The Pano Day

Well, it was a busy day. I've been taking the panoramas around the B&B and some of them were done more than once just to check for the luminance level and if the HDR got them right. I've ended up doing most of them onISO 800, meaning a lot of work is waiting for me when I get back home. However, I think I need to take a couple more of panoramas from some locations in and out of the B&B.

Corridor

After each session I would try out the HDR merging and/or stitching just to see the potential for these panoramas. The panorama for Corridor is not a full panorama though but around 180^o degrees, and just for fun, I've included myself in the mirror; I was thinking of cropping that out in fact.
One of the lessons learned today is, away from the metering struggles, I could simple settle with a definite limit for the bracketing (for HDR) simply by checking the brightest area in the scene, and check at what shutter speed the details show nicely in the spot. Then, consider this shutter speed as the -2EV or -3EV point, and 2- or 3-stops to that shutter speed and make that point as the 0EV, and simply spread the bracket 2 or 3 stops around the 0EV (by default as it is in Canon).
Example: Fixing the aperture at f/8, and checking the some bright spot (in manual mode), the details of the bright spot appear to be nice (using the live view mode or the histogram, or both) appear to be at 50^-1sec shutter speed. If we want to bracket as -2,0,2EV, then we can consider this 50^-1sec as the -2EV point and add two stops to make up for the 0EV point, and that is 13^-1sec (2 stops). From there, just set the bracket on -2,0,2, and the HDR shot sequence should be running at: 50^-1, 13^-1, 0"3sec. Of course this method won't be useful for any situation, but it is just a thought when the details of such bright spots are important, like taking a panorama for the interior with bright windows.  

Yesterday was also a busy day driving with my friends around the island and tried to take as much shots as possible for historical places, bad though I didn't take my panorama tools with me (and it would take lot of time to shoot a panorama). I got myself satisfied with some shots and been experiencing with some of them already.

Basket Maker

The Basket Maker house was shot with Rokinon 8mm, probably at f/8, and of course it is a bracketed shot, and I've decided to do the HDR and convert it into B&W while tone-mapping, and of course some workflow followed in Photoshop. It is one of the shots that I like and I would work on it again back home, hopefully.

I've managed to change my schedule for flying back home and I've made it early and hopefully by October 24^th I will be flying back. I'm trying to surprise mom with my return so I've asked the family not to tell her...

Yonder...

Not bad for a nose job, eh?

Well, a busy week that I don't have time even to upgrade and complete the settings of my new laptop here. Health issues are frequent visitors; headaches, nausea, exhaustion, and the like. Despite the hectic life pace I'm trying to have some fun, as you can see above!

G'faal

The most hectic day if I should say was last Thursday when the group agreed to go to a traditional feast celebrating the ships coming back from long journeys looking after pearls and other goods; as it was in the old days of Kuwait. This day is called Gofaal, or Gaflah, i.e. the ending.
The weather and the condition in general was a bit better than miserable, yet it was awkward anyway. The humidity made it a struggle to step every step, and my eyes started to get irritated and it was even hard to look through the viewfinder. The lenses got foggy and some time was needed so the lenses get used to the weather and the image would clear again. At the end, I got a blast from my 55-200mm which I've used for most of the shots, when it got corrupted and stopped responding in the middle of the action; here and at this moment I've decided to leave the place since it was hard to change the lens, specially in such humidity and such heavy burden with 2 flashes and a camera dangling from my neck!

The group's organizer with his nice shorts!
This image was foggy and almost bleached out completely.

However, there were some nice shots here and there I would say. I didn't stay until the end of the event like the others, but I did the best I can to do something. In such events, you can't help but to drool when you see those big lenses used by my teacher!

My teacher struggling with his camera and bazooka

Even though I did take my 100mm Macro lens with me, yet I didn't use it a lot and the fog kept swirling around it and finally for some reason it stopped responding for focusing attempts. The picture of the group's organizer was taken with 100mm Macro.
Then, I got the chance to change the lens from 100mm to 55-200mm, which was foggy in the beginning then it started to be fine and snapped many shots until suddenly, the old corruption stroke again and it stopped responding with a communication error.

