Return of the Native....

It's been a great week - my very good friend and Godfather to my son came on an all too brief visit and managed to get me to put down my camera for a few days and go out bird watching...

Here is Nick enjoying the bird action around the Dhow Harbour in Abu Dhabi. I've known this guy for longer than I care to mention - we worked on Nature Reserves together and share a passion for the Natural World; it was certainly a treat to go out birding again and find a few species... He also managed to bring the rain all the way from the UK - so thanks for that mate...







The problem is of course that birding in the UAE is difficult at best - most birds here are only found on passage so could turn up anywhere. You have to trudge through this...

and when you have a boot full of sand, the birds are the ones you saw yesterday... We did have some good things though... so all wasn't lost...

In addition to Nick being a fine naturalist, he is also a good photographer - we have shot weddings together, so when I was booked to carry out a corporate staff photo shoot last Tuesday, Nick kindly came and acted as as assistant - basically advising subjects where to stand and helping sort out the lighting - what a good guy!

That shoot went well - all the subjects were professional and co-operative and the client feedback has been positive. The shots were basically this sort of staff portrait.

Lighting was from 3 separate speedlights controlled remotely by my Nikon D200. Once the levels were set it was simply a case of moving people into position and firing off a couple of shots. I chimped to make sure eyes were open and that was that... After a shoot in the Dubai office we were raced round to an office in Sharjah and then to a further office also in Sharjah... It was an enjoyable shoot, the client was a nice guy and helped make the day work. It always helps when this happens...

Of course after the shoot I had to PP the images but that was painless...








So apart from that shoot I have been birding for most of the week - and here I add a note - we are not twitchers - we are birders - there is a huge difference... I'll explain it if you want...

Once Nick departed on Thursday morning I went out for a walk around our Corniche (you know the one I always walk round) and found some cool plants to capture... showy flowers and grasses coming into flower - I liked the way they came out...

This is the first I shot and as always, took loads hoping to ensure I had at least one usable image. Using fill-flash enabled me to make the plant stand out against the background and using a relatively large aperture reduced the depth of field. Once downloaded I adjusted the contrast and brightness to give the colours some punch. Increasing the sharpening also made the picture more dynamic.

Compositionally, I placed the main flower on the bottom left rule of thirds node and the foremost bud on the top right node to balance the image. They also make a diagonal line through the image, linking all parts together.

                                               

The second image - showing an ant on a similar flower is another favourite from today. I like the fact that the ant is carrying honeydew on its abdomen and it is off back to the colony with the prize... Composition again is by rule of thirds and focus was careful to keep the ant sharp. Depth of field is vital when shooting such small subjects so a very small aperture was chosen... As before many images were taken before one was acceptable...

And on to my favourite of the three...grass in flower

As soon as you get down low the world changes - this is how the ant must see things - hairs on the stem must seem like great branches to be overcome. I also like the subtlety of colours - pinks, yellows, silvers all mixed together.

Once again I adjusted the contrast to make the background darker. This makes the grass stand out more, gives it punch...

There are some more macro and natural history shots appearing HERE so if you have the urge have a look and tell me what you think.

For all these shots I was using my favourite macro combination of Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 60mm f2.8 AFD and Nikon Speedlight SB-600, and shooting hand held. Macro shots like this are great fun to do - grasses look out of this world when seen in close up - the key is to fill the frame with the smallest of subjects so the viewer sees things they may never have done so before.

Well to round off a good day I had an enquiry about shooting a wedding later in April - if all goes well, that would be a fun way to see in the Spring...

I hope you have enjoyed this wander through the week of Alex JP Scott Photography - we now have two weeks of Easter Holidays so who knows what may appear here next weekend. Stay tuned for that...

TTFN

...the wells of inspiration...

Well,the week didn't start too well and I had not taken many pictures at all until a trip to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Wednesday. The reason for this trip was to try and get some inspiration for a forthcoming Photography Competition. Subject - "Arts & Aesthetics of Architecture in Abu Dhabi" Locations - the mosque and the Emirates Palace Hotel.  Prizes are very generous so I thought I would have a bash... The Wednesday trip was to have a good scout round and look for locations etc - pictures taken won't be the final ones, I just needed some inspiration... Did I get some? Well I will post a few here. and you can let me know if you want...

Just a few...

