The tour was Awesome! It was on Saturday, June 30th and started at 0900 ending around 1300. We walked the entire length of Peace Memorial Park and took hundreds of photos. We emphasized the benefits of Manual mode compared to Auto mode. This helped out “big-time” for the beginners because they were able to capture crisp, max depth photos! There is a sweet spot for your Aperture settings (F-stop) in each lens-camera. Usually cameras have the sharpest photos with an F-stop of F8-F11 and everyone found this to be true. We also took some shallow depth of field (background blurry) shots using the Japanese/American names for a more dramatic appearance. The best settings for a good shallow depth of field is an F-stop anywhere below F-6. We finally made our way down the cliffs to discover a hidden gem of Okinawa. This was recommended by a good friend who said it was one of her favorite spots to explore. She was correct! Although it was very hot in the sun, we were extremely excited about trekking down hundreds of stairs to sea level. Luckily the stairs were shaded with beautiful plants and huge rocks. There is plenty to see and photograph at Peace Memorial Park. Just be mindful that this place is a memorial and should be photographed with respect. Everyone had a great time and we learned a lot! Hope to see you at our next Okinawa Photography Tour and post a comment below if there are any questions or you just love Okinawa!
Thanks,
Chris
Here is a Google map for reference.
Chris,
Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun of doing my two favorite things: taking pictures and talking to a girlfriend.
I’ve learned so much too: using a tripod for better picture quality, how to use a polarizing filter, bracketing setting for HDR, the clearest aperture setting, to pay attention to lines, people, roads for better composition and a story-telling picture, what will give dimension to a picture (like people on the shore) and many other important details.
My favorite part about the tour, besides learning and practicing taking photos, was the park. And I definitely would like to join your group on the next tour.
Thank you,
svetlana
Cool, I hope to be able to make this one. I want to use my new found knowledge that you taught me during our one on one class a few weeks ago. Fingers crossed I can make it and the weather is beautiful.