Michael Anthony
My name is Michael Anthony, and I am a photographer based out of Okinawa, Japan. I primarily photograph fashion, beauty and portraiture. I am a prior active duty U.S. Marine, which is why I originally came to Okinawa, however, my love for photography and the unique landscape of Okinawa kept me here after I exited the military.
Like most photographers, I am self-taught, but unlike most I’ve met personally, I am obsessed with lighting and finding the perfect modifier that fits my style, while being versatile and durable enough for location shoots here on the windy beaches of this island. Fortunately, years ago, I stumble upon the Mola Setti simply through a You Tube video. Of course what caught my eye was the unusual shape of the modifier, but even more intriguing was the light quality that was coming from it! From that point on, I was sold! The Mola Setti was my weapon of choice for many, if not almost all of my photo sessions. Wanting to change things up a bit, last year I decided to go for the Mola Demi ( both Silver and White). Initially, I chose the Mola Silver, for it’s the portability, punchy contrast, accented highlights and falloff that works great for edgy fashion, sports, such as bodybuilding or adding a little extra power when needed on location during high noon. To expand the variation in my tool box, I later purchased the Mola Demi with the white interior for a look that is more subtle and even for modern fashion and beauty that is popular here.
My most recent unique and extremely impressive soft light is the Mola Mantti. I really love my other soft lights, but for something like bridal work and location portraiture I really wanted something a bit like a soft light. A beauty dish with super soft and even light across the entire length of the body that I could use on location without it easily flying away, as I often shoot without an assistant. The light coming from it is simply amazing, which I can best describe it as pearlescent – soft 3D like highlights with soft contouring shadows – when it’s used with the opal diffuser and socked relatively close to the subject. Surprisingly, despite the enormous size, the Mantti is easy for me to carry and extremely sturdy even in moderate wind on a heavy stand! I couldn’t be happier with the results!
