Cairo Photowalk – A big opportunity missed
I use this blog to share my thoughts, opinions and journey. I try to be honest, I try to be balanced and I try as much as possible to be positive and upbeat. However just occasionally there is also the need to share accounts of things that are perhaps less perfect, in the sincere hope [...]
Are you in denial? Is Cairo just a pretension?
Thankfully my day job is not as a comedian. Sorry! The “de-Nile” joke is pretty over used isn’t it, but its late and I needed something for the title. I bet Google would have preferred something different too! Last week, I announced the launch of the Cairo Photo Tours, part of a new and active [...]
I took that image – inspiration or plagiarism?
One of the challenges that I guess many of us face on a photo workshop is finding the unique angle or shot that allows our own style or approach to be translated into a compelling image, especially when 8 other of your new found photo friends are standing next to you trying to create the [...]
Jodphur, Burano and a Nubian Village – how color overcomes the desert sands of Egypt
One of the facts about Egypt that is hard to ignore is that the sand gets everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Heaven help you if you leave a window open, or a door ajar. It is that incredibly fine sand that seems to be able to permeate every nook and cranny, but also leaves a calling card of fine yellow dusting across everything it touches.
If you can imagine the world covered in sandpaper – slightly abrasive but ensuring that everything else is beautifully smooth -then this is close to what it is like living in Egypt! In fact, on second thoughts, it makes me wonder why Egypt’s main export is cotton and not sandpaper!
Heat, luxury and a land of opportunity – How Egypt offers great workshop potential
At 50c, a Canon 5d Mk2 becomes too hot to handle! Literally and figuratively. The L series lens with their metal fittings burn the hands and the camera body itself is uncomfortably hot. Sweat gets into the eyes and onto the palms making it difficult to see the settings or make any adjustments.
But, despite this, we are striking a rich seem of cultural images.
The clash of culture and tourism in Upper Egypt
The scene is almost biblical. The earthen streets, the half naked child peering out of the mud brick house or the old man resting on a simple wooden bed against a bright blue wall. Right up to the point where the child runs out and says “Hello. One dollar. Baksheesk”. Not even the usual “Welcome [...]
How to create order from disorder through split toning
I am slowly – all too slowly – working my way through the 5000+ images that I took in Italy earlier this month during the Italy Within The Frame workshop with David duChemin and Jeffrey Chapman, and one thing is for certain is it has helped me to optimize my Lightroom workflow! Most of the [...]
Italy Within The Frame – Day 9 – Burano
Burano is a small island on the outer reaches of the Venetian Archipelago that few people bother to visit. The nearer and more famous island of Murano with its tradition of glass blowing and the manufacture of its distinctive colored glass objects d’arts, seems to be more of a magnet for the tides of tourists [...]
Italy Within The Frame-Day 8-Venice
Venice is a city in trouble. Few of us will have failed to read over the years the stories that Venice is sinking. This once grand trading city state, that dominated merchant trading for centuries, and yet has manged to retain much of its medieval and renaissance character today, is fighting a losing battle against [...]
Italy Within The Frame – Day 7 – To Venice by Train
Crossing Italy by train today as we move from Camogli to Venice has given me the chance to catch up on a preliminary sort of the nearly 5000 images I took last week. It is odd to review a body of work taken over such a short period of time and to begin to see [...]
Italy Within the Frame – Day 6 – Portofino
The Italian Riviera has for years been a playground for the rich and famous. The once quiet fishing villages where time and modern convenience had for so long passed by without the most casual of glances, have been transformed into chic resorts, full of designer boutiques, restaurants and bars advertising or sponsored by a leading [...]
Italy Within The Frame – Day 5 – San Fruttuoso
There is something magical about arriving at a new place by boat. I am not sure whether it is the stirring of an evocative past of transatlantic steamers voyaging to the New World or the throwback to family holidays where the ferry – however rusty and battered – magically transported us from reality to vacation [...]
Italy Within The Frame- Day 4 -Camogli
As we left Monterosso for Camogli this morning it seemed that we were leaving behind a landscape of opportunity, color and precariously perched towns that seemed to be just a momentary lapse away from sliding into the rocky Ligurian coastline. How wrong can you be – well about the color and opportunity at least! As [...]
Italy within The Frame – Day 3 – Manarola and Vernazza
Day 3 of our Italy Within The Frame with David duChemin and Jeffrey Chapman began at our now customary leisurely pace, with a short train ride through the tunnels and along the dramatic Cinque Terre coastline, to the second of the Cinque Terre towns that we were visiting, Manarola. The tiny train station sandwiched precariously [...]
Italy Within The Frame – Day 2 Monterosso
We are using the quaint seaside Cinque Terre town of Monterossa al mare as a base for the next couple of days as we explore the beautiful National Heritage coastline, of Liguria. Inevitably the weight of expectation is beginning to impact most of us. The frustration of being drawn to something initially appealing, but then [...]
Italy within the Frame – Day 1 Genova
The threatened rain had disappeared to leave a warm spring morning as the Italy within the Frame group set out for our first full day of photo workshop, in Genova, Italy. David duChemin and Jeffrey Chapman are organized a very gentle paced walk around the old streets of Genova, helping direct us through the narrow [...]
Italy within the Frame – Day minus 1
The months of waiting for the chance to spend a week in Italy, immersed in exploring my own personal photographic vision “within the frame”, have finished and we are now in Genova, with David duChemin and Jeffrey Chapman. This morning – before the main group arrived – I went out with Jeffrey Fielding to wander [...]
Finding the Light with Manny Librodo
Whilst I was in Bangkok, I managed to meet up with Manuel J Librodo (Manny), who currently lives here but originally hails from the Philippines. Manny’s unique style of image making and post-processing have given him an amazing brand and reputation – particularly in Asia and the Middle East. His workshops sell out in days, [...]
More panning tips from a day with Mr Panning
I blogged a few weeks back about my attempts to master panning, and of course as part of the 1 on 1 workshop with Gavin Gough that I blogged about yesterday, I took every opportunity to quiz the master – Mr Panning himself – on some more tips! I felt a little indulgent standing for [...]
Bangkok Photo School workshop with Gavin Gough
During my trip to Bangkok, I added an extra day so that I could meet up with locally based freelance travel photographer, Gavin Gough for a 1 on 1 workshop. Gavin is a freelance travel, stock and assignment photographer, who has also established the Bangkok Photo school – which he co founded with Jackie Rado [...]
Off-camera flash and reflectors – a day of learning
I don’t know if you are anything like me, but if I am really uncomfortable with something I always find an excuse to put it off or give something else a higher priority. I justify to myself that this is really me being efficient – giving focus to the “must do” tasks and deprioritizing the “should [...]
Proof that panning shots are art not science
Following my post yesterday on 10 tops tips for panning I thought I had better go and swallow some of my own medicine and practice some panning. I had a free couple of hours this morning, so I went out into the chaos that is mid-morning Cairo, and stood on a street corner for a [...]
10 tips for mastering panning
Lets me say right out of the gate that I have not mastered panning and I am certainly in no position to teach others how to do panning – as these images clearly show! So why, many of you are now asking, have I got the gall to write a blog post that suggests I [...]
How to make compelling travel images with Ami Vitale – Critique review Part 4
This is the 4th and final part of the series that shares the insight, advice and feedback that I got from Ami Vitale, during my recent Compelling Image portfolio review. What started out with the intention of being 4 short posts, ended up as 4 essays – sorry about that. Got kind of inspired and [...]
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