A couple of weeks ago we launched Focus for Humanity – a new Not For Profit foundation that supports photographers and NGOs. This was the subject of of a previous post.. Well today the main annual Foundation grant of $15,000 was formally announced. This helps s a semi-pro photographer turn pro. You can find about more about this or how to apply at Focus for Humanity

Last week was primarily focused on work a “recce” for a Photo workshop down the Nile that Matt Brandon will be leading in October 2011. You can read all about the exciting developments in my last two posts, here , here and here.

But my real news for this week is the launch of a new photography business here in Cairo – The rather grandly named Cairo Photo Group. What we have done is to establish 4 different but interlinked companies that each focus on a much needed area of photography support here in Egypt.

The first is the Cairo Photo School We are very honored to be the first “franchisee” of Gavin Gough’s Bangkok Photo School, looking at teaching travel, street and cultural photography to expats and visitors, as well as the local Egyptians. The school focuses mainly on practical half day or one day workshops exploring Cairo and working on an individual’s requirements. This is supplemented by some classroom work on Lightroom, creative concepts and also studio lighting. Which brings me onto the second company, Cairo Photo Studio.

Cairo Photo Studio is a commercial photo studio run by an up and coming Egyptian photographer, Ramy Salem. Together Ramy and I have created a dedicated photo studio and some classrooms, filled the studio with some great lighting equipment (no mean feat getting hold of this stuff in Egypt) and are mixing the use of the studio for teaching, the rental of the studio to local photographers to explore their own ideas and the commercial use of the studio by Ramy to deliver client work in product, fashion and event photography.

The third company is Cairo Photo Tours. It seemed strange to me that no-one was offering tours or workshops to some of the amazing site and locations around Egypt, so we decided to fill the gap. With guest leaders such as David duChemin, Gavin Gough and Matt Brandon, we will be offering a series of photo tours/workshops with a difference. There will be a strong social responsibility angle to each of the tours. We will be working with local NGOs and charities (including some hopefully chaired by Egypt’s President’s wife, Suzanne Mubarak) and making some donations back into communities that we visit or spend time with.

The first of those – announced today – is an amazing tour down the Nile between Luxor and Aswan that Matt Brandon and I have been investigating.

Based on a luxurious privately chartered Dahabiya we which allows us to stop off the beaten track and explore some of the lesser known temples, ruins and villages. There full overview, some great images, the price, what to bring and how to book are on the dedicated pages on the Cairo Photo Tours site. Other tours we have planned include the Western Desert including spending time living with the Desert tribes at an Oasis, crossing the dunes by 4×4 and camping out under the stars) and the there is also the Cairo Explorer tour – a week of photo opportunities in Cairo, Alexandria and the immediate area.

Lastly we will be opening in the near future a much need service here in Cairo, Cairo Photo Services. Getting hold of camera accessories and support equipment here in Egypt is both difficult and expensive, and yet photography is one of the fastest growing hobbies within Egypt. We are thrilled to be representing both X-rite – whose product we use in the studio, the school and on the tours and THINK TANK PHOTO in Egypt. In the future we will also look to offer a simple rental service of lenses, cameras, tripods, flash accessories etc to help people try out new equipment and to have access to the right gear for special occasions.

Lots going on!

And so begins our challenge. How to uncover the real Luxor, Aswan and Upper Egypt that is not tainted by the tourist dollar, where the offer of tea or food is made out of friendship and without condition – the Egypt that I have come to love and experience.

I am in Luxor in Upper Egypt with Ramy Salem – my Cairo based photography business partner – and Matt Brandon (aka The Digital Trekker) and his delightful family who are holidaying here, but who have generously given up a few days of the family vacation to come and visit some of the locations with Ramy and me.

The idea was simple enough – the first photo workshop in Upper Egypt – but as even Ramy and I, both of whom live here, are realizing the execution is not so simple!

Our aim is to create a workshop that mixes the stunning landscape of the Nile and the Desert with the culture of the region: the ancient temples and tombs of course are world famous, and a must see for anyone visiting here. But our aim is to focus more on the local culture; for example, the difference between the “original Egyptians” of Thebes (now Luxor) and their way of life that is largely unchanged, with the Nubians who live between Aswan and the Sudanese border or the Bedouins of the White and Black Desert in the west.

But to make it a workshop with a difference we have come up with 3 new ideas.

