Adam Backer

Mughal-Sufi Dance

2012-02-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A performance by a French dancer, combining Indian Mughal-Sufi dance with a Rajasthani Indian music takes place at the Cultural Foundation in 2008. It took her 10 years of dedicated effort to master this art form from India. She performed the show after an invitation from the United Arab Emirates Cultural Foundation.

Composition: The low light situation and the inappropriate equipment made my shot making difficult. Back then; I took these shots with a Sigma 28-300 f5.6-6.3. I found it very difficult to get the right shutter speed. But then, in many ways the slow shutter turned to be an advantage for me, motions were well emphasized. It was after this series, I realized motion blurring of subjects had a great strength in delivering aesthetic feel.

Psychology: Back then in 2008, I was relying more on my natural talent, perhaps more than my developed skills, as I was a beginner then. In the beginning the ‘Natural Talent’ can get you started, I would state that as a beginner’s luck. But, in photography if one needs to develop further, they will have to ensure that they develop the right ‘Attitude’.

Now, when I say ‘Attitude’, it means the attitude of hard work. It’s only hard work and determination that can keep you going. As one develops, the aim in photography should be to ‘Be different’. To be different means to develop a style of your own by all means.

Equipment: Canon 400D + Sigma 28-300 f5.6-f6.3

‘Go’ Dafra

2012-02-01T01:46:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Camels are always a symbol of prestige amongst the Arab community. When it comes to the Camel, which are nurtured for the racing, it’s something even more important to them. The Camels are taken to the racing track every day for training at an allotted time, before the commencement of the actual annual racing competition (Al-Dafra) at Madinath-Zayed.

Composition: My aim was to go for a single shot that would describe this situation. However, to arrive at this single shot; I had to try different compositions at different places and time in Al-Dafra, in order to select the one of out of the best. For academic concern and understanding; find below the similar shots with same theme taken, but discarded. Finally, the one I selected for this theme is the one shown above.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mmf 2.8 L IS USM

Swiss Treat

2012-01-31T00:50:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: ‘Nature’ is God’s art; the good moments with nature will never wait for anyone. Capturing nature requires one to be present at the right location, at the right time and with the right equipment. Svetlana is a photographer who loves to capture those perfect moments of nature, when the light is at its best. Being in a part of the world, which is blessed with nature, she has covered the Swiss countryside to the best of her ability. I’ve always admired her shots, and here I’d like to present the ones I thought are her best, and my favorites:

Image Courtesy: Svetlana Peric

Critique: I’ve always liked the way she makes best use of the colours present in nature. And well, of course, it goes without saying that she sees light in the best way possible. In terms of composition, all throughout her work, she’s made best use of ‘Natural Framing’; or in other words she’s made best use of the available foreground objects to enhance the aesthetic appearance.

Svetlana Peric: Hailing from Switzerland, she’s married and a homemaker aged 44, born in Bosnia. She says, “Photography is something which gives me inner pleasure, where I create a private world of my own.” These words of her are great encouragement not for me alone, but for anybody who intend to pursue photography.

She says, “I steal from reality, what doesn’t yet exist in real world,” is an interesting way of seeing landscape. Though born in Bosnia, former Yugoslavia, it was only after settling in Switzerland she discovered her passion for landscape. I highly recommend you to visit her gallery.

Performance Blurring

2012-01-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Children’s perform on stage wholeheartedly during an Indian cultural festival. United Arab Emirates is a country, where the expat population exceeds the number of locals. The harmony and security expats gets in this part of the world can never be compared to any other countries.

Composition: On this occasion, a slow shutter speed was used to emphasize the motion of the kids during their performance. Shutter priority (Tv) mode is employed here.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Death & Passion

2012-01-27T00:17:00.000-08:00

Death, now this is something everyone fears about. It would be a big lie if I say, ‘I don’t fear death.’ Everyone is afraid in one-way or the other to die. Once born this is a reality neither you nor me can avert; it’s inevitable.

What matters is how you die? If you’ve lived your life your way, doing things what you’ve always wanted to do, provided it’s in a good direction. It’s for sure, you are different; you are not among the millions who die without realizing themselves.

When I say, ‘Realizing themselves.’ It means to do things or at least an effort to do things what one really loves doing. We are all busy leading other people’s life; we are being what others want us to be. Eventually, as days pass by we are loosing our identity.

There is no one in this world; within whom talent doesn’t exist. I’ve always believed there is something unique about everybody, it’s just that an effort should be given to discover one’s true potential.

A death without realizing one’s true potential is not worth it.

Silence

2012-01-26T00:47:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A deep meditation with silence is a regular routine for the disciples at the monastery. It is a part of the process to develop discipline in life, which is as per the Buddhist principles.

Golden Temple Monastery, Bylakuppe, India 2011

Composition: Simple active space concept is applied here in this shot, in order to impart the emphasis on the subjects ‘Silence’ that is being observed.

Psychological/Spiritual: In life there are times when silence is the best way to give a reply, how is that possible? Please read this little dramatic plot I have written:

It was getting dark in the evening, the old man said, “Why don’t we go to the beach and get some fresh air?”

The boy remind silent without saying a word.

The man continued, “All right, let’s drop the idea of going to the beach.”

After few seconds, the boy responded, “My silence didn’t mean that I’m not interested.”

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Market Path

2012-01-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A group of bedouin youths guide a camel towards the market area, meant for selling camels during the Al-Dafra camel festival.

Al-Dafra Camel Festival, Madinath-Zayed, UAE 2011

Composition: The main challenge here was to get into a creative position, to quickly cover the scene. In such occasions, the primary aim should be to capture the subject; composition and technicality is only secondary.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Action Kid

2012-01-24T00:18:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I see a bright future in this kid. Perhaps, one day he might grow up to be a celebrity actor. While I was there at this location in the outskirts of Abu Dhabi; I just wanted to make a simple portrait of this kid. But truth be told, I couldn’t stop myself from clicking many. He was so active, giving me different looks and actions each time, I was provoked to click many shots of him.

I thought his father is really proud to have him as his son. Below, father and son poses for me together.

Composition: It was late in the evening, and lights were getting down. So my only aim was to capture the subject as crisp as possible with a reasonable shutter speed, for that I had to employ a wide aperture such as f2.8. This subject demanded a lot of quickness in terms of technicality and creativity.

Psychology: When shooting kids; I always ensure that prior permission is taken from their guardian/parents

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Warming Teens

2012-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Bedouin teens enjoy each other’s company, as they warm themselves around a fire during sunrise. Temperatures in the desert can fall well below 10 degrees during the nighttime, in interior parts of the desert.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 17-40 f4 L USM

Unique Eye

2012-01-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A unique ‘eye’ for seeing art in almost everything around you; perhaps, this is the greatest gift one could ever ask for. Yoel, is one such a person gifted with this unique skill. I have never seen anybody make abstract creations the way he does; indeed a unique versatility that is beyond words. A deep look into his work takes you to a state of bliss.

Yoel Tordjman: Untitled

Yoel Tordjman: Illusion of Knowledge-I

Yoel Tordjman: Illusion of Knowledge-II

Yoel Tordjman: Illusion of Knowledge-III

Yoel Tordjman: Seven Notes

Yoel Tordjman: Shadows

Critics: His greatest strength is the simplicity with which he chooses to present his subjects, and his unique way of presenting them. The majority of his works are done using the 1:1 aspect ratio. And, its because of this particular reason; both horizontal and vertical elements have got the same strength. The colors presented in his works are so harmonious, just like nature. Simple post-production procedures give his works an ultimate touch.

Yoel Tordjman: Born in 1960 in France, he has worked as a typographer and graphic artist till 1986. Presently, he owns his own studio and a graphic art firm. I highly recommend you visit his gallery.

Artist’s Ratio

2012-01-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I am never in favor of cropping pictures, Ihave always believed in achieving frames optically. But then, that’s me. It’snever a written rule that one shouldn’t crop.

If I have an option to crop a picture, I would prefer ‘1:1Ratio’ to the standard ‘3:2 Ratio’. Previously in my article titled ‘1:1 AspectRatio’ I connected it to the portraits. But here, I would like to connect it tothe abstract subjects.

One of the main reason why I have always thought 1:1 ispowerful is because; I have often seen most of the wall paintings by various artistsfollow them. It has come to my observation; the vertical and horizontalelements are equally powered here as well. And when you do so, your shots willhave that extra spark of artistic feel in them.

An inconsistent cropping in your portfolio or collectionsshows your inability in achieving frames optically. So, I strongly suggest youachieve your frames with a consistent ratio, if not optically with the standardformat of your camera.

In this post of mine; I would like to share with you someabstract shots of mine using 1:1 format, which was made during a casual visitto a remote place nearby.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 50mm f1.4

Spirit

2012-01-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: When speaking about motion, it’s most and easily emphasized in videos. But in photographs or photos, the only possible way is to have motion blur in order show motion. I would like introduce you to a friend of mine Vidhya, who is well versed with motion photography. Here, in this article, I would like to present a shot of her from the Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi titled ‘Spirit’.

Vidhya Krish : Spirit, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2012

Critique: The repeating architectural features have turned out to be a blessing for this particular shot. What makes this shot special, is the fact that; ‘minimalism’ is combined with the zoom blur of the lens. The subject has been contrasted well with a brighter backdrop. I feel in this shot; something special which is more than spiritual.

Vidhya: She is a hardworking passionate photographer, who has really developed beyond expectation ever since she started photography last year. By profession she is into Project Management, and works in an Engineering firm.

Terrace Farming

2012-01-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Terrace farming is a common method for farming in the hill station at Kodai, South India. They follow a crop rotation system, where in they cultivate crops likes Carrot and Potatoes in the same field, during the same year.

