PolaPeel...

OK. This one is done in a hurry. I barely had something to post this week, and I'm still trying to adjust my time after the end of Ramadhan. I was going to cancel the post for this week just as a... gift to my own self, for my coming birthday on the 17^th, but then there was this tiny project that I hated to delay more than it is delayed already.
Furthermore, my appetite for photography was on hold because of some migraines and sleeping disorders, as usual. However, I was lucky to work in a hurry and somehow thoughtlessly on some project that I was planning to do some time ago: Polaroid Peel.

PolaPeel

Back in March this year, I was invited to attend the rewards ceremony of HIPA (Hamdan International Photography Award) in Dubai; an event that took place a week before Mom's sickness. There, they distributed a package containing a polaroid camera for the ceremony attendants. I have to say I'm so excited to have such a camera out of the ordinary digital cameras line, and I'm hoping to get the chance to use it one day for some nice shooting. Unlike the digital stuff, with such cameras as it is with film cameras, it is a one click business.
Anyway, I've decided to work with this polaroid camera to do a peeling effect. Most of the time I was trying almost regular objects with cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shapes and I thought now it's the time to try out some real irregular shapes with sharp edges.
In the beginning I wanted to check the potential of PTGui to do the job despite my doubts about it. A prime stitch confirmed my doubts and such objects won't get along with the slit-crop method that I usually use in PTGui.
After this failure, I thought it's about time to get back to the classic methods of manual blending of layers to make up for such a peel. In the beginning it was frustrating as how to align and how to start, but things just went on (with errors of course). The job took around 2 days, and the work took around 48 layers stacked together. The original working PSB file (Large Document Format) sized more than 5GB! I've decided here not to include the back portion of the camera body because then I would have a problem with the lens at the front - I want this to be in the middle of the image and adding the backside would disturb the balance.

Polapeel

There are many issues that are still going through my mind about this simple project and probably I should put them in specific points:

• In such instances, it is even better to use the flash on top like I used to do before. It would shorten the exposure time significantly, and lessen the troubles with the shadows below subject.
• I'm not sure about the specific technique to blend. Technically, I was actually aligning different features on both sides and blending manually (using layer masks). Would there be a specific form of approach for this?
• Would I need indeed a shot every 5^o? Or it would be enough to take a shot every 30^o or even 45^o for the object? Probably it also depends on the type of the object I'm trying to peel? Surely, if it works for 45^o the work load would be significantly lower, but I don't know if it would work. Only experiments would do.

These were the main points that I've been thinking of, and I'm sure there are more on the list in the future as I go on doing such stuff!
However, these experiments seem hazardous a bit because I'm straying away from the typical photography venue and concentrating on something typically called special effects and not a real style or school of photography. Yet, I think it is my desire to create the unusual that is always driving me to such experiments, including panoramic photography.

Finale

The engine is still greasing, or trying to be so, even after the end of Ramadhan. If I was tired during Ramadhan for waking up early and picking Mom to the dialysis center, it's doing to be a doubling of efforts when the jam starts with schools return and students' come-back to my work place. Yet, the routine and the schedule with Mom's duties do not change. Ever.
I've been reading more into Turkish and discovering more about its grammar, which is somehow inspiring for my Geltani project, but I won't apply everything I read blindly. I admit, in the past 2 weeks, Geltani was of the least concern to me as I was chasing after my camera, and Mom's health. All what I need is some time organizing, and some physical health. In hope that Geltani would be in front of my eyes again and soon, probably, get published. Now, with no new books to read in my free time at work, I hope I can dedicate this time for Geltani.
My readings into the Turkish language lead me, by virtue, to be listening to a lot of Turkish music (and I do like such oriental music long before I try to understand the language). In musıc, though, there are always those strings that should not be touched that mangle in the heart. Isn't it a wonder, how something makes you so sad, yet you keep listening to it all over again?

Grace...

Mom is finally back home right now, but that doesn't mean the end of the story. In fact, I think the struggle had just began now to elevate her spirit and make her cope what life throws at her, specially with boring hours of dialysis.
We are hoping now that the dialysis process is a temporary procedure until Creatinine is reduced to some level. All we can do for now is to pray for her and, of course, be on her side as much as possible. The other challenge from our side is to cope with life's schedules and rush with an added responsibility like this. We've been managing for the past 3 weeks by having leaving from work and changing shifts among family members, but at a certain point, I believe Mom has to be alone at home, probably with the maid only to help her out.

