Yokosuka, Japan || BillChizekPhotography.net || EL PASO, TEXAS
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Today I drove north to Kamakura to shoot the Ōfuna Kannon, an 82 foot tall statue of Bodhisattva Kannon that weighs in at 1,900 tons. While the statue is definitely impressive and worth seeing…
I can’t think of a five or six month period since 2012 where I’ve taken out my camera so little, but that’s not to say I haven’t been engaged with photography in some way. Since I didn’t really get out and shoot, I concentrated on the future by researching potential gear changes.
While serving 30 years in the US Navy I learned something very important; being a good or bad person had nothing to do with skin color, religion, gender, sexual preference, birthright, or financial background. That’s a lot, but it’s true.
A few months ago I submitted a couple of photos to a Guru Shots photo contest and ended up placing in the top 102 photo in their Striking Shots Competition. This photo is now on the Digital Camera World website, #43 of 102.
Peak Design is having a 20-40% sale on everything (except tripods) from March 31 – April 6. If you’re looking for a bag, for photography or anything else, check out PD’s Sling, Tote, TotePack, Backpack, or new Backpack Zip while they’re ON SALE!
On days when I can see Mt. Fuji, I drive to the other coast; however, when it isn’t visible it’s time to go with the backup plan and today that plan was to shoot at Verny Park right here in Yokosuka.
This photo is all about getting lucky. We had moved to Fort Belvoir, VA in August 2017 and, like I normally do when we move to a new area as a military family, I explore close to home first before venturing out. Why? Because there are many times sites near, that are easy to miss when you head out looking at all the popular places first. It’s a lesson learned after living in Italy…
Shoutout to Mrs. Reynoso’s fourth grade class at John Drugan School in El Paso, TX.
Shoutout to Mrs. Madrid’s third grade class at Ituarte Elementary School in El Paso, TX.
Shouting out to Mrs. Madrid’s Third graders at Ituarte Elementary School in El Paso, Texas from the Tokyo SkyTree!
Shouting out to Mrs. Reynoso’s Fourth graders at John Drugan School in El Paso, Texas from the Tokyo SkyTree!
This is a shoutout from my daughters to their aunt who teaches at Sgt. Roberto Ituarte Elementary School in El Paso, TX!
This is a shoutout from my daughters to their aunt who teaches at John Drugan School in El Paso, TX!
Here’s my first attempt at a video, it combines still and time-lapse images. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it!
Here’s a shoutout to Mrs. Reynoso’s fourth grade class at John Drugan School in El Paso, TX.
Here’s a shoutout to Mrs. Madrid’s third grade class at Ituarte Elementary School in El Paso, TX.
It started on a rainy day, literally coming down sideways, a great day to get some shots here in Yokosuka, Japan or so it seemed… I had recently purchased a great waterproof hat, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, and waterproof shoes, almost all of it on sale and in anticipation for a day just like this. was prepared, again… so it seemed. Within an hour of my rain day outing, water was running down the inside of my glasses and down my neck from the inside the hat, my body was soaked to the core and my feet were wet and freezing. All my clothing had failed and even my weather sealed Canon 6D Mkii’s buttons suddenly stopped working.
In January of 2016 I took a dip in the stock photography pond at the suggestion of a friend who thought I could do well. I honestly didn’t know much about stock before she mentioned it and now, almost three years later, business is booming. So much so that I can hardly keep track of where my photos are used!
I recently found out that two of my photos were selected to be shown digitally, this time they are both from special places for me. Both of these photos are at historic locations.
I found out today that two of my photos are to be shown digitally, it’s always cool when this happens! Both of these exbitions were possible through Gurushots.com.
From time to time I enter various photo contests in hopes of being published, making the cut for expositions, or to simply get exposure. Recently, five of my photos were selected for digital displays at various locations.
Two photos selected to show in digital expositions at the Laurent Gallery – Melbourne, Australia on September 20th!
Today I’m shooting the USS Ronald Reagan departing Yokosuka, Japan.
Well, today was spent mostly on buses with a tour, other than my wife not being able to go because of work, it was pretty awesome. First up was the … Continue Reading Waterfalls today
While I was living on Fort Belvoir, some folks about two hours down the road in Colonial Beach, Virginia reached out to me on Instagram asking if I’d come to Colonial Beach and take some shots of their town.