Composition: The main challenge here was to get to a high viewpoint, to get a feel of the terrace farming.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Mans Best Friend

2012-01-18T00:13:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A farmer and caretaker grazes his sheep during the late evening hours at a remote farm in the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

Psychology: Paulo Coelho's ‘The Alchemist’ is a book, which opened my internal visions in directions I could ever think about in my life. Everything in this world has a soul attached to it, right from a living being to a stone. We just need to realize and understand the language of the souls around us. If done so, we can make a relationship with almost everything we see. It was very interesting to watch this farmer converse with his sheep at the farm; they understood each other so perfectly. This is what prompted me to go for the shot.

Composition: I have intentionally given my focus on the Sheep’s more than the farmer, I wanted to emphasize on the other living beings; to bring out the fact that they too have souls like us.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 50mm f1.4

Pots & Art

2012-01-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Stack of pots ready for art work by artists, lies on the floor at the Irani market in Mina Port,Abu Dhabi.

Composition: A higher viewpoint was chosen here. The entire scene was in the shadow side; however there was this indirect light present on these pots. I spot metered the highlight, to emphasize the sub due light present in the scene. Thus, the light is enhanced here; because the immediate background or the ground surface is dark. The whole process enabled me to get a reasonable low-key shot.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 50mm f1.4

Noel: Attraction

2012-01-15T00:22:00.000-08:00

As the day begins, Noel gets ready to go to school. As usual and always; his mom says, “Noel, don’t bring back your lunch box as it is, have it completely or else I won’t let you play with your friends this evening.” Noel replies, “Okay Mama, see you in the evening,” as he waves his hand.

Walking down the footpath along the roads, from his home he suddenly thought, “I wish, I had a cycle like all my other friends.”

All throughout the day, the only thought little Noel had was about himself riding the ‘Red Cycle’. It was the last hour at school that day and the teacher asked the children's, “What is it, that you all would like to become when you grow up?” It was Noels turn and he replied, “I would like to be myself, travelling around the world on my cycle to become the first person to ever do so.” The teacher stood wonder struck as she expected answers like doctor, engineer and lawyer.

On reaching home, Noel expressed his desire for a cycle and his mom said, “Sure, I will get you a cycle, but keep up the grades at school.”

Years passed, today Noel is a professional graduate in Arts and is working with a big firm. The passion for travelling with a cycle still lies deep within him. Having worked hard for the last five years, he saved quite a good amount of money to travel around the world on his cycle. He announced his departure to his entire dear and near. His parents and the priest of the town blessed him, before the start of his world tour.

Lesson to learn in this short story: Never underestimate yourself, your vision or your dream, no matter how small it is. Hold on to it stronger than ever, you will have it as a reality one day for sure. That’s called the ‘Law of Attraction’.

As a fifth grade student, I always dreamt of taking those artistic nature shots; exactly the way as it’s seen in calendars. Now, when I look back, I feel have achieved what I wanted to do; even though this achievement is nothing great or big as far as photography is concerned. Eventually for me, it’s the deep satisfaction I get at my heart; that’s special to me though I had to wait all these years.

Past, Future or Present

2012-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Spirituality is something that keeps megoing in life as it unfolds. I’ve always tried to connect spirituality tophotography the best possible way I can. What I have learned and understood;it’s always the present that we have to have our attention the most. The reasonis quite simple; past is always gone and is a part of history, and the futureis something totally not in our hands. So, what do we hold in our hands then?It’s the ‘Present’ for sure.

Give yourself completely to what you are doing presently. Now,how is it that you can apply it in photography? The moment you look through theviewfinder, think about your subject and subject only, the moment you press theshutter; your subject becomes a history that you have captured. So ensure, before you make your subject a ‘history’, if Composition, Creativity and Technicality are well delivered.

I am sure you might have seen and observed cats, they set avery good example for all of us. They are so cautious about any action/movementyou make at a particular instant, they just believe in the ‘Present’. So, whynot us?

Speaking without Words

2012-01-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A casual meeting with my friend Rana, resulted in a review session involving some of his works; he did recently. Here, I take the liberty to present a series of his, which I thought is beyond words.

Little Kid, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2011 ; Courtesy: Ranadive 2011

Mother and her little Kid, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2011 ; Courtesy: Ranadive 2011

Critique: First and foremost, the best part I like about these photos is that; it speaks for itself. The child waiting eagerly for his mom, and ultimately the tender moments he is enjoying with her.

The photographer here has delivered these shots; which I would describe as ‘Magnum’ style. The inspiration this set of photos impart within us; is to capture the subject in such a way it describes for itself.

Apart from the inspiration factor described in the preceding paragraph, these pictures also reminds us about the fact that; ‘Composition’ and ‘Subject’ rules more than technicality. These shots aren’t the best when considered from a technical viewpoint. But the simplicity of the subject, yet being powerful to impart an impression on the viewer, sets this series apart.

Rana is a management professional working as an Operation Manager, in a financial organization in Abu Dhabi.

Kneeling Senior

2012-01-12T01:56:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A senior Buddhist pays homage to Lord Buddha as he kneels and lay over the floor, at a private praying place. Refugees from Tibet have settled in different parts of India, ever since they have been ousted from their homeland.

Bylakuppe, India 2011

Composition: It was a quick shot and unfortunately it required me do a little bit cropping.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 L IS USM

In the Drizzle

2012-01-11T04:41:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: At a home meant for the aged seniorTibetans, a member crosses from one part of the building to the other, as itdrizzles.

Composition: A scene of this type demands a quick thinking,followed by a quick action. When going for shots of this sort; don’t botheryourself with hindrances, such as the tree trunk in the foreground in thisimage. The objective should be always to capture the moment on to your sensor.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Keeping Guard

2012-01-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: At the Golden Temple Monastery; during thetime of prayers, one of the disciple monk guards the entry. He isimmersed in reciting holy verses, as he performs his allotted duty of the day.

Composition: I just aligned myself to a position, where Icould get the scene as flat as possible at a higher focal length, keeping thehorizontals and vertical elements intact. Also, I natural framed the scene withan element in the foreground.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Reciting Monk

2012-01-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A senior monk recites holy verses, through out the day at the Golden Temple Monastery in Bylakuppe (India).

Composition: Metering the scene was difficult, and I decided to sacrifice the highlight details during the shot making. And, it’s for this reason the highlight details are lost in those region outside the window. In such situations, the prime aim should be to capture the subject at any cost.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

The Protest

2012-01-08T05:07:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Tibetan refugees settled in Bylakuppe(India) protest against the killing of their people in Kirti Monastery, by the Chinese government. During the rally, one of the protestor’s said “We wouldlike to go back home to Tibet one day and we will do that for sure.”

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 17-40mm f4 L USM

Towards Salvation

2012-01-07T03:42:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The early morning prayer at the BylakuppeGolden Temple monastery is something really worth witnessing, irrespective ofthe fact; whether you’re a traveller or a photographer. The young Tibetandisciples walk towards the Temple, as they assemble themselves in a large hallfor their daily ritual. The daily ritualinvolves the recitation of prayers and meditation.

Just before the start of the prayers, I happen to observesomething happen; which involves the lighting of the candles. These are meantto be used for the prayers and also as an offering to Lord Buddha.

The senior monks are there to guide the upcoming generationin spiritual matters, refer above picture. Later on, in the day, the disciples also attendcollege/school classes to study things of worldly interest.

As you go along in this article further, please find below some more scenes which I witnessed there at the Monastery. I hope, they are self explanatory.

At the end of the day; after a maintaining a strictdiscipline, the monks ease out a bit with a stroll in the campus.

Composition: The whole series was intended to be covered as a documentary, so I ensured in every shots of mine that subject and thecomposition stood out. Eventually, it’s all about making your photos speak for themselves.Well, this wouldn’t be possible had I not interacted with the people there atthe location prior to the shoot.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM +Canon 17-40mm f4 L USM

Awaited Minute

2012-01-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I was never an academically good student during my entire school and college days, roughly managed to be an average one though. You wouldn’t believe, I had this phobia about the result-announcing day, as it neared. But, I also never deny the fact that; I haven’t flunked in exams. It’s natural, isn’t it?

When I look back to my school days, I still remember the day I was detained in 9^th grade when results were announced. At that time, I felt terribly lost and sad for wasting a year, because I was too much into sports and cultural activities. Above all, I wasted the money of my parents too. But then, it was a turning point in my life. Since then, I always managed to go at an average level academically until my university graduation, without sacrificing much on my extra curricular activities.

Looking back at that time, I have learned a lot from the failure I had at that point of my life. Apart from improving myself academically, the biggest lesson I learned; is to cope up with the failure. Since then, I did have a lot of downs in other spheres of my personal life. And now, if I say that, I took it strongly; that would be a big lie. But my first experience taught me that; there will always be a way you can come out of the setback you had, in any area of your life. This is a belief I have always held on within myself till this day, till this moment.

In my last article titled ‘Home of the Seniors’, I mentioned about the scenes at the old age home and how they reminded me of death. Similarly, seeing the high school students at Bylakuppe (India), anxiously crowding to know their announced results, reminded me of the facts I confessed in the beginning. The reason why I am saying all this is because, these were the things that went through my head as I was photographing.

I realized, there must be something special; the moment I saw this monk student running over the steps of the monastery, towards the university. I followed him, and the scene I saw later on;

In the above picture, I don’t know if the student here had a result in his favor or not. But, I wish that it turned out to be for good in his future.

I went to Bylakuppe to document the life of Tibetan settled people there, after they were ousted from Tibet. But, the shots you saw above in this documentary were never in my shot list. It just happened.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 17-40mm L USM + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Breaking the Silence

2012-01-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Buddhist monasteries are very particular about the discipline implemented/practiced within their premises. Their disciples have to undergo a strict regular routine involving religious rituals. One of their daily activities involves meditation along with prayers.

