man just moved between the two cameras and got his hands full of cable releases and kept right on birdwatching. Nothing happened.
Things happen that way, sometimes, when you're birdwatching in Japan. Patience.....
Wow ! I can't believe the responses I'm getting from yesterday's Travel Photo Thursday post where I threw together an Orchid Lovers Photo Essay.
I'm still sorting through the photos from the Orchid Show and hesitate to call this Flower Photo Friday but, the thought had crossed my mind.
Today, I just want to show you a flower photo where I got up a little closer to the orchids was able to eliminate some of the harsh lighting.
I'm afraid, if I let everyone see the real tight close up shots, people will expect me to identify the orchids by common name and scientific title, like I do when I shoot wildlife.
There are a few shots I took where you can read the names of the orchids and I'll be posting them shortly. I'll probably create some new photo gallery on the website and name it "FLOWERS" but, these things take time so, please be patient with me. If I say I'm going to do something, I usually do it, just not in a rush.
If people keep telling me they want to see more flowers, I'll gitter dun, one of these days. I'm just a little too busy right now.
To give you an example, I decided I'd go shoot Valentines stuff today. In Japan, Valentines is a bit different than what most people are used to.
So, I figured I'd shoot some photos of an American style display in a store, then the typical Japanese Valentines display and show the differences.
Thinking I had a whole three days before Valentines Day to do the shooting (Photos) was a big mistake, as far as American stores go. Almost everything was gone.
It's the 11th of February here. What ever happened to good old American procrastination; isn't that a manly virtue anymore ?
After getting the store manager's consent to take pictures, I went looking for the stuff.
There were, like eight heart-shaped boxes of candy left. I rearranged the display so it looked like something and snapped a few photos.
Then, bought five boxes so I can stuff the grandkids with chocolate if I ever get stuck watching them by myself, again. Grandpa knows how to cook good stuff. I'll call it chocolate sashimi.
Anyway, now I have to run around and see if I can get some pictures of a Valentines display in a Japanese store. I'll have to go to one of the big cities, I think.
Where I live in Okinawa most folks are fishermen and farmers so, they aren't really into the Valentines hoopla like city folks. They don't believe in the Easter Bunny, either. Good people.
So, enjoy the orchid photo and let me know if I should create a Flower Photo Friday or just a flower gallery and I'll see what I can come up with for you. I'm back on the road chasing Valentines. WU HU HU !
Yesterday was the first time in my life I ever attended an International Orchid (蘭) Show. Probably the last international thing, besides an airport, I've been in was one of those Houses of Pancakes.
Now, your average guy isn't really wild about flowers, you know. Well, you could consider me as below average in that department. I can't understand why some folks go bananas over flowers, especially the ones you can't eat. But, I know lots of people like pictures of them so, I shot lots of photos and probably have enough ot give you an orchid of the week for the next two years.
This Okinawa International Orchid Show is a big event held in the Tropical Dream Center which is part of Ocean Expo Park in Motobu Okinawa, Japan. This year it goes from 5-13 February. They have over 10,000 entries in the show every year. So, I figured it'd be best to go on a weekday and avoid all the congestion. Just imagine if each contestant just brought along one friend. There would be over 20,000 people there and not much room for visitors, like me.
Well, it turned out, it wasn't so crowded. I spent a few hours there and shot hundreds of photos, mostly of orchids. I was up until 5AM this morning developing them. So, I'll just give you a quick preview in this photo essay and have my weekly post for Travel Photo Thursday done at the same time.
Before even paying to enter the place (2:25PM) I shot this. Then, showed it on my LCD screen to someone just to make sure it was really an orchid. Now, I'm not so below average in the flower department; just a little.
There are orchids everywhere, mostly in greenhouse-type buildings, that you can get lost in while walking in circles. I took this photo ( 2:50PM) from under a shaded area to show some of the grounds outside. The observation tower is shrouded in a combination of clouds and, I think, volcanic ash from up north of Okinawa.
There are more kinds of orchids than you can imagine and people walk through the place looking up, looking down, looking all around saying stuff like, "Uuu and ahh and kirei desu, ne" while I'm saying (to myself ) "Would you hurry up and get out of my picture?" ( 3:30PM).
The folks wearing yellow jackets are the Dream Center Staff and they are really polite and helpful. They must have thought I was somebody important because I saw them a few times telling people to steer clear of me.