Canon EF 55-200mm @55mm, f/5.6, 2000^-1sec, ISO 400

Most of the shots were done in manual mode and by metering the sea itself. However, to do such shots like the one above, the focusing mode was set to One Shot, or else the focus would move as I move the lens. Without any need to change the focusing zone (which by default is at the center), I've centered on the boy then moved my lens away to frame. Other shots were done in the same manner too.

Canon EF 55-200mm @200mm, f/5.6, 2000^-1sec, ISO 400.

I believe the shot above would have been better with my 100mm at f/2.8, as it would give a better blur and isolation for the distant object. However, right after this shot, the lens started to be erratic and since I've realized there is no hope in making it work again, I've decided to leave the place before the boats reach the shore.
One last fun shot I did take before the boats arrival actually, which some people commented and said it is a suitable as a commercial - which is something I've been thinking of for a while beside working on architectural photography.

Contrast
Canon EF 55-200mm @130mm, f/5.6, 2000^-1sec, ISO 400

My attraction was mainly the yellow and the blue pieces here, hence the title Contrast, and I've never thought about it in an advertisement form. Only when people talked about it, I've realized the possibilities here! I've been thinking of buying some EZcube (or tent) with some lighting equipment and keep them at hand for training and for future product photography maybe, anyway, such expenses now are formidable with my traveling date coming closer. Lot of plans are delayed for now until I come back home then.

Yonder Portraiture

Well, they are no real trials for portraits just like those images taken, but along with the techniques workshop I'm already enrolled in, we came across a training session to do the manual metering. I've been already into that and I've been reading volumes and articles about this subject, however the experience is a bit difference. You got to use only the reflective metering of the camera (no light meter) and in a dark room. Most of the images came out shaky anyway but two of them were particularly interesting.

Sleepy Eye
Canon EF 100mm Macro, f/5, 10^-1sec, ISO 200.

Even though shaky a bit, I guess this one was the most stable shot in the stack of dozens of other shots that were taken successively. I've cropped it in a squared ratio since the space and the skin, as I believe, didn't add much criteria to the whole. It is still somehow out of focus in the middle I guess.
The play here is to add Two Black and White adjustment layers. The first one would control the tones of the iris itself alone (with the help of the layer mask), while the second layer on top would convert the whole image into Black and White and control the global tones. The light that was in use here is a monolight brought by my teacher to the class and the light itself was a subject for a snoot, and a bar-door to control the size of the light circle.

Yonder
Canon EF 100mm, f/5, 10^-1sec
ISO 100

Another shot here which was a trial to do the rim-light effect with the help of manual metering using the Manual mode in the camera, but maybe I've exaggerated with the effect a bit. The side facing the light is maybe out of focus a bit, probably I've should have raised the f-number. The light color is more saturated due to the fact that I've used a Daylight WB, which adds a yellow shade to the image. Lot of people commented that the face of my friend here is a critical factor in achieving the impact on the viewer due to the facial hair and the pose.
The shooting angle here is below pointing to the chin, as I got down on my knee and pointed up to his chin trying to break the boring rhythm of shooting directly on the side of the face.
I guess one of the reasons that keeps me away from doing portraiture is the fact that you need a lot of equipments; that is, lot of lighting. Things are delicate. I wish though I do have an arsenal of speedlites like Syl Arena, but thinking about it further, not all lighting conditions and solutions are available in speedlites. At some point, you would still need to have a monolight and the other junkies!

Night Time!

My favorite part is coming along in the current workshop. Night time photography, and all the accompanying hassle of long exposures. The training might have been a burden for some photographers in the group, but all what mattered for me back then is choosing the suitable spot, and whether or not filters are available at hand.
In the beginning, we had a slight training at the Scientific Center; one of my favorite spots already. After some clicks here and there as the sun was setting down and the sky turning blue, I've been fluctuating between my 18-55mm and my 8mm fisheye. Probably the fisheye in that location is more adequate for capturing the architecture of the place. There was also a tiny training for illuminating the shadows with flash strobes; something like light painting but not exactly the same concept - but merely adding light to the shadowed or dark areas to make a balanced shot. Also, our teacher taught us a funny way to partially block the highlight region by moving our hands in that portion so fast and avoid blowing out the exposure in that region (since our metering is done for midtone).