As I mentioned before, nothing is different at the Tibetan Monastery in Bylakuppe (India). A Buddhist monk here has been distracted in the middle of his meditation, as his fellow monks continue.

Composition: The main idea of the shot was to bring attention of the viewer on to the subject that is going against the odd. It means to capture the moment where he breaks from his meditation trance. This was made possible because a shallow depth of field was chosen here. I am sure you might observe the fact that, active space is maintained.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Tibetan Disciple

2012-01-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A Tibetan disciple of the Buddhist Golden Temple monastery in Bylakuppe, lights the candles before the commencement of the daily ritual prayers.

Composition: The area was quite confined; I struggled a little with my 70-200 f2.8 lens to get the shot right. The subject was just hardly away, from the minimum focusing distance of my lens. I decided to keep the shot simple, by following an active space composition.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Praying 'Seniors'

2012-01-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: At the home of the senior Tibetans, as I’ve mentioned in my previous article titled ‘The Home of the Seniors’ about their prayers. They recite, ‘Om manay pemay om.’ Which is all about asking for forgiveness, for all the sins in their life.

They hold this traditional prayer counter gadget in their hand, as they rotate it. This prayer when recited 108 times is considered one count. They do so, as they rotate it. Also inside this gadget, it is written with the same prayer 108 times in a paper.

Composition: In the first shot, I’ve applied the simple ‘Active Space’ composition. While in the second shot, I emphasized on blurring the rotating action of the gadget in their hand, by employing a slower shutter speed.

I had a tough time, trying to figure out, if I wanted to go for colour tone or a duo tone. However, I thought a colour one is a better bet. Here are the duo tones, which were dropped out from the presentation.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Reading Verses

2012-01-02T01:48:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I found this senior Tibetan, totally immersed in reading verses from the holy epic of the Buddhist. They have mainly three epics, which are namely called Pecha, Kanchoor and Bhoom.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Home of the 'Seniors'

2012-01-01T03:17:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: From the day we are born into this world, we are moving towards a reality called death, aren’t we? In other words, we are ageing. Now this is a fact, none of us can hide from each other. Even now, by the time you have finished reading this paragraph, you have aged by a few seconds, an irreversible fact.

I have heard former CEO of Apple Steve Jobs saying, “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is a destination we all share.”

We need to respect and take care of elders, perhaps who are even elder than our parents with utmost respect. I don’t know why, visiting this old age home in Bylakuppe, reminded me of the naked truth called death.

The members of this old age home, I would like to state them as ‘Seniors’ here, rather than using the word ‘Old’. I found them very peaceful, and they seem to be in some form of prayer always. I asked one of the seniors there, ‘What is that prayer that you are always chanting?’ And one of them replied to me, ‘It’s the prayers, asking for forgiveness for our sins in life.’ It occurred to me that, they really intend to pass away from this world absolutely peaceful. It’s time for us to think a little ahead, a day would also come for us this way.

I have no hesitation in accepting one reality in my life that, photography is leading me towards a deeper spiritual thinking, as far as life is concerned.

Below, I would like to post some more of my shots taken here at the home of the ‘Seniors’. This best part I liked about them is that; they give each other company, so that they keep themselves going. Apart from this, they also spend their time reading books they love to read.

The senior lady in the above picture is more than 100 years old. She is still healthy, isn't she?

The lady here you see in the pink dress, is the care taker for all the seniors. She has dedicated her life, for this service. She is absolutely happy about what she is doing.

One of the senior poses for me in his room. Let's take this opportunity to remind us of the reality called 'Death'. Respect for the elders/seniors is one thing we need think about now seriously, if we haven't. We are never going to stay young always.

Hoping that you will take this as a positive new year message, and I would like to also thank you for being a part of my blog, as always.

My view of Death: Death, now this is something everyone fears about. It would be a big lie if I say, ‘I don’t fear death.’ Everyone is afraid in one-way or the other to die. Once born this is a reality neither you nor me can avert; it’s inevitable.

There is no one in this world; within whom talent doesn’t exist. I’ve always believed there something unique about everybody, it’s just that an effort should be given to discover one’s true potential.

A death without realizing one’s true potential is not worth it.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM + Canon 17-40 f4 L USM

Camel Bath

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: In my previous post titled ‘Million Street’, I mentioned about the prestige, the locals in UAE have when they acquire a Camel. The herdsmen take care of these Camels, so that they can be sold for an enormous amount. But before they do so, they also must make sure the Camel is presentable, and for this they clean them up. After the Camels are made presentable, they are taken to a place where they are show cased before the rich, at the market place.

The herdsmen freshen up their camel before a market deal at Al- Dafra, Madinath-Zayed, UAE 2011

Camel Market, Madinath-Zayed, UAE 2011

It’s at this place above that they sell/buy Camels, at Madinath-Zayed. You wouldn’t believe me; there is this beauty contest for the Camels held here every year.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM + Canon 17-40 f4 L USM

At Baniyas

2011-12-29T05:13:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I’ve always enjoyed getting to know people who works in the farms, during my travel. Many a times I have documented them. In this post, I would like to present one portrait of a shepherd in the outskirts of Abu Dhabi at Baniyas. I have always observed that, they love being photographed and they also consider that as a big honor.

I found him friendly and very co-operative. I admire his patience to pose for me, for I have taken a lot of shots to arrive at the one presented here.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Starting A Day

2011-12-28T12:51:00.001-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: As the sun rises over the dunes at Madinath-Zayed, day starts for the locals here. The herdsmen and the Camel caretakers, join together to have their little breakfast before getting to work. Their agenda apart from breakfast includes; discussion of the concerned day activities. It sounded to me that; they are all very much a family.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Getting Ready

2011-12-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The caretakers in a camel farm at Madinath-Zayed (Abu Dhabi) prepare themselves to take out their camel for grazing. Most of the caretakers are expats from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. UAE is one country where, number of expats exceeds the number of the locals.

Composition: The two main concerns I had while going for this shot was; firstly,get to a low viewpoint and secondly to capture it with a slight motion blur of the camels movement.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Camel-lism

2011-12-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: In my previous article titled ‘Abandoned Fence’, I mentioned about making best use of ‘Minimalism’ with an abandoned still life subject. Here, I would like to demonstrate the same with a living subject, such as a Camel.

During the early morning hours in the desert, I found these herdsmen taking their camel. I thought, capturing them with a minimalist feel would be a good bet. I did so, because I can show my viewer the emptiness of a desert, without sacrificing their attention from the Camel.

Composition: I made sure that, I covered the same scene from different places with the same feel. The reason; I get a lot of options before I can pick my best shot for presentation. Below, I would like to present a shot which was covered with a similar feel.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Abandoned Fence

2011-12-22T01:37:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Abandoned and deserted remains of a fence stand still in the middle of the desert. It’s human nature to forget things one doesn’t interact much. It stands true for material, but shouldn’t be so for human relationships, isn’t it?

In the first picture, the imaginary 'Leading Line' is the ruling factor, with the vanishing point in the horizon. While in the second picture; it’s 'Minimalism' of the standing out fence in the horizon, against the rising sun.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Million Street

2011-12-21T00:59:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The name of the street says it all, ‘Million’ is the price of the elite Camels that can be found here. I know it’s hard to believe this; but it’s a reality. The liveliest moments in this street are during the Al-Dafra Camel Festival. You can find camels ranging from 70,000-1,000,000 Dhms (20,000-280,000 US$). To acquire a Camel of this sort, is considered as a prestige symbol in the UAE society.

Million Street, Madinath-Zayed, UAE 2011

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Bedouin Kid

2011-12-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Wearing a sweater over his traditional dress, on a cold morning with slight breeze, this Bedouin kid poses for me. So eager was he, to be right in front of the lens, as much as I was eager to photograph him. He belongs to a tribal family, who deals with selling and buying of camels.

Bedouin Kid, Madinath-Zayed, UAE 2011

Composition: This is where I would salute the legend Steve McCurry, if it’s not for him, you wouldn’t be watching this shot. He has always been my inspiration; it’s from his works that this form of shots was inspired.

The main idea is to maintain a focal length well above or equal to 85mm, keeping an eye on the natural light. Shooting as flat as possible is another key to getting things right.

Psychology: It’s important that you interact with your subject with utmost courtesy. I was surprised, when his dad suddenly joined in and asking himself to be clicked with his son. Remember, it doesn’t cost you anything to give a smile as you converse, with your subject(s).

Bedouin father and son , Madinath-Zayed, UAE 2011

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Over the shoulder

2011-12-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I would like to share a little secret about taking a particular portrait shot; in a peculiar way that would make the shot look classic.

Back in the 1950’s this idea was common among the professionals, and is not uncommon in most of the classic photo collection books I have seen. Many a times I tried to figure out, what is that element that would give this particular feel. After several attempts and observations from the photo collection, it occurred to me that; simply tell the model to look over her shoulder.

Go ahead making your shots from a higher viewpoint, for a better result. I hope this will give you a new idea to try something different.

Composition: I have generally observed, this idea works well from a slightly higher viewpoint or at the models eye level. Never found this idea working well with a low viewpoint or male models, this idea clicks well with ladies only.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Medic Shot

2011-12-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: If I am asked ‘Which is your favorite still life shot that you would love shooting?’ my answer would be ‘Patterns’. Here, I would like to take this occasion to present one shot of my friend Roshith, which I thought is an absolute stunner. It’s a kind of picture that one would love to see in one's bedroom, living room or any other important place as you can name it.

Courtesy: Roshith V 2011, Leeds, UK

The branches of the trees here have a similarity to the blood vessels of the human body. Not to forget the fact that Roshith is a doctor, and this is what triggered him to attempt a shot of this kind. What I further like here about this piece of excellence is the kind of warm tone applied here that represents a real time scan of the blood vessels.

One of the best lessons here to inspire us, is to try taking shots that describe things related to our profession or daily life. Really, well done Roshith!