Or, it could be because I farted too loud once or twice ( 3:31PM ). Whatever it takes.
After I shot way more flower and orchid photos than I'll ever have any use for I discovered this shrine-looking thing. The Grand Champions or something special is in there. It looked way too sacred for me so, I zoomed, shot a few different compositions, bowed my head and said a quick prayer, like "I need a smoke. Gotta get outa here, amen", and got out of there (4:05PM).
At this point I was thinking it'd be alright if I never saw another orchid for the rest of my life, when, I came across this rabbit. I think that may be orchids nearby, too. So, I shot them ( 4:27PM). It's the Year of the Rabbit. Now, I wonder if they had a Tiger there last year.
Just a few more quick photos of the outdoors and I'd be headed home. I went to great lengths composing this photo ( 4:34PM ) and just as the shutter clicked, somebody walked into the flower arrangement in the center of the frame. Normally, I'd say "Gosh darn it" and delete but, I recognized the hat she was wearing and she's kind of a SPECIAL GIRL so, I let her stay in my picture.
Orchid (蘭) Lovers, if you're on on near Okinawa, Japan don't miss out on this once a year event. The International Orchid Show ends this Sunday.
More information is available at: http://oki-park.jp/tropical/orchidshow/en_oios/index.htm
Back in December 2010 I had a contest SHOOT THIS BLOG AND WIN A CONTEST WITH SOME RULES.
The plan was, give away any photo chosen from my gallery to the three winners who screenshot my blog with the winning numbers 99,999, 100,000 and 100,001. Nobody won. The dang thing happened too fast.
A couple of people emailed me and said they almost wrecked their cars hurrying home from work to shoot the blog. It turned over 100,001 before they could shoot it.
I stayed up past 2AM (Japan time) that day and managed to do a screenshot at 99,999. Just seven minutes later, I went back to screenshoot again and the thing hit 100,014. It's outa control.
But, I love it. I'm having another contest, now, to mark the big event: A QUARTER MILLION !
This really is a big event, to me. Look at McDonalds, for example. I don't know if they gave away a hambuger when they hit a quarter million.
They've sold millions and millions of their greasy hamburgers and they brag about it.
So, I want to brag about my quarter million and give away three of my photos, without any grease on them just because I appreciate my customers.
HERE'S THE RULES:
1. Look at the view counter in the upper right hand corner of my blog.
2. Snap a screenshot of it when it hits 249,999.
3. Snap a shot of it when it hits 250,000. That could happen real soon after it hits 249,999.
4. Snap a shot of it at 250,001. That'd be when the contest is over.
LEGAL STUFF:
1. Only one screenshot of either 249,999, 250,000, or 250,001 per individual may be entered.
2. Entries accepted via email, only.
3. There will be three prizes awarded. One for the first email containing the 249,999 shot, one for the first email recieved with the 250,000 and one for the first with the 250,001 shot attached.
4. Offer is void in New Jersey and some other places where people talk funny. Just don't tell me where you live and you can participate if your email address is someplace where they have stupid laws and people call birds, boids. Do they still whack people there?
HOW TO ENTER:
1. If you don't know how to do a screenshot, don't worry. Prop your elbows on the table and shoot the winning numbers with your cell-phone camera or any other camera and email that shot to me.
2. To email me, if you're not already in my address book, simply go to MY HOMEPAGE and hit the thing centered on the top of the page that says "CONTACT ME". Then we can swap email addresses as long as you promise not to send any naked lady photos to me or naked anybodies, for that matter.
3. I will email the winners a humongous 300dpi JPEG file, suitable for printing, of any single photo they choose from any category in my photo gallery. If a winner prefers to have me print an 8x10 photo in either High Gloss or Matte, I will do that and cover the postage anywhere on Planet Earth providing it's not New Jersey or anywhere else where contests are prohibited by law. However, that means I'll need your personal mailing address. Have no fear; I don't do Xmas cards. I just want to give everybody (even people with boids) a chance to win.
4. Any disputes, gripes, or problems can be handled by the COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT. You can reach them by going to CONTACT ME and in your subject line type these words,
"COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT: C/O MRS RYUKYU MIKE" and see what happens !
All joking aside, this is a big event for me and there are way too many people for me to thank individually for the phenominal numbers of views my blog has been getting. I want to thank you all.
If you're so inclined, drive carefully, make sure you follow the rules and SHOOT THIS BLOG !
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