Rokinon 8mm fisheye, f/8, 5sec, ISO 100
No Correction

After correction with DxO Optics

One of the shots that got my teacher's interest is the one above. I didn't name it since most of these training shots were done merely for training purposes and not to be uploaded to stock sites. Anyway, my teacher seems like me, one fond of fisheye lenses. He likes it but wanted me to elevate the camera up a bit (probably to move the small columns level downward). My tripod didn't help in such level, and in fact this shot was taken balancing the front of the lens on a bottle of water laid flat on the ground! The body was on the ground completely. So far, I think the original version better than the corrected one: it's compact and the gate appears larger and occupies a better proportion of the image. However, it was worthy trying it out and compare.
Beside those shots done in the Scientific Center, which were done in a windy weather, we headed the next day to Shuwaikh Beach area to do some long exposures with ND filters. It was training as well but it was helpless for me as the decent angles to shoot the water splashing against the rocks needed some effort to go on down the rocks and concrete barriers; a shaky situation that I didn't like to try with my tight jeans!
However, the evening didn't pass without shots here and there. We tried doing silhouettes and I took the chance myself to goof around with some abstract and some handheld panorama done with Rokinon's 8mm fisheye lens. Amazingly though, the handheld panorama, after stitching, looked more like a single portrait shot!

Brick Art
Rokinon 8mm fisheye, f/3.5, 200^-1, ISO 100

As I was listening to my teacher explaining some aspect of the long exposure calculations and considerations, suddenly these bricks caught my eyes (ADHD?) and I've decided to roam around them taking pictures from different angles, and this angle in Brick Art is the one that I've liked the most, and I've done some cropping on the left side to keep the bricks in one third of the image as much as possible. One of the blessings and curses of using a fisheye lens is the fact that you can get a suitable depth of field with a minimum f-number (f/8 or f/11 would be enough sometimes), but it's hard to get a decent blurred background or a decent isolation for the foreground when you use a low f-number. This is apparent in Brick Art as I've used f/3.5 with a minimum focusing distance of 30cm (~1 ft), and yet the background is blurred, but not in a rough manner. Would I be using my Canon's 15mm fisheye lens in f/2.8, I think the situation would be the same. I've tried the 15mm before as I was trying to do a certain panorama with an idea of isolating the foreground, but it didn't quite work out well.

Now, as I'm typing these words on Wednesday to be posted on Thursday, I'm supposed to go and do some long exposure on my own by at sunset time, and my teacher agreed that I would do it in my favorite location, the beach area in Salmiyah. I don't know what results to expect, as the water will be regressing then, anyway maybe I will have some results to add by next week's post. I'm planning already to use my Tamron 70-300mm, to be at a safe distance from the water and have a higher f-number as much as possible. Yet, I'm not sure what composition I'm running after. I have to be on location.

Well, this is all for now, and I'm waiting for the workshop to be over with soon, in order to have a decent time with myself to prepare and get ready for the travel in October. I've signed for the leave already and boy I do need some cash on me already.
My stuff are scattered around and it's hard to chase after them piece by piece, just like it is with my own life. I think getting busy with such stuff is far better than spending valuable time daydreaming, but I'm exhausted. So damn exhausted...

Is Cuma Liom.

Irritation. A general theme of this week. Every single day of it sounded like endless for one reason or another. I thought my sleeping pattern is scrambled because of the fasting I'm doing right now (when fasting you need to sleep to rest), but then, last Monday, I didn't fast, and yet I woke up 4:30 a.m., and I've remained awake up till 1:00 a.m. the next day! More than 12 hours, and I did not sleep in the afternoons.
I feel uneasy in my own skin. I just wish to escape everything, and my mind is the first of them all.
This week was hectic in terms of time management, and I was not able to do much with my vocalization project for Alexander's story. But I didn't leave it all anyway and few progress was made. I'm getting closer to finishing the whole thing. Just think of the plenty of time I would have when this is all over!