The first of which is that we are looking at hiring either a couple of old large sailing boats or one large Nile cruiser and using this as our base.

Floating down the Nile escaping the heat of the day, with time to process images, do critiques or just relax by the small pool on the top deck, would provide a good balance to the early morning starts and late afternoon photography sessions where the heat and harsh sunlight is replaced by the balmy breeze, wonderful portrait light and villages full of people relaxing after a hard day in the fields. The focus would remain though on a workshop approach – working on technique and vision, allocating time to critique and to learn as well as undertaking a small assignments and a photo essay. Depending on which type of boats we select we could end up with a ratio of 10 students to 3 tour leaders and one or two other professional photographers – one of the highest leader:participant ratios anywhere.

Secondly we are also planning to study how our two tour leaders – hopefully Matt Brandon and Gavin Gough – undertake an assignment for a local NGO. They will lead us through the process of an assignment and then we will all go out for a day, visit the NGO and shoot the assignment. We will donate some of our images to the NGO for them to use in their campaigns.

The third differentiator is that we are looking to provide a “partner program”.

Having been on photo workshops myself I realize how significant a chunk of the annual vacation budget they consume, and yet our loved ones who are perhaps less interested in photography, cannot share those experiences. In Luxor and Aswan there is such a wealth of culture, temples and tombs to provide an ideal alternative program, yet allow the more social times in the evening and lunch to be shared.

Yet nothing here in Egypt is that straightforward. Red tape, bureaucracy and security are given as excuses for something not being possible almost as often as ”Baksheesh” is heard from children seeking cash. Not much can be done without specific permits, and of course although cash always helps to overcome obstacles, this is not our modus operandi. We want to apply and receive the permissions, or visit a village without having to pay extra for that privilege.

Sadly just hiring some 4x4s and going “freestyle” is forbidden, and so although we can and will create a program that unlocks the door to the real Egypt, it does mean that the next few days of research will be full of challenges and frustrations. Already we are thinking that Luxor is just too conditioned and evolved around tourism and whilst it is a great place to start or to end a tour by visiting the Valley of the Kings, Hatchepsuit or Karnak temple, it is not the place best suited to our workshop approach or requirements.

We visit the boats today, and an old village north of Luxor before heading off south at dawn tomorrow on our way to Aswan, where we will explore a massive camel market and the option of each participant living with a Nubian family for a day.

There is so much potential here in Upper Egypt for cultural photography.

If however we are to be successful then we have to break free of a sadly all too familiar global culture where tourism has impacted both positively and negatively a location including that 3-year-old child or village elder whose outstretched hand and plaintive plea “Baksheesh, Baksheesh” is all too familiar.

More to follow in the next day or so.

I felt a little indulgent standing for 20-30 minutes trying pan after pan when there was so much going on around me, but allocating at least this type of time, Gavin explained, is how you master the technique, and how you capture that compelling image.

So I thought I would share a few images as I progressed through the tips that follow. Clearly the early images are not ones that I would normally publish and I have not made any adjustments – they are exactly as shot, but some of you might find it helpful in understanding the tip or learning not what to do! There is a slideshow further down too of more images.

Panning too quickly meant my framing was just off

Gavin taught me a couple of extra things that were really helpful, and I want to share with you. I won’t repeat my earlier post about the settings – 10 tips for mastering panning – the distance, the stance etc – but do read this as it is an integral part of how to master panning – but Gavin did share me with 4 additional tips, the first of which was how to set-up my custom functions correctly, to allow me to rapidly move to panning mode.

I am a Canon user – but I know Nikon will have something similar – so I have 3 custom settings I can record on my Canon 5d Mark II, so I set up C3 for panning. The first thing to do was to set up the camera for a “generic” panning shot – a starting point, if you like.

I switched to TV mode, selected a shutter speed of 1/30, and changed the AF-Drive settings to AI servo and multi-shot. I put the ISO on Automatic, and evaluative metering. Then I went into the Main Menu options and selected from the Yellow settings menu, Custom User Setting>Register, and stored under Mode Dial:C3.

This meant that when I was shooting something in say AV mode on a fixed ISO, with single shot and spot metering and I saw an amazing panning opportunity, I had just 1 turn of the main mode switch, to C3, to be set up for panning. It all means there is just less to worry about – let the camera do the work!