This photo, Wet Walk, was selected for digital exposition in the Street Photography Exhibit at the Photosynthesis Art Center in Sofia, Bulgaria on August 1, 2019. It was taken back in December of 2013 on a trip to Florence, Italy when we lived in Naples.
I entered photos in a series Gurushots competitions called “Your Best Shot” in the spring and summer of 2019. The result was “Your Best Photo – The Second Challenge” and this photo was selected by Dodho Magazine for their Top 100 of 300,000 photos submitted.
Wisky was the nickname of the USS Wisconsin (BB-64), a WWII era battleship that, like her three mighty sister ships, America couldn’t seem to do without. She was originally commissioned in 1944 near the end of the Second World War but would be recommissioned two more times and decommissioned a total of three times!
More stock that recently sold
Selling stock photos has been very good lately!
This week we had a family trip to our local Tōkyō Dizunīrando and as someone who has been to Disneyland or Disneyworld no less than a half-dozen times or so, I’d honestly love to go somewhere else sometimes. The first couple of visits were cool, but the ever-increasing ticket prices, paying top dollar for cafeteria food, and long lines, seemed to wear me down.
When I started shooting stock photography a few years ago, I would set out with a goal to shoot one subject only and had blinders on the to rest of what was around me. My whole approach is different now, keeping in mind that these flag photos may be the real money makers.
Shoutout from the Shimoda Black Ship Festival
Shoutout from the Shimoda Black Ship Festival
What I didn’t realize was how tall of an order it really was to shoot a subject so famous, and so well documented, like Mount Rushmore in a new way. I came up with this bright idea to shoot it at night, which in theory seemed easy but the execution would prove problematic.
I was trying to capture this semi-historic house, or part of it, in a different way that could also show it’s place relative to the Hotel Del Coronado which by the way is the real gem. I’m not sure what the connection of this house to the Hotel Del Coronado could possibly be beyond…
Back in 2012, I began looking for another way to connect my camera to camera straps, wrist straps, and tripods. The problem was this, if there was a strap to keep the camera safe from accidental dropping, it almost always interfered with the tripod plate. That’s when I discovered peak design gear, it to appeared to solve all this. If it worked as advertised, it would mean no more fumbling around with equipment and no more straps that didn’t work with other products.
Shouting really loud to Mrs. Madrids 3rd grade class from the Taiko Drum Festival in Narita, Japan because it’s really loud here!
Here’s a shoutout to Mrs. Reynoso’s 4th graders at John Drugan School in El Paso, Texas! Today we were at the Taiko Drum Festival in Narita, Japan.
Returning to Naples became more of a hobby than a military reassignment, somebody thought it would be fun to keep sending me back, and I loved just about every minute it.
Yesterday we travelled to the Chureito Pagoda near Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain.
Yesterday we travelled to the Chureito Pagoda, along the way we stopped to shoot this for Mrs. Madrid’s class.
I drove about 30 down the road to Hayama and the location of this selfie in Inamuragasaki, Japan to shoot photos of Mount Fuji. Today was definitely a great day!
Last year, realizing it was just plain foolish not having a back-up camera, I began researching a second camera. It needed to be smaller, take decent quality photos, and not break the bank. Looking at just about anything smaller in size, all name brands, the search narrowed after a few days. While considering other Canon cameras, there was also Fuji, Sony, Minolta, Lumix, and a host of others to review. Then, one camera began appearing more and more…
My girls were playing at Kannonzaki Park the other day, here’s another shout out to Mrs. Madrid’s 3rd graders at Hurshel Antwine Elementary School in El Paso, TX!
Today I was shooting at the Jōgashima Lighthouse at the southern tip of the Miura Peninsula in Japan!
When the folks at Geekoto approached me about testing a tripod, at first I was flattered. However, later I was actually a little scared because I wondered what I would do if it just wasn’t very good? Then what? Fortunately, that wasn’t the case as this tripod was a pleasant surprise!
I have two daughters and don’t always carry a camera, but just about always carry an iPhone. This is similar to that adage for people who carry a concealed weapon; if you ever need it, that small gun you’re carrying will do you more good than the big gun locked in the safe at home, same thing here.