One of the greatest challenges for me right now is to try and work on with my camera after being mostly idle in the past weeks. Not completely idle, but I was aiming at various things without thinking just to try out my camera and not stop using it. Mainly I was aiming at geometrical shapes in flowers, specially those sent to Mom in the hospital. I won't bother you with the technical details here, but most of the images here were taken with 50mm lens plus some extension tube(s) beside using one or two speedlites (580EXII and 430EXII).

Blooming Alone

Sanfte Aufbau

Zentrum Aufbau

The Dark Side of Beauty

Introvert Petals

Lumini

Vortex

Floral Fractal

Mother's Heart

Die Sanfte Ringe

New Toys:

With the rush of the events lately I've ordered some new toys for my camera that I've barely touched or experienced something with. I hope in the coming days I will do this accordingly.

Source: B&H

One of the simplest "toys" here is a step down ring which is aimed at fitting filters on lenses with different diameters. My ring here is a step down from 62mm to 58mm (62-58mm) which I got specifically for my Tamron lens (70-300mm). Most of the lenses that I'm using have a diameter of 58mm and hence most of my filters (polarizer and IR for example) are ordered accordingly to this diameter. In order to make these filters somehow complete and fit all, this step down ring can do the job. The only problem here is that it sometimes gets stuck in between or stuck into the filter read itself. Typical problem (and I'm planning to get special wrenches to detach filters from lenses).

Source: B&H

The other toy is an eyepiece from Polaroid which acts as an extension at a right angle. It is supposed to be quite useful for shooting at waist level but I didn't test it for long. One of the hardships in this piece is how to fit it into my camera. It comes with plenty of adapters for various cameras (specially EOS cameras) but unfortunately, there is no direct adapter for EOS 7D camera and I had to make several tests. I could hardly fit one of the adapters into my 7D and I'm not sure it is quite useful for shooting at waist level but probably more useful to shoot on sides (i.e. to be on the side of the camera and look into the eyepiece). I will leave this for time to sort out its benefits.

Source: B&H

Maybe the most important toy for me right now (and didn't try it yet!) is the Ubertronix Strike Finder trigger. Some years back I got a cumbersome circuit to trigger the flashes by sound (and needed the PC cable to connect it to the flash but never got this cable). This trigger now is all-in-one type: sound, motion, laser and lightning. The difference here though is the fact that it is a camera trigger (and it comes with N3 cable to be connected in the place of the cable remote into the camera). Without trying it all seems good, but with one thing: the short cables and sensors. I want to try this as soon as possible but yet I didn't formulate any ideas on how to do so. The trigger box contains a jack port saying "flash/camera" thus I do believe I can connect it to flashes (speedlites) by special cables too and it's not limited to cameras only. Among other models, this brand was the only one probably to support Canon EOS 7D. In a twist of options, it has the Laser gate, i.e. triggering the camera with the change in Laser reception as I understand it while other brands depend on infrared gate which triggers the camera only when an object crosses in between a transmitter and a receptor. I'm not sure though how I'm going to use the trigger for Laser but according to the instructions it works as well for infrared just that way, as well as for lightning photography. Too bad the lightning season is over right now!

Thoughts:

In the passing weeks, with Mom's sickness and up till this moment, I had some weird urge in geometrical wisdom and started to read whatever comes my way from Wikipedia; specially the schläfli symbol. There were many stuff that were complicated of course and my mind couldn't digest but reading about simple stuff could spark some imagination. Reading about mathematics and geometry can never be in vain - it is up to you of course!
I'm trying in the meantime to look at the problem with Mom's health as a test for something; probably to change my attitude toward the world, probably to test my capabilities of challenging the world with increasing responsibilities and yet keeping up with my own projects and photography. Mom cared for us as a mother would do, and her memories still race in my mind at the moment; memories of some time when I was 10 years old or less and how she used to dress me for school. Despite the health problem is upon her, but it is our test, her children. Probably God wants to see how we do care for her and I'm lying my hope in succeeding in this test. After all, I arrived to the realization of the fact that at some time, at some moment in time, there should be that point of departure between her and me as it is the case always with every living thing. My only prayers go to make this point in time just far away; far enough in time to make me stronger to bear it. I've realized as well the fact that just wishing to depart life before her so I wouldn't have to see her leave me alone in this world is a mere selfish thought. Mothers can't bear the departure of their kids from her sight - it is me who has to bear it all instead...