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Mistakenly focusing on the elbow not the face has reduced the impact

The second tip was obvious once Gavin had said it. Keep your focus point welded to the bit you want to stay sharp, throughout the pan. Easier said than done mind you, but this is what will make the face or the hands or the flower that you are focusing on jump out of the picture.

The third tip was to also consider panning in low-light situations, using a flash. The only additional setting here is to select second—curtain shutter for your flash, so that any light trails are behind the subject being panned, not in front! You need to turn the flash down probably 1 or 2 stops – enough to create the effect, but not enough to startle the poor man on his moped with some blinding X-Files like light!

The fourth tip was to pre-select the focal length to the aesthetic you want in the final picture and stick with it. Lets say you have a 24-70mm lens, and you want to take the final shot with the subject large enough in the frame to be interesting, but sill with some negative space or composition elements to make a compelling shot. When you track to the right or left to start your pan, the subject will seem tiny at that focal length. Don’t be tempted to re-adjust the focal length. Leave it on that pre-determined setting, focus on the subject – keeping that focal point on the key area of sharpness that you want – and pan at the same speed as the subject. As the subject reaches your pre-determined point, press the shutter. This sounds obvious, right? I can’t tell you how many times I found myself adjusting the focal length as I was panning!!

Playing around with the flash - not quite there yet!

After that it really is trial and error, making tiny adjustments to the flash or the shutter, depending on the light or the speed of the subject. As you can see from the images in my slideshow, it is harder than it sounds, or maybe I should say I found it harder than it seems!

Practice really does make perfect in the case of panning, and boy, do I need to practice! If you want to see some great examples then head over to Gavin’s blog an check them out.

Pulling it all together, for a decent Panning shot

Gavin is a freelance travel, stock and assignment photographer, who has also established the Bangkok Photo school – which he co founded with Jackie Rado – and additionally runs highly sought after workshops to places such as India, Tibet, And South East Asia.

This past week he has been busy documenting the Thai opposition’s – The Red Shirts – demonstrations against the government (see my earlier post here). Whilst Gavin’s passion is travel photography, the images on his blog of the Red Shirts actions put most of the major news organization with full-time photojournalists firmly into second place.

So what does a workshop with Gavin entail? The format for the one day workshop is very much tailored to the individuals’ needs. For me I wanted to understand the process that Gavin went through in selecting subjects, how he set up his camera, how he tackled metering in difficult lighting situations and any other nuggets of information or advice that he was willing to share.

We met early at Sathorn Pier to catch the water taxi to Bangkok’s main fruit, vegetable and flower market, where we were going to spend the morning session.

One of the things that immediately strikes you about Gavin is that nothing much phases him. There is an inner calm, a genuine enthusiasm for his work and teaching and an irrepressible sense of English humor – which for me as another Englishman was a much-needed tonic! This combination makes for a wonderfully relaxed approach to the workshop, which in turn makes it easy to ask any questions – however dumb and trust me, some of mine really qualified there – to ensure that my high expectations did not turn into frustration, and that both Gavin and I were able to have fun.

We started by reviewing all the different camera settings, ensuring that I was set up for the morning, and Gavin also showed me how to customize the settings to have some default templates set up for panning, bracketing and portraiture.

Then he set me a 5 minute exercise to shoot anything green, but I had to return in 5 minutes with a minimum of 20 images. This seemingly simple task is actually quite challenging. It clears the mind, help you focus on looking at things differently and also ensures you get in to your “groove” from the beginning. It is a great exercise and one I recommend any of you adopt as a way of warming up each time you go out.

Then it was off to wander the streets, with Gavin seeing subjects and ideas, patterns and light that I either missed or ignored. We practiced environmental portraits, head on street portraits, and lots of panning. By the time lunch came around some 3-4 hours later we were both in need of a rest and a chance to review the morning’s images. This is also a critical part of the workshop that Gavin really focuses on – the critique of images and suggestions and advice for things to consider in the afternoon session to improve the quality of the work.

After a couple of hours back at my hotel recharging batteries (both the camera’s and mine), and having a temporary respite form the heat and sun of Bangkok, we met up again for the afternoon session which was based around a visit to Chinatown.

This time Gavin set me an assignment, loosely based on how LIFE magazine used to direct its photographers. We had to get a series of shots as if we submitting a photo story – these compromised of an opening shot that would tell the reader where we were, often used as the cover shot for the story; a portrait, and environmental portrait, a sequence of 3 linked images and a closing shot. A selection of those images, plus some from the morning session are in the slideshow below.

