seawildearth is a professional wildlife and landscape media service based in Okinawa, Japan, owned and run by an Emmy Award winning wildlife cameraman.
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Okinawa Wildlife Photo Workshop

Okinawa Wildlife Photography Workshop

Why not attend a fully in-depth wildlife photography workshop that includes a guided tour to seek out some of the iconic wildlife that calls Okinawa home?

How would you like to hone your wildlife photography skills while residing on the naturally diverse and beautiful island of Okinawa? Ever had hankerings to venture in search of the endemic wildlife found nowhere else on Earth? Well now's your chance with my Okinawa Wildlife Photography Workshop. I will be teaching an array of skills relative to macro photography given that the majority of the species on Okinawa tend to be relatively small. These are not the plains of Africa with Cheetah chasing down Gazelles or Elephants busting down trees to get to the upper leaves. No, these are more like the at times steamy Jungles of the northern Okinawa with snakes, frogs and geckos aplenty. It's all just a matter of knowing where to look.

For those looking to attend the bare minimum of equipment required is as follows:

  • A camera system that allows full manual control over ISO, Shutter and Aperture.
  • A dedicated on or off camera flash system and a basic understanding of its operation.
  • A dedicated macro lens, or one with macro ability, with a focal length of 60mm or greater.
  • Lightweight travel tripod.
  • Headlamp.
  • Strong footwear to stand up to river trekking, deep mud and potential wildlife contact.

This workshop starts out with a planned 6hrs of practical teaching. As the subject matter is relative to the wildlife found in Okinawa that suggests more of an erring towards Macro Photography skills training. Given the optimum shooting time for most encounters is nocturnal I will also be teaching lighting and flash photography techniques for better results. One big aspect of macro photography is light diffusion so again I will be covering aspects of light diffusion to get good results with evenly lit subjects.

During this initial 6hrs of workshop teachings we will be covering also the art of focus stacking. This is a technique employed by the majority of macro photographers to counter the issue of limited depth of field due to reduced working distances to the subject matter. It's a skillset that will be handy to have if product or still life photography is also appealing to the attendee. I will also be going over the post production workflow for focus stacking specific to editing with Adobe Photoshop.

The main attraction of the workshop is the nocturnal foray into the jungles of northern Okinawa to seek out wildlife and photographic subjects. Attendees should expect to be away for a total of eight hours for this segment of the workshop. I will be taking you to an area in the very north of the island where 99% of all the images seen in the above slideshow were accomplished. This trek will not be a laborious forced march. The area of photography is relatively small and in many cases it's a matter of slowly investigating the immediate vicinity for wildlife. Terrain types encountered will range from Tarmac roads, roadside verges, shallow but rocky streams and muddy creeks.

Planned Daily Timetable - Transport Provided

0930hrs - Meet Up / Workshop Commences
1330hrs - Break for Lunch
1400hrs - Workshop Continues
1600hrs - Teaching Phase Complete
2000hrs - Transport Departs for Jungle Photography Phase
0400hrs - Return to initial meeting point. End of Workshop

Attendees

Attendees should have a minimum understanding of photography. This is not a photography bootcamp, more a workshop to expand on the basic knowledge attendees already have. Please check the minimum equipment requirements and ensure that you are eligible in that concern.

Minimum # of Attendees: 1
Maximum # of Attendees: 5

Cost per person: US$225.00

Next Available Workshop: Saturday 29th May 2021

If interested in attending this workshop but not sure about some of the pointers here please feel free to Contact Me at your discretion.

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Photographic Tuition

The initial phase of this workshop is the practical teaching of Wildlife Photography as it relates to the target species of Okinawa. This focuses more towards herpetological subject matter such as Snakes, Frogs, Geckos, Newts and additional fare such as Land Turtles, Rodents and some Insects.

Taking and Editing the Shot

With small classes of maximum of 4 attendees the teaching will be focused and specific to the hardware in attendance. Subject matter covered here will be camera settings, lighting, approaching the target, taking the shot and editing the final image.

Focus Stacking

Focus stacking is a technique most macro photographers use to greatly enhance their imaging results. The technique will be taught during the initial photography tuition and put into practice during the practical phase on location in the jungles of the Yambaru National Park.

Into the Wild

Everything learned will be taken into a specific location within the Yambaru National Park at night for a 4hr photographic trek. All of the imagery seen in the above slideshow was taken in the region you will be visiting for this practical phase of the workshop.

Ishikawa's Frog, above, is considered to be 'Japan's Most Beautiful Frog' and documented as such in numerous media accounts. Rare and endangered it has been designated as a living national treasure in Okinawa. If you're lucky, extremely lucky, this will be the icing on the photographic cake!

Disclaimer:
During the course of this workshop you will be escorted into the wilds of Okinawa. There are species out there that can inflict injury and even death in extreme situations. All attendees should be aware of the inherent risks associated with wildlife photography in this regard and be prepared accordingly with protective footwear. All attendees are also required to ensure they furnish me with next of kin details in the unlikely event I would need to liaise with them for logistical matters.
seawildearth, its operatives, directors and guides are not to be held in any way accountable, in part or in full, for any negative interaction or outcome experienced by anyone attending this workshop and associated activities.