Beauty in the water

I'm back, doing what I love best. If you haven't noticed I did take a brief hiatus to concentrate on a few things, some photography related, some not. It has paid off and instilled a fresh perspective, from which I can already see some very significant gains.

While on the note of significant gains, one thing surely didn't go amiss, and that's the weather. Lately it's been absolutely glorious. There's been a chilly breeze sweeping across the mountains right into town, which could catch you off guard and result in some mesmerizing goose flesh. It sort of reminds us, that even though the sun is shining bold and bright, the short yet most needed winter months have indeed arrived. The only thing left to be done now, is make the most of it. While contemplating where my latest journey should take me, I dug into my image collection to reminisce how beautiful the outdoors around me truly is. A stone's throw from the gorgeous northern coastline of Oman, this is a 'wadi' I visit every year. This time is no different. My first stop in my winter travels will surely be here.

My camera gear is ready and I can't wait to set out. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
Whatever it is you do, take a camera along and keep shooting! :)

A portrait with a twist!

Just recently I had a plan mapped out in my head, which basically focused on creating some portraits with a bit of character attached to it. I wanted to marry a few aspects together and see what I could come up with.
I wasn't expecting to find inspiration from a reality TV show, but that's exactly what happened while watching re-runs of 'LA Ink'. Watching Kat Von D do what she does best set my mind in motion, and helped me find the missing link to my unripened plan.

To be able to incorporate my portrait style with the personality of a tattooed subject was the gist of it. Right off the bat it sounded quite simple, but like I said earlier, it needed character. The chase was on to find the right subject. After exhausting local contacts I prowled social media. Just shy of four hundred friends on facebook and all I had to show for in this case was a handful. Luckily, one of them was flying into the country very soon, and after exchanging a few messages we managed to set a date and time for a quick photo shoot.

Working with 'Vim' was fantastic. He has a great presence in front of the camera and his fun yet mature demeanor could not be faulted. It's fair to say that we had a pretty good time going back and forth between poses and lighting setups, and got exactly what we set out to.
I had so much fun during this shoot that I've just started a new project, trying to work more with people and capture all there is to, from a face. This here is one of many, that we shot on the day. To view the rest from this shoot you only have to wait a tad bit longer, as they will be up on my site once it's launched. Drop me a line, let me know what you think.

If you would like a similar portrait or even something vastly different, all you have to do is use the 'contact form' on the blog or drop me a quick personal message on my facebook page right here.

Enjoy!

Let down by colour! - Part 3

Welcome to part 3. If you're one of those eagerly awaiting this newest installment, then hopefully this post lives up to it.
This here is an image which initially caused me a heap of problems. Shooting at this angle was near impossible. I had circled the Elizabeth Tower and the Palace of Westminster trying hard to find a clear line of sight for a promising image. The wide angle lens I borrowed was in its widest setting and yet after everything I tried the result was severely mediocre. Here I was in one of the best cities in the world, shooting a famous landmark. The last thing I needed was to go home having photographed it like everybody else. No, this was not about creating a snap shot image to print as a postcard and mail to grandma. This was about finding elements that help catalyze the natural beauty of the Elizabeth Tower and its surroundings.

After numerous tries it dawned on me, that in order to get the image I wanted I had to work an angle. Usually I love working different angles on my images, but this proved to be harder than I thought. With my tripod and camera set as close to the ground as possible, I now had to figure out a way to get behind the viewfinder and compose the image. Unfortunately this meant having to get on all fours and lie on my belly, all this in the middle of bustling London. Amidst an ever growing number of awkward looks I got on with my work, perspiring profusely from the heat of the summer sun. I've had my fair share of moments while pursuing an image but this really did take the cake.

After what seemed an eternity fussing over composition and balance of light I hit the shutter button, twice. The shots were satisfactory, yet there was a definite void which I felt could be sufficiently filled.
The beautiful afternoon sun shone some amazing light, which kissed the cotton like clouds and made for a visual spectacle. Unfortunately the default colour in the image robbed it of all this. Another little niggle was the silhouette of the foreground which drew too much attention to itself.  Absolutely hell-bent on a unique outcome I found that the solution to these observations was to create a black and white image.
The conversion proved its worth. Pure black and white gave a cleaner image, something more visually engaging. Gone was the ordinary details, now replaced by something worth writing home about.
This was it, the image I'd been chasing. Lying on the asphalt soaking in my own sweat was a distant memory, one which was now overcome by sheer elation.

The nifty fifty and why you need one NOW!

Nearly always my camera goes where I go, with all my photo gear in tow. I pride myself on being able to just grab my stuff and go shoot. This crazy spontaneous attitude of mine has to date resulted in some great moments, helping me create work which I'm particularly fond of. However, in all fairness I must also acknowledge the support I've always had from what is probably my favourite lens, i.e my nifty fifty, a.k.a the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF. It truly is one of the best things that has happened to me as a photographer.

When I first began shooting I focused purely on portraits, so I did what most people do and shopped for a decent portrait lens. I found a select few and after reading till my eyes were sore I decided on what I was after. In the week it took to deliver my nifty fifty I fell more in love with landscape photography and hence portraiture was put on the back burner. Unfortunately so was the lens, which in hindsight was a pretty silly move.
It took me nearly half a year to actually get back to using it, and from the minute I did I was hooked. I couldn't believe what I had been missing out on. That was the decisive moment where it attained a permanent spot in my camera bag. After all, I would have to be really stupid to not carry it with me. It packs a serious punch and is ridiculously small. I'm talking fits-in-the-palm-of-my-hand small.
This little beast is sharp, lets in a plethora of light and weighs almost nothing. Win-win right? Well, there's more. Factor in the amazing 'bokeh' it helps produce and you have yourself one of the most versatile lenses to have ever left the Nikon factory.
I love it. I absolutely do. What I'd do without it I really don't know. Here was a lens that was meant for much more than portraiture. It's a shame it took me so long to figure that out.