The power of this exercise was as a tool to help me look at things in a more structured and yet more flexible way than I would have done otherwise. It helped me to construct an imaginary story in my mind, and this in turns give me a rhythm to the time spent out wandering around the streets observing the culture.

By the end of the day and with just under 800 images to process, I was ready for a drink, some wonderful Thai food and to sit and chat with Gavin about what I had learned and how I thought I had done.

So many photographers offer workshops these days that it is often difficult to know what to expect and like many things in life the quality and the value vary enormously. It was clear from the get-go that Gavin was different. The pre-course documentation, contact and responsiveness were thoroughly professional. The checking by Gavin at the beginning of the day what I would deem success to be at the end of the day assured me that this was a really tailored experience. The constant banter, the advice and suggestions throughout the day ensured that I remained engaged, motivated and had fun, And of course the critiques at lunch and over dinner were an incredibly powerful and useful mechanism for me to hear what I was doing well and what I can take away to work on further.

I cannot recommend the experience highly enough. Gavin is delightful company; incredibly experienced and your photography can only improve when you spend time with him. You can find out more details about individual courses, group courses and his other week long workshops via his website, www.gavingough.com or the Bangkok Photo School If you live in Asia, you need to find an excuse to route via Bangkok. If you do, be sure to email Gavin in advance, and add a day to your itinerary to experience a brilliant photo workshop.

Red Shirt Demo, Bangkok

The third day of the Red Shirts protests against the Thai government was potentially the day when things would happen. The unrealistic deadline for the government’s resignation had come and gone, and the Red shirts had decided to fan out from their central base at Phan Fa bridge, and take their protests out further into the city.

I had met up with Bangkok based Gavin Gough and Penang-based Matt Brandon to go and see what was happening. Armed with a press pass that gave us unfettered access to the Red shirts central location, we were free to wander and take pictures.

I was struck by how nonthreatening the whole event was. It felt like a cross between a carnival and a high school open day. There was a central stage on which, judging by the crowd’s reaction, populist speeches were being made and all the side streets were lined with make-shift tents, under which the thousands of red-shirts lay sheltering from the harsh sunlight.

Everywhere I went I was greeted with smile, offers of drink, food or a place to rest in the shade. I even had a little boogie with an 85-year-old Grandmother, much to the delight of the crowds and my embarrassment. Below is a sideshow of some of the images. Mouse -over the top of the image for the caption.

The most exciting event was when an electrical short-circuit underneath the bridge caused some rubber to catch fire, sending clouds of acrid smoke into the clear blue skies. Typically of course I was at the other end of the street, but both Matt Brandon and Gavin Gough were there (spot the difference now between the professionals and the amateur!!) and there are some images on their blogs worthy of a look.

All in all I was struck by how few people were there – confirmed by Gavin who had been there on the two previous days – and how quiet things were. A great afternoon, but a little light on drama – probably a good thing!

There were reports of two soldiers being injured earlier in the day when a grenade had been thrown into their barracks, and hopefully that it’s the last of the violence.

I am not sure how the Red Shirts intend to effect the change they desire, but if there political philosophy is anything like I experienced – partying, food, drink and lying in the shade – then I may just get interested in politics again!

Well the truth is, I think I may have mastered the theory…just not its application. For those of you who were kind enough to read my previous posts on the outcome of my review with Ami Vitale, you could say I have mastered the science of panning, just not the art. But since photogrpahy is all about applying the science to create the art, I thought I would continue my trend of sharing the nuggets of advice that I am given as I journey to become a more competent photographer, but also in the hope that it might prove useful information for you and others.

When I was doing some research online, I found lots of information about the basics of panning spread over a wide range of sources, but no concise or easily digestible set of tips – no “a-ha” ideas that would be some secret sauce to successful panning. In fact the most useful tip I got was not from the web at all, but from Matt Brandon (aka The Digital Trekker), who was humble enough to admit that it was Gavin Gough whom had given him the idea!

So as I researched, I jotted down a quick checklist to help improve my chances, because the one thing that all the different sources agreed on was that getting panning right was definitely an art and required lots of practice. So here is the list I collated, pompously entitled “10 tips for mastering panning”, in the vein hope that it might help with my SEO ranking!

