Upcoming Photo Tour! Hamahiga Island, Okinawa Japan

3/30/12: See you tomorrow! Rain or shine, we go. Bring an umbrella just in case.

I wanted to officially announce Kai-Umi Photography's upcoming tour. We will be meeting on Hamahiga Island for a sunrise - mid afternoon photo session.

Date: Saturday, March 31st at 0600
Location: Hamahiga Island

This is a perfect location as it faces the east, and of course, the sun rises on the east and sets in the west. Hopefully the weather will cooperate but I will be going rain or shine! To photograph the sunrise we need to be on scene at 0600. There is a covered gazebo that is a good meeting point. Gazebo is on the water side of the parking lot. Here are a few map shots for your reference. You can click on each image for a bigger view. Hope to see you there!

Cross the red bridge towards Ikei Island, turn right to cross the Hamahiga bridge. Once you hit the "T" make a left. Go to the end until you reach the Hamahiga hotel driveway (Do not enter the hotel driveway). Make a sharp right on a small road into the residential area. Follow the signs to Shirumichu.

Follow the highlighted route to Shirumichu. The signs are easy to see and are in English.

Dirt parking lot and covered gazebo.

Family photo taken next to parking lot.

Please leave a comment or e-mail me if you have any questions.

Chris G.Rose
www.kaiumi.com

7. Nakagusuku Castle

We spent the day scouting out a good location for the upcoming Kai-Umi Photography Tour and ended the day at Nakagusuku Castle. This easy to reach castle is within a couple miles from White Beach. The weather started out cloudy but cleared up for the sunset. This place is fairly small but makes up for it on a climb to the top. My favorite part about the castle is the hill that it sits on. Something about a castle that is on top of a hill. I like it! Anyway, here are a few of my photographs taken this past weekend. 

Sometimes you got to get a little creative

If possible, try to get an S curve in your photographs

Stairways are cool

Castle on the hill

6. Kurashiki Dam, Okinawa Japan

The sun was out today! Living at the Sunabe Seawall area is a blessing because the water is amazing when the sky is blue. Once the sun came out, we had to get out of the house and take pictures. Without hesitation, I thought Kurashiki Dam would be a good place to photograph. I never seen any pictures but the fact that it is a dam kind of intrigued me. The place is pretty cool but be warned that it is smelly. The dump is about one mile away and it was very obvious. Here are a few of my favorites from today's photography tour.

Leading the viewer up the photograph.

That big mountain on the right is a pile of trash at the dump.

Try to get something interesting in your foreground (purple flower).

No fishing!

Despite the foul odor of trash, this place was a neat location for photography. I would recommend this place for a quick photo trip outside the Kadena area. Approximately 2 miles out gate 3.

Chris G. Rose
www.kaiumi.com

5. Sunabe Seawall, Okinawa Photography

If you mention Okinawa to anyone, they will usually talk about surfing, diving, and watching the sunsets at the world famous Sunabe Seawall. Some of the cafe's and restaurants offer great vantage points for photographers. The "all you can eat curry place", the "Transit Cafe" or the "Hokulea Restaurant at the Beach Hotel" are a few that have amazing views to watch and capture the sunset. The Sunabe Seawall is a beach oriented community that offers plenty of photo opportunities! Here are a few of my favorites.

That says, "Okinawa"

Surfers Paradise!

Southern end of Sunabe Seawall

New Seawall

On a clear day you can see the Kerama islands

Shortly after this photo was taken I seen his Dad paddle in on a surfboard. I told the Dad I took a picture of his son and I would send him the photo if he provided an e-mail address. Just a small way to spread your business and kindness.

Chris G. Rose
www.kaiumi.com

4. Toguchi Beach Park, Yomitan

Rain or shine we go! Yes, it rained all evening and the sunset was non-existent but that did not stop us. Photography in the rain is difficult but with a good umbrella and a soft lens cloth it can be comparable to a clear day. One good thing about bad weather is that it usually produces cool clouds. This was a fun photo tour for Okinawa photographers! We even stopped at the red bridge on the way home. Thank you for coming out and I got some good ideas for the next tour! Keep checking our blog calendar and/or the Kai-Umi Photography Facebook page for updates.

This was our sunset

Nice moss from an ultra low tide

Played around with some lighting tricks

This is the trail from a cell phone - 20 second exposure (I have no idea who this guy is)

Red Bridge in route to Yomitan

Long exposure can create cool streaks from passing cars

We will go back here for sure!

If you have any questions about the photographs please post a comment below or come out to our next Okinawa Photography Tour!

Chris G. Rose
www.kaiumi.com

3. Zakimi Castle, Yomitan Village

What a great opportunity to photograph one of Okinawa's most famous castles and I thank everyone for being there. It was an awesome place to take pictures as we were able to walk on top of these walls and get great shots. Thanks Zakimi caretakers! Of course I used my trusty wide angle lens and a steady tripod. I snapped three bracketed shots and used HDR/Photoshop editing to get the right effects. Post a comment if you have any questions...

Leading the viewer up the stairs

Nice S curve with contrast

Overview of Zakimi with a small path leading into the woods

Thanks for a great afternoon and I look forward to our next Okinawa Photography Tour!

Chris G. Rose
www.kaiumi.com

2. Ginowan Boat Harbor

Hello Photographers!

Monday afternoon we met at Ginowan Boat Harbor. This park is on the 58 bypass, just south of the convention center. For some reason I felt that the little lighthouse needed to be in all my shots. It was a bright day so I put the circular polarizer on, which made the blue water stand-out. All of these photographs were bracketed and edited into HDR.

I look forward to our next photo tour.

Aloha!

こんにちはカメラマン ! 23 日午後、宜野湾市ボート港で会った。 この公園は 58 バイパス、コンベンションセンターのすぐ南にあります。 何かの理由で私は、ほとんどすべての私の打撃に灯台が必要と感じています。 それは、私は明るい日の円偏光板、青い水の立場からしたことにした。 これらの写真のすべての括弧で囲まれ、 hdr. に編集していました 私は私達の次のフォトツアーを楽しみにしています。 アロハ !!

私は訳が悪いですが残念。

Removed all colors except blue.

1. Okinawa Photography Tours 沖縄撮影ツアー

Hello and Konichiwa,

Welcome to my blog! This is the first of many blogs that will take place over the next year. I plan on using this to inform the Okinawa community on upcoming photography events happening around this awesome island. These type of events include photography tours, camera classes, printing deals, photo ops, etc...

American Village

I will also blog about the photographs I capture while traveling this amazing island. As I post these photos I will try and give a description of what was going on in my head prior to the shot. Okinawa is very beautiful and offers plenty of photo opportunities if you can get a little creative.

The photograph displayed here was taken just outside the main entrance to American Village. The timing was critical for this shot. Tide needed to be high, morning sunlight, little clouds, no wind, and a steady tripod. I used my wide angle lens, three bracketed photos, and HDR software to get the effect I was looking for. 

I look forward to meeting you and please tell your friends!

Aloha~

Chris G. Rose
www.kaiumi.com