The Finding: Sunny 16

2011-12-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: In this tutorial blog, I would like to discuss about a forgotten rule in photography called the ‘Sunny 16’. Before I begin to describe this concept, let me admit to you that; ‘Sunny 16’ was more popular during the film era, than in the digital era.

Basically speaking; ‘Sunny 16’ rule is a simple thumb rule; to make shots during daytime, in order to get a perfect exposure without using a light meter or without depending on the EV reading of ones camera.

All you would need to do is; on a bright sunny day, have your aperture set to f16 and shutter speed numerically equal to the ISO value and then go for the shot.

For instance, lets say you have set your ISO to 100 and aperture to f16. Further on, you would need to set a shutter speed equivalent to the value of the ISO, which means a shutter speed of 1/100. You can go for 1/100 or up to 1/125 or 1/160 (which is 1/3^rd stop higher than 1/100).

With these settings, you will be alarmed to find that you get your exposure so perfect. Please follow the examples in the table given below to understand more;

ISO	Aperture	Shutter Speed	Environment
100	f16	1/100 or 1/125	Bright sunny day
200	f16	1/200 or 1/250	Bright sunny day
400	f16	1/400 or 1/500	Bright sunny day

The above table will help you understand how to set the aperture and shutter speed according to the Sunny 16 rule on a bright sunny day.

As per the creative requirement, it’s not mandatory that one will always shoot at f16. Lets say you want to shoot at f5.6, it means that from f16 you will need to open up the aperture by 3 stops. So in order to compensate for that, you will need to raise your shutter speed from 1/100 to 1/800 (considering an ISO 100). In effect, you will need to make compensation adjustments in your shutter speed or aperture, to make up for the perfect sunny day exposure.

Now let’s consider other environmental condition. In that case we would need to follow these settings;

ISO	Aperture	Shutter Speed	Environment
100	f11	1/100 or 1/125	Evening: when sun is still bright, but not harsh
200	f11	1/200 or 1/250	Evening: when sun is still bright, but not harsh
400	f11	1/400 or 1/500	Evening: when sun is still bright, but not harsh
100	f8	1/100 or 1/125	Evening: just an hour before sunset
200	f8	1/200 or 1/250	Evening: just an hour before sunset
400	f8	1/400 or 1/500	Evening: just an hour before sunset
100	f5.6	1/100 or 1/125	Overcast day
200	f5.6	1/200 or 1/250	Overcast day
400	f5.6	1/400 or 1/500	Overcast day

Note: Please be informed that, these settings are possible in ‘M’ mode of your camera.

I hope this thump rule will help you encounter exposure difficulties during your photo making in outdoors. Please find below a shot of mine, which I took recently where I have applied this concept on an overcast day. Good luck with ‘Sunny 16’.

f5.6 1/100 @ 100 ISO : On a cloudy day at Bylakuppe, India 2011

The Travelling Pilgrims

2011-12-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I was on my way home to Calicut (India) via Dubai, there was this group of pilgrim travellers from Bangladesh on their way to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) at the Dubai Airport. I was travelling with my relatives, and out of this group, two of them approached me and one of them said ‘You can photograph us, if you would like to’, well I replied ‘I surely would love to do that’.

All I wanted to say is that, while shooting on the streets/public areas surrounded with people, who are willing to pose for you, simply go for it and don’t think further.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Still Enthusiastic

2011-12-15T04:10:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: As human beings we forget the fact that; the day we are born, we start to age. Ageing is a natural phenomenon, and nothing can be done about it. We have to accept this naked truth.

It’s always the way we see life that counts the most. So spend each day happily doing what we love doing. I happened to see these old ladies walking towards the monastery for their daily prayers in the morning, from the old age home at Bylakuppe. Truth be told, they are still enthusiastic.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

The Monk Kids

2011-12-14T22:46:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Kids are full of positive energy, they are so innocent. It is believed, they are serene as nature or near to God. As they grow from childhood stage to an adult, they get mutated due to some social, economic and various other reasons. As adults we need to think straight about life, exactly as the kids do.

I found these two Buddhist monk kids, absolutely vibrant and energetic at the monastery school in Bylakuppe (India). They were glad to pose for me.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Composition: I decided to place my subjects at the centre because the steps in the background, form a simple/flat backdrop. The other reason, it will bring in viewers focus more on to the kids.

Social: Remember to ask the permission of the parents/guardian, in case you wish to make a portrait of the kids in public places. Here, I took the permission for their teacher to shoot around the premises of the school compound.

Setback Potato

2011-12-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: ‘Potatoes’, I am sure this is a word that is very familiar to you. If it’s not, it’s okay, I am sure you might have had it at least once in your life, in the form of ‘French Fries’.

Kodai is a little hill station in South India, a popular destination for both foreign and domestic tourists alike. Apart from tourism, they have crop cultivation as a means of income. In this post of mine I would like to keep you informed about the fate of potato farmers.

The farmers are facing problem in selling their potatoes, as the demand for this crop have gone down over the recent years. They somehow manage financially by doing multiple farming of different crops in the same field during different seasons. One of the main reasons for less demand of their potatoes is because of the presence of imported potatoes at much lower prices.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 17-40 f4 L USM

Composition: Here the main idea was to document the situation, and grab couple of important shots that can describe the fate of the farmers. I made sure I covered them from a unique viewpoint. I though it would be a good idea to cover them from a low viewpoint. For this I employed my wide angle in the fullest possible ways.

Psychology: I made sure that I got myself introduced to farmer before I really started shooting. It is important to understand the subjects feelings and emotion, and to be a part of them. The main idea behind this is to ensure that, either of you are comfortable with each other.

Alternative: For the initial shot presented in this post, I tried the same shot with a telephoto lens (Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM), refer below. Always try out an alternate compositions or shots. So that once you are home; you have different options for your presentation.

The Walking Pilgrims

2011-12-12T19:43:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Palani Temple at Palani (India) is considered to be a very sacred, by all the Hindu believers. People from various parts of India come for pilgrimage here. This temple is located on the top of Palani Hill.

Most of the people reach here through some means of transport. But to my surprise, there are a lot of devotees who come all the way walking to be here from their home town. During their travel to this destination by foot, they maintain certain criteria required for this pilgrimage. The criteria mainly involves the chanting of prayers, early morning dip/bath in water and eating vegetarian food.

Below you can see two such pilgrim whom I came across, as I was passing this location on my way to Kodai.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Artistic Nature

2011-12-11T19:23:00.001-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The colors/tones present in nature are so unique, sometimes you get to see them only once in a while. During my travels I make sure I never miss any shot/scenes which appeals to me as far as nature is concerned. It’s not mandatory that the theme of my travel is related to nature, I just go for it. I have always believed that’s the best way to capture nature.

The shots presented here below is self explanatory. I made these shots during my travel to Kodai (India).

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Windmill Power

2011-12-10T00:44:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Windmills with power turbines are used for extracting electric power from wind energy, which is abundant in the universe. This is considered as one of the most environment friendly means to extract power. I have read and understood the fact that; many countries are coming forward with the idea of extracting energy from wind. Denmark is one such country which produces major part of its energy from wind.

Researched statistics has proven that; wind energy all over the world can be extracted to produce more energy than any other non-renewable sources (Petroleum, Coal etc) of energy.

The main advantage as I said before is the fact that it’s nature friendly. But the reason why windmills are not established, is because of its extremely high production cost. It’s high time that we make use of renewable source of energy.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Nimbus

2011-12-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: ‘Nimbus’ I don’t know if this word is familiar to you. If it’s not; It’s a class of cloud which gives precipitation, normally accompanied with thunder and lightning. Nimbus clouds generally stay very close to the earth in terms of their elevation. The other fact I have noticed is that, generally this range clouds looks a bit dark before they give rain.

It was a great experience documenting this subject from nature. The patterns presented by nature is beyond the descriptive limit.

These shots above were made during my vacation trip to South India. I enjoyed every moment of making them.

Composition: The composition applied here are quite simple. The main idea is to go for a flat shot, covering the scene just like a pattern.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Thinking Different

2011-12-08T01:59:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Today we live in a world, where surviving competition and getting through it is the measuring criterion for performance. But, I personally never believe in this particular aspect, and when it comes to photography never even in my dreams.

Now, you might ask yourself ‘How do you win if one doesn’t want to compete?’

The simple key to the above question is; to be a winner, think different and don’t compete. And, now why is that?

Competition simply brings about a lot of unwanted politics, which is something totally undesirable by all means.
Competition makes you mean at times. When you are in that trance, you don’t share what you know with others.
Competition makes you feel a lot unsecure, because one would spend more time trying to see if anyone is making use of you or your ideas. Instead, one should have been spending time, trying to figure out means for developing one’s passion.

And it’s for this reason, winning any award or recognition is not the criterion for deciding a good photographer. According to me, it’s his/her works in general and the contribution to the society that matters the most, this is possible when you think differently from what everybody things.

Scare Crow

2011-12-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: ‘Scare Crow’ is a word that we have heard quite often, haven’t we? From the word itself it’s quite obvious that it means to scare the birds away in farms to save the crop under cultivation.

But in certain other cultures ‘Scare Crows’ serves as a means to keep the crops away from curse of people or evils apart from it's actual purpose. I don’t go with this idea, but that’s what I have heard.

Composition: I made this shot very simple to give significance to the ‘Scare Crow’ by placing it in accordance with ‘Rule of Third’. Here in the scene, the green tone was spot metered to have it exposed well.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Survival

2011-12-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Advancement in construction technology has led to a boom in the number of buildings and infrastructure, which are occurring in the developing zones of a country. But it’s a fact that; the economic interests of this sort is costing us a lot in terms of environment.

In the out skirts of Abu Dhabi; the mangroves, was an area filled with migratory birds. It has been a great concern to me that, birds of this sort are no more to be seen in this locality. The developing and upcoming properties have made this scenario happen.