1. Go on a 1 day workshop with “Mr Panning”, Gavin Gough. Okay so not all of us can get to Bangkok in the next few months to be able to make this happen, but I did run my checklist by Gavin, and with his blessing, I have included much of his wisdom in this post.
2. Camera Setting: Set the camera to shutter priority mode: TV mode (Canon) or S (Nikon).
3. Shutter Speed: Use the following starting shutter speeds as a guide for different types of panning:

People running – about 1/15th sec.
People walking – about 1/8th sec (NB watch out for increased camera shake!)
Horses/donkey/animals/bicycles etc about 1/15th sec -1/25th sec depending on speed
Motorbikes/Tuk-Tuks/Scooters/Camels about 1/30th sec

4. Drive Mode: Set to multiple exposure if you have it (like a motor-wind). This will allow you to not “lock-up” at the critical moment of pressing the shutter, although you will end up with 20-30 frames – which if you are anything like me, you then can delete about 20-30 of them immediately – but it will increase your chances of getting a great shot especially early on in your panning experience.
5. Stance: This was the tip that Matt Brandon/Gavin Gough shared. Stand at 90 degrees to the line the subject will travel along, with your feet firm. Then rotate your upper body around to where the subject will start from. It feels a little awkward, but as you pan with the subject, so the arc of travel is smooth all the way through the panning, without an awkward twist midway through.
6. Composition: The subject can either be in the centre of frame , although off-centre can work just as well with panning, but then you need to adjust the focusing point to ensure that it’s going to fall over the subject as you’re panning. So move it to the left or the right of the frame, depending on where you think the subject will be. It’s often easier to get the subject in the centre though.
7. Background selection. Choose an interesting background with good colors that will create a nice blurred effect in te final image to help re-inforce the motion in your shot. If you look at my two camel pictures, the image with the red truck is more interesting, but unfortunately the focus is not as good as the second image.
8. Exposure: If you’re shooting against a pre-defined background with consistent lighting then switch to Manual and get the exposure correct by just pointing the camera at the scene where you want to catch the panned object and taking a meter reading. Take a frame, check histogram and adjust manual exposure. Otherwise adjust your exposure as normal after taking some test shots.
9 Focus. If you set the exposure manually, pre-focus and switch to manual focus then all you have to worry about is getting the person/camel/scooter in the frame. Otherwise use the AI servo mode on Canon or the continuous servo AF on a Nikon.
10.Dry Run. Do a couple of dry runs without actually taking a shot. Gavin told me that  ”It’s that “click” that makes people stop moving the camera. Think back to cricket nets, golf driving-range or tennis coaching, it’s all in the follow-through.” This is where the stance and the drive mode can really help, as you can swing through in a smooth arc and not worry about judging the critical moment.

The other piece of wisdom which you will recognise as soon as you go and try is that panning is REALLY HARD! So it does require lots and lots of practise.

So how did I get on?

Well you can see from the images included in this post that I had mixed results. Whilst sometimes I got my panning or my shutter speed right, I then forgot about my composition! The subject is either too early in the frame, there are other distracting elements or the background does not really work or I needed to crop more tightly to get a sense of more involvement.

I did learn that camels bob up and down as they run forwards, which make great panning shots almost impossible as you have two axis of motion to contend with! Secondly the faster a subject is moving (and I am not suggesting that Formula 1 racing cars are therefore the easiest thing to shoot!), the smoother my panning was. For example, the motorbike shots seem to be consistently better in terms of focus and panning effect, whereas the one of the camel herder running is less compelling as there is some camera shake involved too. Whilst the red truck in the second shot of the camel make a much more dynamic picture, the people in the foreground left distract and the camel needs sharper focus. In the first camel picture the sense of motion is there, but now the background is wrong and perhaps the point of focus should have been more on the camel rider rather than the camel.

Ho hum! It’s all part of the learning experience.

The best outcome  though of this was that my confidence increased enormously.  If ever you needed proof that obsessing about technique does not lead to great photographs then my morning session doing panning is living proof! Whilst understanding the “science” or theory helped to ensure the “mystique” of great panning was removed, it reinforced the realization that to get really good at this was going to require practice. A lot of practice!

I  am, like many of you, short of time. I cram my photography onto the end of a 80-90 hour working week, a young family and endless long-haul travel. Photography is my release mechanism, and it allows me to relax. Well up to the point where I don’t get frustrated by messing up a potentially great image or oversleeping and missing the golden hour of light after dawn! I think I am – well, at least up until the review – pretty good at taking the time to build a relationship with my photo subjects – in fact it was one of the things that Ami said I did well. I am comfortable getting in close with a short lens, or sitting in a coffee shop for an hour or two chatting in my limited Arabic or letting them take pictures of me with a point and shoot. The type of images I had shown her suggested a real rapport had been built with the subjects. So I was feeling pretty good about that!