Business-wise, if I can call it so, I've been writing up a proposal letter for the Heritage Village in Failaka island, and I'm still polishing the letter. Some say it is good, and some suggested some editing, however, I've given the letter to my photography teacher to see how worthy is it.

Danach (After that)
Rokinon 8mm fisheye, f/22, 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, and just trying to give my life a bit of meaning via working with the camera, I had a trial for a long exposure. I was planning for this long exposure trial for some time since I didn't do them since winter time is over. However, I've met many setbacks and the only trial I could do is not to my own liking.
The beach area where the elevated place lies, and where I was planning to take the long exposure from, was a crowded place in the weekend. I had to go to that place twice in fact. When I saw the place was so crowded at 2 a.m. I've decided to cancel, but then I went on to check again after 4 a.m., around one hour before the sunrise. The place was fine, but some (annoying) people were still there. As you can see from the picture (large one, I didn't minimize it) the people left a ghosting effect on the beach's sand.
Not many trails were recorded as it was in the other areas in winter time, but merely two lines (probably one of them is Saturn).

Technology
Canon 100mm f/32 1/500

On the other hand, I keep my eyes wide open for any chances of anything of "meaning" around me. That's when I've glanced a chance for some silhouette just in front of me when I was waiting in my car, when I parked around the place where my flash workshop takes place. In fact, the first thing that made me notice this chance is the clouds. Clouds in summer? in Kuwait? It's either a dream, or a joke, but a reality, and in front of me? It can't be! Needless to say that this area is not on the seaside where I usually shoot for the clouds. The sun was bright and harsh, and I've shot several shots of different speeds, in portrait and landscape, this is mainly to see the best speed for dark foreground and relatively bright or not-so-dark sky. The LCD is not a good tool to judge, so I decided to take several shots of different speeds. There had been a change in the WB too. Of course there were some editing for the RAW as well.

Communications

Going Crazy:

Well, it is not something new in fact (being a crazy already), but this time I've decided to take some extra mile. I've been fascinated, for a while, about the bathroom in my work place. Mainly, this is because of the checkered tiles (specially when the bathroom is cleaned and shiny!).

My Life!

It was indeed a challenge to have a panorama from that tiny place. The challenge was not only in the area (1x1 meter) that I have to work in, but also the fact that the shiny tiles can reflect my image in any direction. I thought, however, that it is best to work while keeping my body low. Another challenge was the timing to do this (and I surely needed more time than the regular panorama!).
For this panorama, I've decided to take some metering reading with my new light meter. Using the incident light method, I've started to point at my camera from different angles. I think I've made a mistake with this type of metering mainly because we have two light sources in the scene: the bathroom's light on top, and the outside light through the window. The difference between the two is great and the problems showed later on when merging into HDR and stitching the panorama together. It is one of the rare times when I try to work completely on (M)anual mode. I'm trying to adapt to this workflow slowly and to make my own decisions based on this method, because, simply, it gives complete control over the camera; provided that a good metering is done in the first place!

Toilette

The first flat version of the panorama was done just to check the erratic zones in the panorama (beside the nadir point of course which passed through several adjustments). Because of the metering problem mentioned above, a big portion of the wall on the right was technically bleached out and without any texture and patterns. With some change in the blending priority in PTGui, the effect was reduced, but not completely removed. It is a mistake to learn from anyway, and I can say the challenge was passed successfully; that is to work in such a small place like this!

Hello World!

There were several stitches (and a tunnel view that went wrong), however, I think I'm satisfied so far with what I've done. I was thinking of doing a QTVR out of the flat version, but up till writing this post, I didn't feel like doing it. The nadir point here got an extra challenge added: not much place for a logo! However, you can see there is some dark patch on the ground after a hard work of cloning.

The titles are kind of sarcastic. Call it a reflection on my own life and how things are turning around for me. I'm truly living a mess, and it looks like swimming against the current trying to settle everything down. It is a phase in my life where I don't feel a thing in the world in fact; no politics, no bullshit, not even a care for other people's feelings. I simply want to leave everyone, 'cause I know no one cares already...