I think the images are "pretty" enough but maybe not strong enough to win a competition - especially when the subject is photographed to death every day and lends itself to photography. Closing date is middle of May so I have plenty of time to shoot, shoot, and shoot some more.  

Whilst working around the mosque, I was tempted to capture some tourists in my usual photo-journalist style...

My usual tutorial was postponed this week which gave me a free day. Actually they are really enjoyable, so I missed the chance to talk photography for 2 hours or so whilst sitting in my favourite Arabian Cafe... never mind... there is always next week.

Well, whilst shooting at the mosque, I received an email with another booking - for Wednesday night, to cover a school play in Abu Dhabi... These sort of occasions are always fun to shoot; the children love to perform and everyone is having a good time... If they manage to get the lighting right then some rewarding images are available...

Not to mention some interesting but not too surprising candid moments...

Of course the downside of shooting this sort of event is that you now have several hundred images to sift through, pick the best and then edit. Some people really resent this part of photography, but it is just part of the process - the image straight out of the camera is only 50% complete, post processing is and always has been in integral part of creating a picture. Finding the finished image is part of the skill in photography...sorting out the crop and then deciding the changes is fun... just tiring!! :)

The results can be rewarding though..

Oh I nearly forgot - can you guess which play they were putting on? Here is a clue...

So we come to the end of the week - next week welcomes a mate for a few days, so maybe some interesting UAE images for the next blog and I do have a shoot in Dubai and Sharjah next Tuesday which should be fun.

Hope you all have a good week and I shall leave you with one of my own personal favourites from the morning spent at the Mosque...

Hope to see you all next week... check out my Face Book page - here...Alex JP Scott Photography and if you haven't already done so, give a LIKE should you feel so inclined...

TTFN

It's not dark yet, but it's getting there...

So, to follow from last week's blog the week started with the beginning of the School Brochure shoot and regulars to my Face Book page will have seen some of the results - at least one more day's shooting is needed to tidy up loose ends and cover subjects not yet completed. Some subjects readily lend themselves to photography - games, drama, art to name but three; however, the more academic subjects are much more problematic - people studying are people studying regardless of what subject they are reading about. Additionally, should these subjects become more animated and venture into the realms of roll-play they immediately look like drama...hummm... I think you get the drift here.

Here is one of my favourites from this week... from a drama lesson...

The beginning of the week saw some of the students receive their first external exam results. They all did brilliantly and the look of relief on the faces was a joy...

And it was with this good feeling I set off round the school, Nikon in hand to find some lovely pictures of happy students enjoying their school days...

...and after a couple of days shooting I took a break for some much needed editing and sorting. During this I went for a "clear the head" walk around our Corniche. Now a month or so ago I was walking around the island when I came across a western reef egret fishing on the rocks. It was foggy at the time and the air over the sea had a mystical feel to it. Still clutching Nikon in hand I watched the bird as it took off, ghost-like over the sea. All the time I watched it I was thinking "That's a good picture" whilst making no effort to raise my camera to my eye and take it... !  This time I managed to get off a few shots - the lack of fog robbed me of the atmosphere which really made the previous shot; so I dropped an image into Photoshop and had a play. Several images resulted and my favourite is...

Another day shooting in the school (well morning as I don't work in the afternoons as a rule). Hopefully that will be the end of the images - only some pp will tell... Whilst wandering around the corridors of the school I was taken with some door designs... to celebrate International Book Week, classes and offices alike have been asked to decorate their doors with their favourite book covers... Here is a one of my favourites...

Amazing what people will do if it avoids working!!! (just kidding guys...)

After all this excitement I received a phone call from a Real Estate Agent booking me to initially photograph his office staff in Dubai and Sharjah  - hopefully this will expand to his Abu Dhabi office as well and then some bookings for property shoots - fingers crossed for that. And later this month I may get a booking confirmed to shoot the advertising images for a local swimming academy (lets hope eh?)...

Well after that excitement, I managed to get out and about for my own fun today (Thursday). An hour was spent at the Dhow Harbour and fish market in Abu Dhabi. Now this is one of my favourite places for photography in the city - it has a vibrancy and a fascination all its own; it shows a different life from the modern, cash-centric life that predominates this Emirate, and its position, adjacent to the sparkling Corniche with all the modern high-rise, just give more emphasis to its unique appeal. Hey, it's an old bit of a city that wants the world to think it's all new... Visitors to my Face Book page will have seen some pictures I have taken there both in the past and today, but here are some more...