But Ami had a very simple yet profound piece of advice. Slow Down. I mean REALLY slow down. Still More. Much More. The images I had shown her were competent – one or two were even really good – but by giving myself more time to think, to create a context and to see in camera what I always saw too clearly afterwards in Lightroom, would make a massive difference to my images. In fact, she suggested,  I was probably putting pressure on myself because I thought that unless I had a great image from that week’s outing, I was squandering opportunities. And of course I was, but not as I thought because of lack of technical competency, but because I wasn’t giving myself the time – the space – to really see the potential around me. Slowing down, would transform how I saw things, she promised.

Let me illustrate this with one of my images that we reviewed – The Matriarch (top left). I thought I had done a pretty good job of slowing down. I had put the camera down, engaged the man in the background about his work engraving Sheesha pipes. I had even discovered that the woman in the picture had no English but some basic Italian, was the mother of the man in the background and two others out of shot. I showed her some of my pictures on my iPhone and then she asked me to take her picture.

So here I was with a heaven sent opportunity and what did I do? By Ami’s standards I rushed. I shot maybe 50 frames, bracketing for the light and changing my position for different compositions. But in the image I submitted for review, I didn’t take enough time to look around inside the frame. If I had I would have spotted the lines coming out of the matriarch’s head and the big v-shaped gap between mother and son that, although he is looking at her, is actually creating a divide between them. Whilst Ami commented that the light was good, we both knew that used differently, it could have created a superb image.

And Ami’s suggestion? Since the woman had asked for her photo to be taken, then you set the pace. Slow down, take the time to look at where you want her to sit. Ask her to move so that you get the composition and light you want. Say something like “I want this to be a beautiful picture, so let me just figure out the best place to put you so we make the best use of the avilable light.” Bingo. Suddenly the light is less difficult to meter, perhaps more dramatic; the lines coming out of her head have disappeared; the relationship is more contextual and it is likely with the re-framing that the space between them would be more intimate. Suddenly this is the image I had visualized (but failed to execute!) of the proud mother, hard working son, wonderful light and environmental portrait all wrapped up.

Now compare that image with two other images of the same subject, shot at the same time (middle left and bottom left), but where I remember taking more time and care over the framing. I am not for one minute suggesting these are compelling images, but they do feel different and they do address some (not all) of Ami’s points above. The obvious question – to which I have no ready answer – is why didn’t I submit one of these other images!

So slowing down can have a big impact on the aesthetics, but it might also mean shooting 15 frames rather than 50 of a subject. It might mean getting up before dawn to be at the Camel Souk before first light, so that as the sun rises and the days trading begins you are already part of the landscape and people have already come to accept you. It might mean focusing on a single subject or not taking a picture at all, but going to a location a day early and just observing or understanding or building a relationship or trust.

Like many of you I have read some compelling books recently like Visual Poetry by Chris Orwig or Within the Frame by David duChemin, and they reinforce similar ideas, including allowing yourself a change of pace to start seeing what is around you. It might be a pattern, a reflection, a shaft of light or some tonal similarities that catch your eye.  Your ability to create compelling images then is as much about awareness as it is about technique or kit. “Gear is good, vision is better” as David duChemin would say.

Now admittedly yours and my definition of slowing down and Ami’s are slightly different.  I was chatting to Gavin Gough about this and he made me laugh when he said “You or I think that putting down our camera and chatting to a market stallholder about his fruit is slowing down or building a relationship. Ami takes this to a whole new level and goes and lives in Kashmir for 6 months so that she can immerse herself in the culture”. Yet it is no accident that the likes of David duChemin, Gaving Gough and Matt Brandon – who all know Ami well – hold her in such high regard for her ability to see different opportunities or different potential in a situation that they, despite their experience, their ability and their own vision, might shoot differently. Slowing down then it would suggest, helps to remove barriers and allows you to have more control over the creative process and the aesthetic of the image. And that starts to be differentiating.

In the next post we will look at Ami’s second theme -”having a reason to be there” – and why this together with context impacts your ability to make compelling images

Please do feel free to retweet or share this image by clicking on the icon below. Ami’s wisdom is too beneficial to languish just on this post.