I am not against development. I am always for it. It’s just that, it shouldn’t be at the expense of nature.

Equipment: Canon 400D + Sigma 28-300 f4.5-f5.6

Leading Line

2011-12-05T04:33:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Playing with line elements or taking shots involving them are a concept as old as photography. I found this empty and silent road in one of the outskirts of Abu Dhabi at Shahama.

Points that we would need to take care while going for a shot involving leading lines are;

Realize where the vanishing point is in the scene.
Make sure you place the vanishing point carefully at any one of the intersections according to the rule of third. Not mandatory though, you can break this rule for creative reason as well.
A low viewpoint is always the best option.
A wide aperture such as f2.8 or below can be employed, should you feel to blur the immediate foreground.

Equipment: Canon EOS 1V + Canon 24-105mm f4 L IS USM, Illford Pro 100 ISO Black and White Film

The Road

2011-12-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Success in life is not when we gain things which are materialistic, but it’s when we are able to do things what we love doing. As human beings we are all free to choose what we like to do. We should orient our determination and effort towards discovering ourselves. It’s when we discover our self that we will realize what we love doing. Everyone in this world is talented in one way or the other, it’s all about finding out what it is.

Drummers

2011-12-03T06:04:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Musicians are those people in our society who deserves a special attention with great respect. I would like to affirm and state the fact that; music and musicians are the same everywhere irrespective of their culture, tradition or language. For instance, the musician who makes creative sounds using drums are the same, even if they are from different corners of the world. I would like to document this fact with the two shots of mine presented below, while the first drummer is from Japan and the second is from India.

Music has no language and is enjoyed by all alike. This doesn’t apply to music alone, but to all forms of art as well.

Composition: One of the main aspects we need to take care while going for shots of this sort is to ensure that the motion of the subject is emphasized. It’s made possible by employing a shutter speed equal or less than 1/60^th of a second.

Seeing Little Things

2011-12-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I have read somewhere before ‘Small is beautiful’. In fact it is that way at times, isn’t it the way around? I found this little bird sitting over the electrical cables running between the posts in a street.

This occasion just gave me an opportunity to exercise the concept of minimalism. I loved making this shot on a 35mm camera with a black and white film. Scenes like this are nothing new to us, but making shots of this sort is all about presenting the subject the way we see it in our 'world' or in other words, our mind.

Equipment: Canon EOS 1V & Illford 35mm Black & White 100 ISO Film

Reference: Please refer my article titled 'Discovery' to get an idea about what minimalism is all about.

The 'Missing Half'

2011-12-01T04:14:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A stroll down a familiar street can fetch us ideas, which are quite unexpected from within us; eventually resulting in shots which are out of the ordinary. Perhaps in such situation(s), we always learn something special, isn’t it?

Now you might wonder, what is this concept that I am talking about. Well, I don’t know if it has got a name, and it goes this way;

“When there are two or more objects and we are in position to take both of them in such a way that; a portion which is missing in one is seen on the other and vice versa, the meaning/subject/idea is always conveyed.”

Here, above you can see that a top portion of a chair can be seen on one, while the other depicts the legs. Exhibiting something incomplete on one object, but presenting it on the other to give a ‘Complete’ picture/feel of the object always arouses a sense of curiosity in the mind of the viewers.

I hope my concept is delivered. Stay tuned.

True Spirit

2011-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Simple events/competitions in corporate firms, which are arranged by the management is one way to boost the morale of the employees. Get together of this sort brings into existence a social interaction and bond between the various employees, at various levels of management.

Employees receiving a consolation prize for an even participation, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2011

A group of employees receives a consolation prize for an event(Cookery) they just participated in a competition held in a multi-national engineering company Tebodin ME (Abu Dhabi). The attitude of appreciating the participation of employees in such event is what makes a big difference in the way the employees see their employer/firm, in fact it makes them feel more at home.

Composition: The only thing ensured while going for the click was to capture the emotion and action involved in the scene. I just made sure a low shutter speed, enough to blur the motion is used. In fact, this is because this is the only way motion can emphasized on a photo.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 17-40mm f4 L USM

Message from Ukraine

2011-10-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: In this session, I would like to present before you the traditional dress of Ukraine. It’s so lovely and colourful beyond measurable limit. ‘Simplicity’ and ‘Elegance’ are the two best words that can define this outfit. Not to forget the fact; the dress material is made of cotton, and also there is this lovely embroidery work all over; it’s simply amazing.

In Ukraine they wear this kind of dress during weddings, cultural festivals and other official ceremonies. I have read over the internet and discovered that even the urban people in Ukraine express their deep interest in wearing these dresses, though this is common in the rural areas. It keeps the tradition and culture of the country going for ever, from one generation to the other. True identity of a country is their tradition and culture, and Ukraine is a country which gives great importance to these aspects.

Gratitude: Before I proceed further, let me introduce you to my colleague Ilyana Mar from Ukraine, who is a Civil/Structural Engineer. I really enjoyed every moment of the shoot with her; I can never ask for a bigger honor, for she took out her valuable time just for me. The effort and the dedication she rendered was beyond my expectation, this costume was brought from her home during her last holiday, exclusively for this shoot. Either of us is not a fashion professional, but I am glad about the fact that we delivered the best of our ability during the shoot. Lastly, but definitely not the least, I would also like to thank my colleague’s Boby and Shaly for all the help they did for me behind the scene for making this wish of mine happen, their role was inevitable indeed.

Lessons learnt: Though I decided the location quite prior to the shoot, I forgot to check out the fact if things around are the same at the location few days before the shoot. For instance, I discovered that some construction work around the area prevented me from going for a full size shot, as that would bring out some clutters in the background into my shot. It’s quite evident from the shot below;

Composition: Through out the entire shoot, I tried to keep the perspective as flat as I can, as I wanted to deliver these shots as a documentary on the traditional dress more than a mere fashion shoot. Most of the shots were executed with a focal length in the range of 85mm–150mm at an aperture of f2.8-f4.0. A shallow depth of field was chosen, to avoid the clutter(s).

The shoot was done during the early morning hours, and natural back light from the rising sun was made use to the fullest. The idea used here in this shoot was those I mentioned in my article titled ‘Fashion Toning’.

Equipment used: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM ; Canon 7D + Canon 50mm f1.4 (For closeup shots)

Focussing the Eyelids

2011-10-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Eyelid is one very sensitive part of a human body; it plays a vital part in protecting the eye ball by all means. But it goes without saying that; it is also one of the most beautiful part of a human face. Right now I would like to take the liberty to explain; how you can get that part of your subjects face absolutely focused. This kind of shots requires you to have the right equipment, the main thing is that; you will have to open up your aperture to as big as f1.4. It's quite evident that you are going to have a very shallow depth of field, with just the eyelid hairs getting focused.

Things you would need to take care while going for this type of shot;

• Use the nearest focus point to the eyelid hair.

• Never recompose, once you lock the focus. Recomposing is fine only in case you intend to use an aperture well above f4, otherwise you will end up taking a very soft or poorly focussed image.

• Use a fixed lens with a wide aperture like Canon or Nikon f1.4, but the best I would suggest is Canon f1.2; but then, that's going to cost you heavily. But it's worth it. Most preferred focal length is 50mm or 85mm.

Composition: Choosing an interesting ‘Viewpoint' is very important for this type of shots. The best viewpoint worth giving an effort is the top view point. However it’s not mandatory that the eyelid should be placed in any one of the intersection line formed by the ‘Rule of Third’. As always told, photos are at the best when rules are broken intentionally,but always remember; that should be for a creative reason.

Roots v/s Towers

2011-10-18T01:53:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Contrast is something that we can find in many spheres of our life. The mangrove root grows on one side of the sea shore, while tall towers are developed on the opposite bank. One is a life purifier while the other is a life savior in the form of dwellings. Roots are environment friendly, while the others are not. Both towers and the roots protrude out from the earth. Though the contrast exists, both of them remains something that are ineviteable to human life.

Mangrove roots grows out, as the new buildings comes up in the opposite bank, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2011

Composition: When intending for shots of this sort where you would like to give importance two things, make sure you place them diagonally opposite to each other. For instance, here it’s the buildings in the horizon and the mangrove roots.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 50mm f1.4

Cold in the Desert

2011-10-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Deserts can be very cold at times during winters, though it’s the ‘Heat’ that comes to our mind when we imagine a desert. During Al-Dafra camel festival I found these two local Beduin ladies warming themselves in the presence of a wood fire during the late evening hours, as the sun begins to set. Temperature in the interior deserts can go down to as much as 3 degree in the UAE.

Beduin Ladies, Al-Dafra, Abu Dhabi 2010

Psychological Aspect: When taking photos of this sort, it would be very polite and a right photographic ethic to ask for permission. Here, I asked these ladies, and they said that I can photograph them in such a way that there faces are not seen. As photographers we need to respect/honor our subjects privacy and cultural views.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Start of the Day

2011-10-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A camel care taker wakes up early in the morning, to have his day started at the Al-Dafra Camel Festival. Thousands of camels of various breeds are brought into this festival for exhibition and trade. It is one of the biggest festival of its kind in this part of the world, it is the pride of any Arabic nation to participate in it.

The Camel Care Taker, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2010

Composition: In the tent, there was this black pole which seemed to be a clutter. I somehow managed to have it aligned towards the right side of the frame. In a way, the black pole seems to ‘Natural Frame’ the scene. The lesson to be inspired here is that, never give up on your subject. There will be a way you can always figure out to have the scene delivered on to your camera sensor.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 17-40mm f4 L IS USM

At the Edge

2011-10-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A Honey Bee holds on to the edge of a wooden platform of a Bee hive, in a farm in the farming district of Shahama in Abu Dhabi. The honey developed here are used for personal prupose and are consumed by the farmers themselves.

