A Drop In The Ocean

A 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.



I 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

Charles

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

Finally, A Strike !

Hi Folks!

It started to rain here in the UAE. Many of you might be thinking...WTF? This guy seems like someone who hasn't seen rain before. Well, 'course I have seen rain before, but living in the Emirates, rain in any quantity is a reason to celebrate.

The morning was showing around 38 degrees. I think every one was basically in a foul mood...something to do with the onset of summer, coupled with the general dismal outlook on the global financial front. Come evening, there was the usual honking and screeching brakes on the nearby signal. I decided to take my evening (if 8pm is considered evening) walk.

I was pleasantly surprised by the overcast skies. I think that put a smile on my face. During my first lap around the park, I noticed flashes of light. Lightning?? Naah! A few minutes later.....another one...definitely lighting. At this point the streaks were not visible, but I could see the glows. The frequency and intensity were increasing. 'Let me finish my first lap', I thought to myself....it might go away....as unsettled weather does here in Dubai and Sharjah.

By end of the first round, it was still there. F**k the walk...I'm gonna go storm chasing. Well....not in the true Mid-Western US sense of the word, but more like a 'Hey...A perfect excuse not to finish my walk' sense of the word. So I decided to head back to the house. Pack my gear and head out. By gear, I mean, a tripod and camera. All excited at the thought of capturing my first lightning strike, I rushed out of my apartment only to discover a heavy downpour!

Not one to be deterred by foul weather I decided to go out for a drive in the rain....which as always is fun. Dubai & Sharjah have a well reputed clogged system (you might vaguely call it a drainage system) that allows paper boats and all manner of trash to float around for days. I love the puddles. The 4WD loves it. I mean, you have to only live here for a year to understand our love for water or basically, just wettness. I think it had started raining (heavily) for about 5 minutes now and already the 'little lakes' on or beside the roads were above ankle level.

Drove around a bit and decided to stop behind a local fish market. The rain decided to do the same. Great...now I could setup as originally planned. By now, of course, the streaks were taking on nature's true magnificence. I struggled to find a good composition for my FIRST LIGHTNING SHOT. This was something I had yearned to do for over a couple of years as a photographer, but either never got 'round to doing it and was lucky enough to capture on the sensor. Lightning or thunder storms come rarely in the UAE...much like it's sister - rain!

I setup the tripod and plopped my camera on it. I started clicking. I took several photographs of the scene. But each exposure revealed that I had just either missed the strikes or captured the glow of an internal streak. I was naturally quite disappointed. Decided to keep at it though. The rain was starting her second act.



Then I got one......My first picture of a lightning streak captured by my camera. I mean...not a great shot...but a small little trophy for me.

This next one is much better. It definitely shows a streak all the way down to the ground. This... I call my FIRST STRIKE! Not the best lightning picture I have seen....not even close to being good by my standards...but good enough for my first real attempt.

The weatherman says that it will continue to be unsettled over the next few days. I hope that it does and mother nature will give me a few more chances to dance in the rain and capture some beautifull lightning images.

Please let me know what you think and how I might be able to improve my shots.

Ciao

Charles

Originally posted at blog.charlesverghese.com on 2008-03-26 @ 05:01:41 pm (GMT +4)

An Addition To My Cap

I have decided to add modeling and fashion photography to the list of my abilities as I am gaining confidence and experience in this area. The initial reason that I got into photography was because I loved taking candid photographs of people in a wide variety of situations. Back in the day, I used a simple point-and-shoot (PNS) and the results were interesting and people liked the results.As soon as I took up photography as a profession (around 2005), I found that these simple pleasures were not as easy as it was with aPNS camera. The main reason being personal friends and family didn't and wouldn't care about the quality of the picture. In a professional environment, you have to look at where the focus is, wonder if the lighting is adequet for the scene or subject, if the model is properly covered, is the angle and expression the best, etc etc. The more you leave things to chance, the more you end up either re-shooting or spending dumbening (is that a word) number of hours on the computer trying to fix flaws.

