Sunday 19 April 2009

A Drop In The Ocean

A Drop In The Ocean - B&WA long time coming...this image was taken in March of 2007 but didn't know how & where to post it. It was left forgotten in the dark recesses of my hard drive. Always thought that this was in interesting image.



So when this image showed up in one of my keyword searches in Adobe Lightroom, I decided to take this image on by the horns. Lightroom is a great program once you know how to manipulate the buttons. I have over 65,000 in my catalog and I can find just about any image within a few minutes. I just cannot imagine what photographers used prior to these advances. Anyways...I digress.



A Drop In The Ocean - Selective ColourI like this picture and is the first attempt at a pseudo-artistic photo enhancement. Treated entirely in Lightroom, I wanted a sort of surreal look without loosing the authenticity of the image (whatever that means). This image consists of 2 versions. One is nearly black and white while the other has been desaturated a quite a bit and colours selectively added to certain elements.



So folks, please take a look at both the versions of the image and let me know which one appears stronger...basically which one is the keeper! Either way, I hope you like at least one of them. As normal, any critiques/comments/suggestions are welcome.

Additional Information: Photo taken in natural setting in Sandy Beach Motel in Fujairah (U.A.E.). Fujairah is weekend getaway destination and is about 1.5 hour drive from Dubai.

Oh...and by the way, here is the original
A Drop In The Ocean - Original
Charles

Friday 17 April 2009

Out Of The Shadows....Into The LIGHT!

I have had my blog running for some time now. First on Wordpress (which currently on standby) and then here on blogspot/blogger. I used to think that there wouldn't be anyone interested in my 'happenings' and therefore chose to occasionally post something without announcing or even linking to it from my website. I still haven't placed a link from my site. I guess that will come in due time.

What do I do with a blog anyways???

This year I participated in the Gulf Photo Plus 2009 (GPP) event as an assistant to a Bobbi Lane, who happens to be a world recognized portrait photographer with a teaching experience of over 30 years. Great fun and learning experience. At GPP they have an event called 'Photo Friday' which offers a bunch of near entry level workshops that just about anyone can attend. I decided to attend one called Making the Web Work for You whose panel included the likes of Chase Jarvis, David Hobby & David Nightingale. Great contemporary photographers!

During the workshop I told Chase that I had a blog for some time now and was wondering what to do with it. Well, he basically kicked it into me that I was doing the 'Ostritch head in the sand' thingy (which I now found out isn't true). What he did was demonstrate that I had come to the social networking party and decided to stand in one corner, alone and with my face towards a blank wall!! The laughter of the class left me a little embarrased but i decided not to dwell on this and take from it as much positives as I could. Chase meant well and did force me to re-think my views about my blog postings.

Another few points brought by the panel were about Twitter & keeping my site/blog updated with updates/new postings. A great eye-opener for me.

Another thing noticed was the fact that many of these photographers offer or share their knowledge and experience in photography willingly and (to a certain extent) freely. I had up until quite recently wanted to keep my knowledge of photography as close to me chest as possible. But having watched and learned from these people, I feel that I would like share the little knowledge that I have to anyone who is thirsty for this cup. It will be my way of giving back to both GPP and the photographer/instructors that attend this annual event.

So, with that said, I have now decided to start, in earnest, regular updates to my site. I intend on first posting stuff about me, my life and some of my photography. Later, I will attempt to offer techniques I use in some of my set ups.

What would you like to see on this blog? I welcome your brickbats & roses and hope to learn from them as well. Stay tuned for further updates...

Charles