Honey Bee, Shahama, UAE 2008

Equipment: Canon 400D+Sigma 50mm f2.8 Macro

Architecture & High Key

2011-10-16T22:34:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Architecture and ‘High Key’ sounds a little surprising combination, isn’t it? Well, let me tell you that it’s an amazing combination. When these high key shots are combined with ‘Black & White’ tone they evoke a classic feel. The lines, shapes and other details are more expressed through a duo tone; and it’s for this reason that many world famous architecture photographers still continue to use black and white tones. I would like to prove my point by the two exterior architecture shots of the Al-Wahda Mosque (Abu Dhabi, UAE) given below;

Black & White High Key Tone

Actual and Normal Tone

This High Key combination is not just restricted to exteriors but also to other forms of architecture too, where there are other interesting elements.

This is a conceptual presentation tone that I tried to convey, I hope you will include them in your works next time. Good luck !

Dwarf Door

2011-10-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I found this interesting piece of architecture, which involves a very small boundary door near my home. A door hardly up to the shoulder height serves as an entry point from outside into a compound of an abandoned residence.

Composition: I made this shot from a very flat view point, so that the textures of the door along with the fence is portrayed well. I also used a model here to emphasize the relative proportion of the size of the architectural element (door) to a human.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Classic Cars

2011-10-15T00:28:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Amman City (Jordan) has got a lot of classic cars on the road, most of them are in reasonably good condition. Volkswagen Beetle is one such a car I always love to own one day, I simply love both the classic as well as the modern version. I found this car on the street in the suburban areas of the city during one of my visit, It was intended for sale.

The beetle for sale, Amman, Jordan 2010

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 24-105mm f4 L IS USM

Subdued Light

2011-10-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I would like to present here some shots of mine with the theme ‘Curves’. In fact, this is a continuation of my previous article titled ‘Curves’, where the same theme was done using a black & white 35mm film. However I decided not to title this ‘Curves-II’ because here in this article, I would like to lay emphasis on the metering of ‘Subdued Light’ under natural light conditions. I will explain the concerned metering fundamentals towards the end of this article.

The pots presented here were taken from the Iranian Market at Mina in Abu Dhabi, all these pots as I mentioned before are imported from Iran before they are sold. I was there early in the morning, the scene was entirely in shadow side and there was only this indirect or natural available light present there, with no direct sun light falling in the premises.

So please find below my renderings on this day;

Subdued Light: To be precise it’s the dim light condition or a situation where the entire scene is in the shadow side. I am sure, you might have observed that; due to soft ambient light and indirect light reflection there are a lot of light variations even within a single object when in the shadow zone. My idea in the entire shoot was to bring out that light variation into my shots, on the subject(s) of the scene. Now, how did I do that? Please follow these instructions and you will discover it’s not all that difficult;

Observe the scene, and look out for the bright spots/area within the shadow zone.
Change you metering mode settings to spot meter.
Meter the brighter spot/area (highlight), if required go close to the intended point and meter. Remember the focus and metering have no connection at all. The camera just meters the light intensity at the centre spot area.
It would be good if you can bracket your shots, to get a well stretched histogram, but then that’s something subjective.

Note: The only thing you have to take care is that, there shouldn’t be huge intensity difference between the bright and dark areas.

I accept the fact that this is something quite advanced, should you have any doubt on this concept, please don’t hesitate to ask. Good luck with ‘Subdued Light’ and a happy shot making.

Equipments: Canon 5D MII + Canon 50mm f1.4

Exploiting Natural Light

2011-10-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Are you afraid of making portraits when the sun is right above your head? If yes, you don’t have to be afraid anymore. I am going to take that phobia off from you right away. As you can see, the shot presented below was taken during after noon hours, fill flash was never employed here. Unlike evening hours, it’s just that you will need to take a little care during the shot making process during noon time.

The Shepherd, Liwa, UAE 2011

Steps to be considered in chronological order;

Orient the subject in such a way that the whole of the face is on the shadow side and the sun light falls from behind on to the shoulders.

Spot meter the face.

It is very important that you choose such a background which is entirely on the shadow side. The reason is to avoid an over exposed shot with a bright background.

Note: For a better understanding, please read this article in conjunction with my previous article titled ‘Fashion Toning’.

Blind Hotel Owner

2011-10-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: In the Emirates (UAE) there are expats who are very senior, who have witnessed every developing phases of this country. I would like to present this expat who arrived here in the early 50’s from India, and has been living here since then. Though blind now and ages above 70, he owns and run a hotel in Ras-Al-Khaimah. Nothing deters this man from being active, everyday he comes to his hotel and find himself seated comfortably in a corner co-ordinating the various activities there and his business. A businessman like him is a great inspiration for those who are aspiring to be an entrepreneur one day.

Blind Hotel Owner, Ras-Al-Khaimah, UAE 2010

Blind Hotel Owners Hands, Ras-Al-Khaimah, UAE 2010

Advice: When attempting real life shots of this sort, make sure you take a whole hearted consent from the people(s) involved. Such simple daily day to day documentaries wouldn’t be possible without such courtesies. In case if someone rejects, you should be in a position to accept their privacy whole heartedly, hoping to get another shot of the intended kind later on from somewhere else. For this kind of a subject, the photographing part is relatively simple. But however, what counts most is your subject realization ability and understanding of the same.

Equipment: Canon EOS 1V + Canon 24-105mm f4 L IS USM; Film: Ill Ford Pro 400 ISO Black & White

Danger Surf

2011-10-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Surfing enthusiasts gets thrilled with a rare high rise waves at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai. This beach is very popular in Dubai, and it’s an evening and a free time spot for the residents and the locals alike. On days like this, the life guards have a tough time watching and warning people not to go in; in case they are not skilled enough to take the waves.

People surfing and enjoying the high waves, Jumeirah, UAE 2011

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Nabataean Tribesman

2011-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Petra known for being one of the top man-made wonders from the ancient era (1st Century) are co-owned by the Nabataean tribesmen and the Jordanian Government. It was an old township where houses and buildings were carved out of rocks, mainly in the form of caves. The rocky terrain in the region is a challenge for the people residing there, as far as the traveling is concerened. The donkey or the mules are the main means of travel, because they can climb any irregular terrain with ease more than any other living beings in the world. I am sure it will be an interest to you; to know that there are Nabatean people at Petra who still live in caves.

A Nabataean tribesman taking his donkey as he heads home, Petra, Jordan 2010

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Street ‘Deals'

2011-10-11T03:19:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Dubai is a city which imports and then re-exports various products across to other countries in the Middle East. Since decades Dubai has been well known this way as a ‘Business Hub'. I captured this moment of a whole sale dealing at Abhra, in a congested pathway.

Whole sale business dealing, Dubai, UAE 2010

Composition: There is nothing more to this picture other than a snap shot. However, the challenge here was to be at the right place at the right time. I wouldn’t have got this shot, if I hadn’t listened to my inner instinct, which guided me to this location.

Equipment: Canon EOS 1V 35mm Film + 24-105mm f4 L IS USM ; Illford Pro 100 ISO Black & White Film.

Abandoned Heritage

2011-10-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Fourty years back this was a main building in the Jazirath-Al-Hamra village in Ras-Al-Khaimah, it was a school building where many senior citizens of the present era in the region has studied alphabets at their initial stages of schooling. Unfortunately, it has lost its glory and is no more a school. Deserting something which once served you is not a right attitude in life. So, I wish the Archeological or Historical department takes up this site to maintain the same for the sake of the coming generation and more for the country.

Abandoned School Building, Jazirath-Al-Hamra, RAK, UAE 2010

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Composition: Architectural photography of structures when taken under twilight; the mood delivered will be quite dramatic and interesting. I decided to go for a very basic frame, but I waited for the right moment with the intended lighting of this sort there as the sun was coming down in the evening.

Driving the Camels

2011-10-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Al-Dafra Camel Festival is one of the biggest events of its kind in the world. Camels worth million dollars are sold here during this one week festival held here in Madineth-Zayed (Abu Dhabi, UAE). It was quite interesting to watch the Camels being brought into the festival area; the owner/care takers would control the camel by driving along with them. This is perhaps one of the most interesting ways of bringing the camels into the arena that I saw, out of the many other traditional ways they have in this part of the world.

Camels being driven by owners towards the festival area in vehicles, Al Dafra, UAE 2010

Equipments: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Terrace Tree

2011-10-08T12:21:00.001-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: A tree has grown in a place where it is not supposed to grow, on the terrace of a building at the metro city in Dubai, instead of a park or a forest.

A tree grows on a terrace, Dubai, UAE 2010

Inspiration/Thinking: I would like to dedicate this article to all my photo friends in the Middle East. The tree here in this shot of mine has set a very good food for thought. Like you even I have felt earlier that; it’s difficult to find subjects for photography in this region. Have you ever thought what your real strength is? If you are residing in the Middle East and you never knew, let me tell you it’s your ability to see subjects. I bet, a photographer from this region will find and realize subjects more easily than any other photographers in the world once they are at a place abundant with subjects. So if a tree can grow at a place where it’s not supposed to grow, so can we.

Equipments: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM

Traveller Saint

2011-10-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I would like to take this opportunity to present a travel portrait of a Traveller Saint taken at Vasisht Temple in Manali (India), taken by a friend of mine. I was so much attracted to this particular shot that I asked permission from him to present it over here, which he gladly did. I thank him very much for giving me this honor.

Traveller Saint, Manali, India 2011; Courtesy: Nixon Fernandez

My Critics: First and foremost I love the way the natural light is taken into stride from the side, and also the alignment of subject is different here from any other shots seen in the 'Travel Portrait' genre. The simplicity and elegance is the best words to describe this frame. Not to forget the fact that; this shot was taken when the saint was in a meditation trance.

