A collection of street portraits from Dubai
This is a collection of street portraits from Dubai, lately I started using a prospective correcting lens “Tilt & Shift” to photograph portraits. Though managing the focus is very challenging with these lens I do enjoy the results they produce.
The image was adjusted using photoshop masked curve layers to bring out details and adjust lighting.
Right place at the right time
This was a set up shot for a client’s shoot, the shoot involved motor bikes and people.
Another photographer happen to be on the same location shooting a fashion and I asked the model to pose for a test shot for me…
I have no idea about the photographers name or the model
They took my card but I haven’t heard from them yet.
I used a large Westcot parabolic umbrella on Camera right for the model, and normal reflector to light the background , the image was the processed on Photoshop to enhance color and contrast.
Our hospitality…
The Arabian Gulf region is well known for it’s rich heritage and culture. I was really lucky to have a chance to work with a group of young Emiratis working on a web site documenting their local food heritage.
We wanted a fresh and modern look that didn’t take attention away from the food that was photographed, and yet captured the cultural spirt of the project.
Working with Mary-kei Macfarlane who is one of the top food stylist in UAE. who played an integral part in translating the client’s brief into reality with her experience and vision.
The shots were produced using a prospective correcting lens “Tilt & Shift” this allowed me be selective on my focal plain, and the ability to use focus to highlight the key parts of the image. Lighting was from a medium sized soft box on camera left, I used bounce cards to fill in the shadows and control reflections.
I was very happy to see the team from barzh.ae presenting their work at a start up event last week and walked away with a sense of pride and satisfaction being part of this project.
Visit www.barzh.ae to learn more about Emirati food and see the remaining body of work.
The hardest part of this project was the timing; I had to work with all these delicious dishes while fasting as this project was executed durring the Holy month of Ramadhan.
Blue sky? Gray Sky?
Some times it’s hard to decide what final look conveys your idea in a better way…
This shot is one of the series “Red Scarf” I shot this as I was experimenting with Flash heads with Hyper Sync.
The idea is to shoot at high shutter speed in the case of this shot it was 1/2500 Sec this allows shooting outdoors with wide aperture f5 or even lower.
I’m looking forward to photographing more of this series while the weather is still pleasant
Turning things around “Waiting…”
I shot this with Albina who poses for me when ever I want experiment and she has free time.
The concept I had in mind on the day was totally different and after driving for an hour and a half and shooting for another hour and half, falling a bruising my elbo and knee and almost damaging my camera! I hadn’t manage to translate my idea into an image and was ready to give up.
This trip enforced Two importent points:
1- As much as possible try and plan every possible detail of a shoot, especially if you have others involved.
2- Keep at it…
After all that happened we decided to take a break where I pushed the first idea to the side and started looking for a fresh approche. refusing to leave with out any workable images we set out exploring the location to find alternative ideas. and this is one of the shots we produced…
Looking forward to your comments and feed back.
Not something I do often… Pink Sunrise over Dubai
Sunrise shot of the Dubai skyline taken from the Jumaira public beach, This image was shot along with David J. Nightingale you can see his version of this image here http://www.chromasia.com/iblog/archives/1301041004.php
Over the last 2 years I have been shooting less and less landscapes and cityscapes as my interest shifted more towards capturing people and working on constructed shoots, where I get to control the image with lighting and so on.
I spent 3 days going around Dubai with David as he was shooting his assignment, it was hard not to point the camera in the same direction as he did. This got me to realise that I needed to work harder to find a different and fresh prospective when treating the subject.
Leading me to the point of getting out of my comfort zone and trying something new and challenging…
I’m sure this image would sit nicely on your computer as a desk top wall paper, so feel to use it for that.
Half pipe jump
I have been experimenting with high speed sports photography in my free time using Hyper-sync with studio lights in day light. “The shot was executed using a Profoto D1 1000W mono block and PocketWizard Flex TT5 trigger”
The technic is amazing for freezing movement and capturing a high contrast back ground.
I would like to hear your comments on the series and if you have done photographed using this technic it would be great to hear of your experience.
There are more images in the linked gallery and I working on some other ideas that I hope I’ll be able to shoot soon. so keep an eye on this space or follow my Facebook page to get updates www.facebook.com/issaskphoto
Before and after
This is part of a series of images I shot of Ari Basti who is a Dubai based Mix Marshal Arts trainer
The photos were taken at the Contender Gym in Dubai
You can find more images from this set here
If you are interested in learning more about this technique visit Chromasia training
You can see the level of details brought up by adjusting curves for different luminosity levels of the original image
Photo walk
More images from my photo walk here:
http://www.issask.com/gallery/Photo-walk-Dubai-jun-2012/G00008QF9AIO_3hA
I organized to go on a photo walk with some friends this weekend to one of the older parts of Dubai. The idea was to walk around the Mina Bazaar and capture what ever was of interest.
For many of the participants this was the first time they taking part in a photo walk.
As I went around the market and started approaching people who I found appealed to me I started thinking about an important aspect of photography that I think for many it passes unnoticed; communication.
I believe the stronger portraits that I captured were the ones where I had a chance to communicate with the person on the other side of the camera by asking them about themselves and showing interest in what they did and who they were. This way the images came out communicating who the person was.
This lead me to think about other aspects of photography and how important communication was between the photographer and the client to build understanding and trust and help with the development of ideas that reflect expectations.
I always asked my self what my images are saying and how they mange to communicate the ideas and concepts that I have in mind when I make them. these are questions that I still need time to answer.
What are your thoughts how important is communication in photography what do you think is the best way to deliver your idea, and if you work as a photographer what is the best way to grasp the idea of your client?
I hope to see your thoughts and comments
This is the link to the rest of the images from the walk “Mina Bazaar Walk”
The Rubber Chicken is Out
I have always been told by photographers who have mentored me about the importance of working on personal projects. Now that I have completed what I can truly call a full project I see the significance of working through one.
This project was born at the spur of the moment but it instantly took form in my mind. I knew what I wanted to do with the idea. I didn’t expect for it to go as far as it has. but I knew why I wanted to make these images and what I was saying with them.
I was lucky that the project attracted the attention of amazing people who took part and help me make it what it is.
This is the final outcome of the Rubber Chicken I hope you enjoy it, and if you do I hope you share it with your friends. This is dedicated to everyone who has taken part, special thanks to my friend Khaled ‘Termite’ Termanini a great photographer for his contribution in the editing direction,
For me I can’t wait for my next photography project to take shape so I can start photographing.
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