According to Gavin’s own post . they’ve arranged the trip to “coincide with the most auspicious bathing day, on April 14th, when the river Ganges will be the centre of attention for tens of thousands of eager devotees. Indeed, on the last such day, in 2001, five million Hindu pilgrims participated. It is difficult to comprehend the numbers involved, imagine the entire population of both Paris and Rome converging on the banks of the Seine on the same day. It promises to be a memorable event and it will be a privilege to witness it. The next Kumbh Mela won’t take place until 2013 so you will appreciate that opportunities like this don’t come along very often.”

Not only this this be an amazing spectacle, but it is almost like a 2 for 1 deal. Both Gavin and Matt are two of the world’s leading and most respected travel and humanitarian photographers. Their blogs are followed by thousands, their teaching and courses a have an awesome reputation and their workshops are always over-subscribed. But what will make this trip for any of you lucky enough to get this place will be the fun relaxed atmosphere these two will have. They are close friends, very relaxed and humble, with extensive knowledge of living and working in India, so you know that this is going to be the most amazing trip with some amazing people. You might even get the odd good snap too!

I’d be signing up like a shot if I wasn’t already booked to go on a workshop with David duChemin, a week or so later! But don’t tarry. If you are interested get your name in today! Places will go faster tan you can press send!

You can get all the details over on either Matt or Gavin’s blogs

With Digital cameras and flights getting ever cheaper, the increase in photo tourism is inevitable. Gavin refers to his post as a diatribe. I think that is a little harsh, but diatribe or not it needs saying, and when it comes from the likes of Gavin and Jeffrey Chapman it has far more resonance. Go read the post. it is a passionate piece and a great read.

I have noticed here in Egypt that if you behave like a tourist you get treated like a tourist. Every approach is reciprocated with a hand asking for cash. It is a sort of “if you want to exploit me then I am only to happy to exploit you” sort of exchange.

But if you stop, get engaged and act as a human being and show a real interest, compassion and respect it becomes a different world. It starts with a smile, the offer of a cup of tea and before you know it you have passed an hour or two, hand gesturing your way through a conversation. And the reward…sometimes its a photo, but even if not it is a deeper understanding of their world through their eyes.

The photo above of the young girl came as a result of 2 hours of conversation, lunch with the family and, when they were used to me, THEY asked me to take photos of them. This was one from a whole series taken during a second visit with some friends.

I always carry a small portable printer. It is amazing the reaction to a quick print on a Pogo printer (available in the store under printers here) – you are often in danger of being adopted and chided if you miss a weekly visit thereafter! Where possible I always go back and take them some printed photos, or some tea or something they can’t get.

And of course by stopping, observing and listening you listen with your eyes and your ears….and that’s when the magic happens (or in my case where my technique results in a lost iconic image!),

Its early days for me in my photography journey, but I have learned so much from reading the blogs of people like Gavin. My experience of Egypt – the real Egypt – is ten times what I thought it would be. And all because, through photography, I am getting out there and experiencing local life….and occasionally as a bonus getting the chance to shoot some pictures.

If your not familiar with Gavin’s work, it can be viewed at www.gavingough.com. I think his work is similar in approach to David DuChemin, Mitchell Kanaskevitch and Matt Brandon – focusing on the story telling, the connection with the individual, and exploring the use of light to capture the emotion of the moment. Gavin’s style is subtly different from the others and his fast growing reputation as a mentor/teacher through his Bangkok based School of Photography and the workshops that he runs, ensure that he has a significant and dedicated following. That means that these workshops will sell out VERY quickly.

The workshops on offer in this new series sound amazing – and if I wasn’t already booked on an April workshop in Italy with David Du Chemin, and I could justify the additional time off work, I would be booking today!!

The Thailand trip that Gavin outlines in his latest blog provide a taste of what promises to be an extraordinary trip.  He has even posted a video of his recce (see below), and it shows the most amazing photo opportunities, including a train that runs right the way through the middle of a bustling market – literally through the middle of it. Rather than copy from his excellent blog I recommend that you go and read it. A form to subscribe for his newsletter and to apply for the workshop is on the post.

As a teaser I have linked to the YouTube video that he uploaded. Whomever is lucky enough to go on this workshop is going to have an amazing time. Now I wonder whether I can swing a trip with work to the far east in early December….