I am in the process of uploading new model/fashion related images into my gallery on the website. I should have the 'People' section updated within this week. Please take a look at the pictures and welcome any constructive criticism to help improve my results. I have received a few comments on previous images but neglected to approve them in time. I hope to keep this in check from now on.

Ciao

Charles

My Strobist Post

Addressed to David Hobby of Strobist fame commenting on some negative feedback on his article/essay about offering free photography services

Hi David,

I have been an avid reader ever since I met (....well, actually saw you and heard you speaking while out in the corridor on the last day) you at the Gulf Photo Plus 2008 event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At the time, I had heard about and briefly gone over your site. Frankly, I didn't "get it" until I took Joe McNally's workshop. I actually showed up to the workshop with my 'strobes', which were actually a couple of portable studio lights in a large duffel bag. Only later did I realize that 'strobes' were actually the camera mounted flashes....Hmmm...No wonder Joe looked at me funny!!!

My eyes were opened by what could be done with strobes. I renewed my acquaintance with STROBIST, which then took on a whole new light. I learned a lot from your site (though haven't fully put this information to good use). I read everything you post as if I was just starting out in photography. I love the passion you put into this site and the reason you post.

With the exception of the last month or so, I have followed your posts and tutorials keenly (though silently...a lurker!). I felt that I wanted to learn as much as I could (and boy, have I) from the site before posting comments and interacting with the site & your readers. BUT, some of the comments on this post and from the other sites (you mentioned above) forced me out of lurking.

In my opinion, a lot of the negative comments come from readers who have either just read the title and or briefly skimmed over your post without fully understanding what you actually said.

My take on what you said is, to offer a 'free' service to the market....

- where you are 'creating' an interesting assignment for yourself, where one didn't exist before
- while pointing your photography business in the direction you want it to go
- in order to market yourself (or services)
- while expanding and/or diversifying your portfolio
- in which you control the shoot completely
- to make use of your down time (for whatever reason)
- all the while making it clear to your subject/client that the work CANNOT be used commercially without authorization
- to show your targets your artistic/technical prowess (interpreted thought)

AND (last but not least...)

- as you are a photographer and you love 'making photos' (i interpreted that one all by myself!)

So, I don't really think you are:

- simply offering to do an 'assignment' for FREE (not especially a commercial one)
- stealing another photographer's potential earning
- undermining the industry as this is something that YOU ARE CREATING for yourself

Maybe, I am a little too idealistic, but I think that some of us photographers (me included) have forgotten why we became one. Or maybe, just maybe, not realized the purity of what we are doing. Guys, I say, let your art/profession bring you your earnings. We are living in a dynamic world and if we start pointing fingers or become 'nay-sayers' we stand to loose our footing in the ground we gain as professionals.

I started out in photography because I loved to try and share my image of the subject I was capturing. Somewhere along the way I went commercial...a natural course, I'd say. Strobist has renewed my inspiration to share and give (while not being taken advantage of). Though I am have started earning a decent income in the UAE, you guys (David, Chase Jarvis and a few others) have opened my eyes to charity/volunteer work. I hope to shoot stuff that inspires me to the next level, helps the community/people/causes around me, try to become more 'human' and keep my love for photography growing.

One thing I would like to suggest is that you (the photographer) should clearly make known a list of your terms and/or conditions early on in the dealings. Hey David, maybe one of the things the post could result in is a list of points that a (any) photographer might need to cover if he/she would engage in this kind of work???

By the way, I just switched to full time photography in August this year though I was part-timing for over 3 years. While admitting I am a nobody in the photography world, I am not afraid of "free" photographers. I am no David Hobby, Chase Jarvis, Joe McNally or Vincent Laforet but I know that there are enough clients here (Dubai / Sharjah) to hire me because of what I can commercially offer them. I hope to earn even more doing the thing I love!

Photography

Thanks David for all you have done so far and wait to hear more from you.

Charles Verghese
Photographer
(Posted a copy of this on my own blog which I started a little while ago - blog.charlesverghese.com)