 An old dhow steams past the Corniche on its way back from a fishing trip...

Under construction high-rise tower over a moored dhow...

 New lobster pots are made on the quay side probably to be used tonight...

Adjacent to the dhow harbour is the fish market full of the sights, sounds and smells you would expect from a working market. Lighting in here is tricky but it is possible to get some rewards if you take a bit of time...

Fish awaiting preparation...













For this kind of photo reportage type work I have adapted my gear to help me to remain as anonymous as possible. So I carry one camera body - Nikon D200 with the grip removed, making the body smaller and less obtrusive. Lenses are been reduced to two fast primes - Nikon 50mm f1.8 AFD and Nikon 28mm f2.8 AFD. I also carry a small speedlight just in case (Nikon SB-600 in case you are interested). These are carried in a Billington Hadley Pro shoulder bag which is a lovely old fashioned canvas and leather bag that wouldn't look out of place in the 1920s!!!  It is still a great way to take pictures especially with all the controls set to manual... you have to think...!

So that is about it for this week - hope you have enjoyed the pictures and the bit of editorial... Hope to see you all next week..

TTFN

... But not shooting...

Well the week started with a positive response to the new blog layout - thanks to all those who took their time to mail me their views - much appreciated. With that out of the way and settled, at least for the short term, my mind started to wander onto forthcoming shoots and potential images. I seem to think of nothing else these days...

I have a dance recital shoot this Saturday afternoon in Dubai, so have been scouring the internet for inspiration; no doubt the results will appear here... https://www.facebook.com/AlexJPScottPhotography so stay tuned for those... I also have a school brochure shoot starting tomorrow. This lead me to thinking of some shots I took back in York...like this...

or this...

or this...

Could be the way to go, so stay tuned for the results of that shoot also...

In addition Tutorials have been busy this week - two on Tuesday, one on Wednesday and one on Friday. Fortunately my pupils are enthusiastic and have potential so the teaching bit is enjoyable.  It is also great to see the results of previous lessons and my Tuesday morning pupil is showing great promise...nice one madam!

BUT, with all this planning, researching and teaching what have I been shooting this week? Friday yielded little, but on Saturday I enjoyed wandering around the Qasr al Hosn Festival in Abu Dhabi - some good opportunities, many of which have been on my Face Book page. However, for those of you who don't do social media (come on get with the times guys...) here are a few shots from that event...

The last one is my current favourite environmental portrait, taken with a Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 50mm f1.8 AFD lens with a touch of fill flash from a Nikon SB-600 speedlight. Nice range of tones and sharp through the image.

My usual morning regime involves a wander around the island on which our apartment block is situated. The light varies from amazing to WAYYYYY TOOOOO BRIGHT!!!!! so photo opportunities are limited to getting out at the right time. This week I struck lucky with this...

The unscripted girl gives scale to the image and the calmness of the water is enhanced by her serenity and tranquility. Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AFD.

But really what this blog is about is that up until Tuesday, I haven't shot much at all - indeed the title says it all. I read about photography, assess images, plan forthcoming shoots, try to previsialise images for the school brochure, the dance recital etc. but shoot little. That will change of course on Wednesday and Thursday but the main crux is that being a working freelance involves days of not shooting, just planning shoots...

All my thinking has got my brain whirring  and what I need to do is find my style - really find my style. Viewers of my FB page will be familiar with the variety of images I post - I need to decide on a style and shoot like that... From looking at my own personal shots it seems that Photojournalism is my style... Am I right in that? Let me know what you think...

Interestingly tomorrow will be the first time I have worked on my birthday for a while, this also got me thinking about other days I have worked - the most enjoyable was believe it or not putting up a rabbit fence around the plantation at Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, Lincolnshire, UK in 1996 - so that would have been my 31st birthday. It was a lovely sunny early spring day and I was helping the Assistant Warden to put this fence up. A whole day in good company, on my favourite Nature Reserve...

First day of the shoot seemed to go OK - mountains of pictures to be post processed now... and some more to shoot tomorrow... it never stops...but we do it for the love of it!

And the weekend finally arrives... school brochure shoot is mid way through and the shots are looking OK... my personal favourite at the moment is...

The story of this shoot and more besides will be the subject of next weeks blog so stay tuned for that...

Hope to see you there, keep up to date by clicking here... Alex JP Scott Photography and I hope you all have a good week...

TTFN...