Composition: Active space is applied here to the fullest, making best use of an abstract background/texture of wall present behind the subject.

Equipment: Nikon D90 + Nikon 24-85mm f2.8-4

Credit Crunch - II

2011-10-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: During one of my street walks at Abhra (Dubai, UAE) I captured this shot below, which describes the world credit crunch situation. The drop in the number of tourists from various parts of the world was quite evident, the greatest victims of this was the shopkeepers at The Spice Market area here in this part of the world.

A shopkeeper watches as a tourists passes by after an on street voice marketing attempt in vain, Abhra, UAE 2010

Composition: Having been there at this location so many times, I anticipated this incident. I just positioned myself comfortably at one position and waited for the right moment to give this click. The most challenging part of the shot making was that; this was the last shot in my roll of 35mm film, so making a mistake means I would loose the shot. I have always emphasized on trusting your inner instincts, during such situation. More than photography, technical and composition for such shots; it’s the trust you rely in yourself that will count most when it comes to shot(s) of this sort.

Equipment: Canon EOS 1V + 24-105mm f4 L IS USM; Black & White Film (Illford Pro ISO 100 35mm Film)

To Steve, With Love

2011-10-06T01:33:00.000-07:00

To the great man who introduced a computing system to the world with utmost perfection, may your soul rest in peace. Though you have departed physically, you still remain in our hearts and will live on this way for ever. You have played a very important role in giving me confidence in my works, by giving me a machine without which my passion is incomplete in this digital era.

Love you Steve.

Screen shot from my desktop; Courtesy: http://www.apple.com

Jobs at Stanford

2011-10-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

I am sure you might have heard the great speech delivered by Steve Jobs at the Stanford University during a graduate function. I would like to present here some of my favorite words of his from this speech;

“You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

“I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.”

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.”

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.”

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

Locked Home

2011-10-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I found this wonderful piece of post-modern art on a canvas hanged outside a locked home. I also loved this beam of light falling from top as it gets diminished towards the bottom, I thought this was an excellent opportunity to capture the scene in an abstract way.

Painting outside a locked home, Bastakya, UAE 2010

Composition: I ensured that the perspective is kept as flat as possible, in order to achieve this; the focal plane was kept parallel to wall in front. I exposed for the mid-tone area, to ensure the details are captured both on the highlight and the shadows.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM ; 78mm f8@1/80 ISO 250, EV -1, Av Priority

Stand-Alone

2011-10-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The journey of photography has no limits or in other words it’s never going to have an end. As we all go along, it’s very important that we develop a style of our own.

Creative talent in photography is like ‘Finger Prints’, it always different and unique in everybody. Always remember, winners think different.

Once we have acquired the necessary skills required for the creative development, we should stand-alone in order develop a style of our own. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t inspire from others, may be a photographer of this era is a combination of several other photographers of the previous eras.

We should orient/guide ourselves; to think about means to branch out successfully in a unique way.

Composition: A simple rule of third combined with minimalism concept is applied here. A dark background was chosen and the sunlight hitting the subject from back made the subject look backlighted. I ensured in the shot; that the highlight was not clipped.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Journey

2011-10-03T02:44:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Having a passion in photography and being able to do that reasonably well is a gift from the supreme power. ‘Gratitude’ is what we should have at heart as we go ahead with this ‘Journey’ called photography. The reason why I am saying this is because, there are many out there who are a lot more talented than us who are not able to pursue photography due to various reasons involving fate.

There was a time once I wanted to start photography, but then I couldn’t do it; because it was so expensive for me then. Once I got the kind of equipments I longed; I didn’t know where to get the good guidance I wanted, these where the moments I was most troubled. Books, internet and friends came to my rescue. I am grateful to all my friends who have supported and helped me.

It took me years to develop myself to the stage I am today, still there is a long way to go in life as far as photography is concerned. I shouldn’t forget the way I reached here, and its for this reason that I decided to help the upcoming or the beginners. It’s this thought that triggered me to really go for a blog, to share my knowledge and experience to everyone across the globe.

You are reading this because, like me you are also a passenger in the ‘Journey’ called photography. May God bless you and all those who are pursuing this passion to achieve their dreams and targets.

Expecting the ‘Unexpected'

2011-10-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: When we step out of our home for a photo-shoot, we would generally head ourselves towards the concerned shoot location with a theme/subject/idea in mind. As expected, we all would come out good with our shots in a way we wanted. However during shoots, sometimes we should also learn to capture things which are unexpected, it’s not mandatory that it should be relevant to the subject one intends to shoot. Generally photos taken unexpectedly would have an element of surprise in them.

I would like to present here below two such shots of mine from a photo-shoot, where the theme was to shoot the ‘Life of Shepherds’. Both of these shots weren’t relevant to the theme of my photo-shoot, however if considered individually, they do make some sense though.

A Camels tail transforms into an abstract, Liwa, UAE 2011

A motor vehicles on the top of the dunes transform into a shot involving minimalism, Liwa, UAE 2011

Lesson to understand here is that; there is no harm in going for a variation, as long as the shots intended for the shoot are covered. At the end of the day such ‘Unexpected’ shots remains a bonus, and the best part is that they are stand-alone shots delivering a particular idea/subject.

Loosing Glory

2011-10-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Jazirath-Al-Hamra Village at Ras-Al-Khaimah has got some of the few old heritage remains in the UAE. I hear that they are going to be knocked off in order make way for new property development. It’s something really sad to hear, I wish heritage structures like this should be retained and that they shouldn’t be demolished at any cost.

Below in the picture you can see some of the wind towers at this old abandoned village. I have immense gratitude and love towards this country, because it’s this place in this part of the country that have made me known for what I am today. I don’t know how many sunrises we can see like this as days passes.

Sun rises over one of the wind towers at Jazirath-Al-Hamra Village (Ghost Village), RAK, UAE 2011

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Composition: I have applied a flat ‘Rule of Third' here. The challenging part of the shot was to capture the rising sun in a crispy way. For this, I had to employ the spot meter, and take the reading from the gradation zone of the sun to end up with a shot of this kind, maintaining a little bit of shadow detail.

The ‘Contrast'

2011-09-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: One fine early morning at Abhra, I happen to witness a scene as I was crossing the creek in a boat. I saw two boatsmen getting up from bed, after their night sleep over the deck of their boat. This boat is what they call ‘home' while they work. At the same time in the background you can see the luxurious apartment, where I reckon the upper society people would also be getting up from their bed. I wish for a world without these kind of ‘Contrast’.

Getting up after a night sleep on the boat deck, Dubai, UAE 2011

Composition: A background under shadow zone enabled me to get the sun lit areas more prominent in the area of interest on the foreground. I captured this shot in such a way the histogram is fully stretched, here it was possible at an EV of +1/3. In the post production a simple level adjustment of reducing the brightness and increasing the contrast was done.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII + Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Sweet Smile

2011-09-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: We all love sweets, don't we? The moment we have them, we just forget the world for that particular instant. Above all, we enjoy ourselves forgetting all the worries too.

Throughout my entire life, I have had sweets several times, but never bothered to think about those people who make them. But my recent portrait shot of a baker who make cakes/sweets reminded me of their importance, and their role in keeping our society happy. I am saying this, because there is no occasion or celebration without sweets in our life. Sweets have been a gesture of happiness and love for several centuries all across the world in different cultures.

A freshly made sweet is proudly displayed by a backer, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2011

Here, I would like to dedicate this article to all the' Sweet Bakers' in the world who share an inevitable part in our life during celebration and good moments.

Equipment: Canon 5D MII, Canon 17-40mm f4 L USM & Canon 580 EXII

Finding Happiness

2011-09-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Making a ‘Home’ away from home in order to find happiness in little things, it’s this quality one can find in these expat farmers. They enjoy each others company as they have a tea break in between the work at their farm. These tender moments keep them bounded and attached, not just among themselves but also with the little living beings around the premises.

The farmers feed the cats with their share of food, as they enjoy a short break for tea during work, Shahama, UAE 2011

Feeling the ‘Rustic’

2011-09-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Seeing beauty in the neglected and leastbothered things in life is a real way to put your creative skills to test.You can bring your visuals out with the help of your language or medium ofexpression called ‘Photography’.

Not able to find beauty or creativity in certain neglected thingsin life, is as good as missing or not able to realize/understand a true love ofa person in your life.

I have got this unreasonable liking to photograph thingswhich people don’t bother to look or care about, one such a subject is a ‘RusticWall’ of an abandoned structure. If you open your mind and eyes, not only arethey a thing of beauty, but they also form an excellent patterns.

Passion-Photography

2011-09-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Why did you take up photography? And if the answer is ‘I just love doing it for no reasons’ you are at the right place. I have always respected and admired those people who have found their passion. According to me, finding one’s passion is as important as finding a true love or life partner in life. Its because a person who have found his real passion will carry it on till the end of his/her life.

Photography is not just a passion, it’s a journey till the end of our lives.

Credit Crunch

2011-09-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The world economy seems to be going down since 2009. Unfortunately this has taken a big toll on Dubai too unlike any other metros in the world. This is quite evident at the Creek in Abhra. The number of people, both local and tourists commuting in boats across Deira to Bur Dubai has considerably dwindled. Every boatman has to wait for quite long time for his turn to carry passengers across from one bay to the other. The boatmen are generally expats, who can never think of going back home to their country in case they had to because of a fall.

A boatman waits for his turn to take passengers across the bay.

Waiting boatmen gives each other some company as they await their turn.

Lessons Learnt:

Both a single subject and group is powerful enough to convey the intended message.
If unable to find a good viewpoint; blindly go for a flattened focal length.