If you spend hours reading on the internet like I do, then you're sure to stumble upon a sincere amount of talk on this lens's big brother, the 50mm f/1.4D AF. The question being constantly asked is if it's worth the extra wad of bills.  I've had the opportunity of using both and even though the 1.4 is great for the money its little sibling is not far from it. Not far at all really. The 50mm 1.8D AF is without a doubt one fascinating piece of engineering. I'm staying true to it, at least until the camera geeks at Nikon release something that is considerably better bang for buck.

If you own one then you most definitely concur, but if you don't and you're still on the fence about it, go get one. I'm sure you will have nothing but good things to say about it.
If I haven't convinced you yet then hopefully the images below will. Do let me know what you think.

The Low light shot- Purely candle lit, shot handheld at f/1.8, 1/80s at 

iso 1600.

Sharpness and Bokeh in one - Lit only by natural light, shot at f2.5, 1/100s 

 at iso 400 

Detail in motion - shot at f3.5, 1/640s at iso 400

Facebook or Google+ ?

It's been a long time coming and I'm glad that I've finally made up my mind. This is something I actually lost sleep over. I would mull over it for ages, take it to bed with me and stay up still thinking about it. The decision to move into social media was always an obvious one but I personally wasn't too sure if I could commit the time required to keep it going. The only reason I was able to do this was because of the great family and friends that I'm surrounded by. I was constantly encouraged that this was a step in the right direction, and if anything I should be grasping for it with both hands. Just when I thought it was over I faced another dilemma, but this time only because I got over zealous.
I have seen and read many good things that photographers have learnt by being a part of Google + and I wanted in on the exposure. I spoke to many like minded people and got some pretty great input, which helped me eventually reach a decision. The best way forward was to be part of both social media sites, i.e Facebook and Google +. However, between all the photography, blogging, proof reading and building up my website there is only so much time at hand. Hence for now, I've decided to commit wholeheartedly to a Facebook page and of course this blog.
As always the content will be updated frequently and better yet you will get to have a sneak peek into all my new upcoming projects via my FB page.
If you're on Facebook, which you most likely are, then you can find me here.
Once again, thanks ever so much for simplifying my decision. I hope you like what you see ( no pun intended)

Let down by colour! - Part 2

Welcome to part 2. Now if you cheated and looked at the image before you read this, my guess is that you were left pleasantly surprised. Surely this isn't something I would shoot on an ordinary day. You know what? You're right!
Seldom do I find myself bored out of my mind. But when I do, I hate it. This was shot while waiting for a client inside a hotel lobby. I had to do something to keep myself busy while I waited, so I decided to shoot the lilies sitting on the table in front of me. If you know your flowers, then you're no stranger to that lilies are simply gorgeous. This bunch was no different

My primary idea was to isolate one flower and make it fill the frame as much as possible. However, right from the first shot I knew there was something wrong. As satisfied as I was with the composition I wasn't sensing anything from the image. There really was too much going on with all the colour. Basically, it was too busy an image. Since I didn't have the time to post process in black and white I set the camera to capture minus the colour and shot again. The difference was worlds apart. I personally feel that it dramatizes the image just enough to keep the audience focused. Really nothing more that I could have asked for.
I'd love to hear what you think.

Just do it!

You've seen it countless times, plastered across billboards and double decked buses. In all probability you even own something on which it's boldly scrawled. The good folks at the Oregon based sports wear giant have for as long as we can remember bombarded us with these three words. Three key words, which in my opinion do not necessarily have to be used only in a sports related context.
This here is a statement that rings true for anyone with a camera, who ultimately resorts to calling them self a photographer, which brings me to why I wrote this in the first place.

There is this one thing as a photographer that constantly bothers me, much like an annoying rash. I've noticed that people nowadays spend more time talking about photography than actually taking pictures.
You're probably wondering how this works. Let me explain.
Firstly, if you frequent forums, websites and social media as much I do, then you're most likely to have stumbled upon an elite set of people, who've made it their life's work to tell everybody how they should be doing things. Now at first glance this may not seem so negative but if you hang around a little longer you will begin to notice how every conversation finally narrows down to photographic gear, and what you 'should' use if you want an image to appear a certain way. I beg to disagree. Quite honestly, who cares? At the end of the day you are the one ultimately responsible for creating an image. As far as I'm concerned, whether you used a DSLR or a point and shoot camera shouldn't matter.

Ideally, what we should be doing is spending more time, out there, with the camera. It doesn't matter what you shoot. What matters, is that you shoot at all. We need to be exploring the limitless possibilities that capturing an image holds. We need to stop making excuses and keep doing what we do, more regularly. So what if it is raining? Hold an umbrella and keep shooting. Life doesn't stop, why should you? Go out of your comfort zone and unleash everything you have learned. Keep shooting, day and night. As is the case with many things in life there are no short cuts to success. You and I are both photographers. Taking pictures is what we do.

Just do it!