Equipments used: Canon 5D MII + 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM

Brain Wave

2011-09-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Is the creative vibe in you always the same? Definitely not. You might have experienced that, one day your mood to do something creative is so high as against another day where you hardly have interest to do anything creative that you love doing. It’s something quite natural, and there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

When the mind is occupied with many thoughts, generally the ‘Wave Frequency’ increases. When this is the case; it’s very hard to get creative thinking in the right direction. On the other hand when there are lesser thoughts in your mind; the frequency is quite low and you will find that the creative ideologies comes out so easily. You find everything in a state of bliss and serinity.

I agree to the fact that it’s very difficult to get a totally free mind. This is the reason why many prolific writers, artists, photographers etc prefer to work under peaceful conditions where they are not disturbed. Scientifically what is happening is that in such situations their mind wave frequency drops down, and they feel relaxed.

Unfortunately, some of the artists try to reach this state by using unhealthy means such as smoking, drinking or intoxicating themselves with abusive drugs. This way of approach pose a big threat to the health. Developing your passion at the expense of your health is not at all desirable by any means.

There are two natural ways to bring down the ‘Wave Frequency’, without causing any harm to yourself. They are done by using the following methods;

Meditation
Theta Wave Music

About the first method ‘Meditation’ I am sure you are aware and it doesn’t require any explanation. I know you are a little curious to know about ‘Theta Wave Music’. It’s a kind of special music, which will bring down you mental wave frequency to under 10 MHz. As a result of this your mind will get totally relaxed so easily to enable you to think creatively. You can hear this music through ear phones. It can be during your photo-shoot or during the moments you spend to develop you creativity.

I have a shared one of the biggest secret of developing ones creativity, I don’t have the scientific knowledge to explain this to you from an analytic viewpoint. I would recommend you please download this type of music and try this for yourself. It has worked for me, so will it be for you.

Anticipation

2011-09-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The moments we expect or anticipate are the one’s we least bother to capture, isn’t it the way around? Perhaps, it’s just because we know exactly what’s going to happen, and one doesn’t feel any novelty in this.

One should realize the fact that, this might be something you are used to seeing; but it’s not so for the others who are not related to the incident/scene. This post of mine is a simple reminder to let you know that; the moments anticipated are worth capturing. If its not for you, its for your viewers.

When you know the special/tender moment is going to happen;

Keep the settings of your camera ready to capture the moment you are looking forward to.

Frame the shots in your mind pretty well in advance, and just go for it.

It could be anything; a moment from your personal life with your dear ones to a moment of victory in a match in a sport or any other event.

A moment I quite anticipated when my son was playing with my cousin, I knew I would get this instant smile from them.

Emotion and excitement involved, after the victory announcement of the team winning a reality dance competition.

Curves

2011-09-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: I haven’t done any pattern/abstract shots for quite a long time. I thought, I should be giving it a try for a change, but also I made it a point that I have some deviation from what I normally do. I decided, I would go out and do it with a 35mm Black & White film. Finally I was there at Mina Port in Abu Dhabi where they sell pots which are imported from Iran. At that point of time on reaching there, an idea that I got was to go for ‘Curves’.

Equipment Used: Canon EOS 1V 35mm Film + Canon 24-105mm f4 L IS USM

35mm Film: Ill ford Pro 400 ISO Black & White

Other shots from this series;

Reaping Farmers

2011-09-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: This can be considered as a continuation of my post ‘Ploughing Farmer’, though both these shoots were taken on different days at the same location (Shahama), but in different farms. The scene covered in both these posts reminds me of the paddy reaping season in my home town in India. This is a part a scouting process, in order to make a documentary later on by the end of the year.

The farmers here are expatriates from Bangladesh, who works in these farms under extreme conditions of high temperature and humidity. It is quite unfortunate that they are paid an amount which is not even at par with their effort.

In terms of creativity, I covered if from a documentary point of view; rather than going for serene or aesthetic shots. Throughout the entire series, I took care to keep myself at a viewpoint as low as possible and natural framing anything/something in the foreground whenever possible. Also I made sure that any movement by my subjects was demonstrated by employing a shutter speed enough to blur the motion.

The ‘Zone of Action’ can be placed anywhere in the frame as long as you can find a viewpoint which is out of the ordinary. For instance the ‘Zone of Action’ here is the reaping farmers. Now you might ask me if I care for ‘Rule of third’ in placing ‘Zone of Action’, well the answer is ‘I just don’t think about that composition in my documentary shots, though its fine with me if it comes out that way naturally’.

The big untold secret of documentary shot making ‘Always find the unusual viewpoint to cover your shots, this makes a common scene so different’.

I have covered this series using a 35mm Black & White ISO 100 Illford Pro Film; Canon EOS 1V.

A day with the Shepherds

2011-09-07T01:58:00.000-07:00

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Desert in Liwa is known to have some of the worlds finest dunes, it has been known since the ancient historical Arabian era. Surviving or traveling through these dunes is a fascinating experience, they really test ones perseverance and endurance capability. The people living in these arid zones really deserves an attention, which I believe is something they are not getting.

In between the dunes there is this beautiful farm run by the shepherds. These shepherd’s, though not the owner, they are the care takers for many Camels, Horses, and Goats.The Goats are brought up for meat, the camels are for racing and selling at Al-Dafra Camel Festival, whereas the Horses are brought up as a part of hobby for the owner. I was there for a day to witness their day to day routine activities. It’s hard to believe; in the middle of the desert, this is a farm without electricity or any other amenities found in the urban life. Mobile phone range is only available at high point on a near by sand dune.

In spite of all this, the hospitality and the consideration given to my friend and myself was beyond the level we could ever imagine. When I take back myself to those moments, it makes me so happy that I could spend a day with them in their way and know their feelings.

I would like to introduce you to Yousuf and his assistant Ahmed;

Yousuf Baluchi, Liwa, UAE 2011

A little about Yousuf: Having started his career as a shepherd in 1985, he came all the way from Baluchistan (Pakisthan) by boat through Iran to be here in UAE. Since then he has worked in several farms all over the country. Back in those days, it would take at least 3 months for the letters to reach home which he writes. He says he doesn’t know internet/email, though he has heard about them. He still communicates with his family through written letters and he makes a call once in a week.

I asked him how would he compare the present and past UAE when he came here for the first time? He replied ‘Back in those day we cannot distinguish between an owner and a farm worker, because they look alike and they too worked hard along with them. But now times have changed.’

The remuneration they get for all this hardwork and effort is so meagre beyond our expectation (125$/month). The saddest part I heard from them is that; they don’t get their salaries on time. They always have 3 to 4 months of salary pending to get from their farm owner. But this doesn’t stop Yousuf or his assistant Ahmed from taking care of the animals there, unlike people who go for strikes for under wages or lack of payments. Yousuf says, he is absolutely passionate about what he does and loves all the living beings around him so dearly.

Ahmed, Liwa, UAE 2011

Yousuf and Ahmeds day begins early in the morning before the sun rise, they carry the grass (fodder) to the Camels, Goat and Horses there. What I noticed was that, Ahmed usually drags the grass along the ground in a piece of rugged fabric (above picture), while Yousuf carries the grass on his back (below picture). The temperatures keeps soaring high as the day progresses.

After this session of work they get refreshed by washing themselves, and ready to have some Camel milk for breakfast. They take turn in milking the Camel, and on this day it was Yousufs turn to do the milking. I have heard from them that, the Camel milk is one of the best remedies for getting rid of intestinal related ailments in stomach, and it helps in proper digestion too.

And now, it’s a little bit of rest time for them. As this was day of Eid and a public holiday, they had a friend who dropped down from another farm near by to wish them on this auspicious day. The bond of friendship is so strong that they want to wish each other in person, on other hand we even forget to wish our friends by email or messages.

They bid bye to their friend, they are again back to work. I just followed Ahmed as the day progressed. I was wondering, when the whole of the country is celebrating Eid holidays going for picnics or family get togethers, these people are working so hard.

Slightly tired in between work, Ahmed decides to take rest. To my surprise he just went to his pet Goat out of the lot and was having a nice time. The kind of attachment I saw, can never be expressed unless you see it for yourself. I doubted if the goat was a puppy.

I decided to take a walk around the farm, and see things around. Their home and stay are without any A/C or any other cooling system. Just a steel thatched roof with some of the side walls covered with date tree leaves. I was thinking, we are all so much blessed in life, still we are not happy.

Shepherds Home

Kitchen

Bed Room

Meanwhile, Yousuf came to me and invited us to have lunch with them. Immediately I thought it would be a good idea to capture their moments spend in the kitchen for making the food. Having the food with them was an unforgettable experience in my life, everybody ate from the same plate and that’s the bond between friends. The bread and the rice with the curry they gave us; I can still feel the taste. I have captured moments I just mentioned, in fact this was something that was not there in my shot list while making the story board for this trip.

After the meals, I was kind of tired and I decided to take a nap in their bed room. You wouldn’t believe, I slept so comfortably than you can ever imagine. The desert breeze that comes in through the date leaf wall was giving this cool feel. Meanwhile they went back for work as usual after a short break after lunch.

Suddenly, I woke up from my nap and I discovered that some tourists from Spain have dropped in. The kids really enjoyed seeing the farm and the animals. I loved this particular moment (below) where Yousuf helps this 3 year old kid to sit on a horse.

Meanwhile, a friend of Ahmed dropped in to say hi, I was really amazed to see their enjoyment of hearing some things on the radio which they loved doing.

For us it’s an experience, but for these shepherds it’s a daily routine. As another day in their life comes to an end, Yousuf (below) just make sure if his goats are all okay.

As the day came to an end, and we decided to leave. As we bid them bye, they presented us with a bottle of camel milk. And they asked us to come back again, we left the farm seeing themselves waving hands to us. My friend Rana who was there with me, suggested that we missed this shot.

This trip has taught me a lesson in life that we should be happy with whatever little we have, and also we should show gratitude for whatever good things we have. After all, in life all we need is some fresh air, water and good food to survive.