Inspired @ ireneabdouportraitsweddings.com

Syllabuses for Group Photo Workshops at VisArts

Irene Abdou — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:18:47 +0000

I’m teaching some photo workshops in March and May through the Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts (VisArts) in Rockville, MD:

- Art of People & Event Photography – Photographing the National Cherry Blossom Festival: Saturday, March 27, 2010, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM

- Art of Architecture – Photographing the Franciscan Monastery: Saturday, May 22, 2010, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM

I’ve just completed the syllabuses for these workshops, so you can view them by clicking on the links above. You can register for these workshops by visiting the VisArts website here. (I also teach private one-on-one photography sessions that are tailored uniquely to…guess who… YOU and YOUR camera!)

If you haven’t heard of VisArts, and you’re in the Washington, DC metro area, and you’re passionate about photography and the arts, then you should get to know them! While founded in 1987 as the Rockville Arts Place, VisArts moved into a beautiful big, new building in 2007 that houses several galleries, art studios, and educational spaces. I first got to know VisArts when I was juried into their 2008 “Face of the World” exhibit by Frank Goodyear, Assistant Curator of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery. Nowadays, I have a selection of 10 or 15 pieces in their first-floor shop, VisArts Too.

Mali: The Makings of a Pot

Irene Abdou — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:29:03 +0000

I recently returned from Mali, where my friend, Melanie, and I had the opportunity to visit the pottery village of Kalabougou, a 45-minute motorized canoe ride down the Niger River from Segou. Click here to see the complete photo story, Mali: The Makings of a Pot. To download a pdf on buying fine art photography, click here.

In the village of Kalabougou near Segou, Mali, women of the numu blacksmiths population have worked for centuries as traditional potters. A 7-day fabrication cycle leads to the weekly Saturday afternoon firing of the kilns, in which large stacks of pots are covered with grass and set on fire.

More from the American Southwest: Utah

Irene Abdou — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:59:33 +0000

I’ve finally finished processing all my photos from my two-week Christmas-New Year’s road trip through the national and state parks of Southern Utah. You might notice I’ve also been playing around with textures in some of the photos. Fun!!! My next fine art exhibits will be in April (Art League of Germantown’s “Shades of Spring” show) and May (solo show at the Arlington Library in Virginia), and I plan to feature some of these images there. Click “View with PicLens” for a slideshow. To download a pdf on buying fine art photography, click here. Hope you enjoy them!

[View with PicLens]

Introducing…Metal Prints!

Irene Abdou — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:07:26 +0000

Double Float Metal Print: A smaller metal print floats before a second, larger metal print base.

New offering! Prints on metal! Range of sizes up to 40×60. Single print, double float, or framed double float. Sharp square, rounded, or scallopped corners. Float mount blocks, corner drilled holes, easel stand, or contemporary wood frame with pewter finish.

Created by infusing dies directly onto aluminum sheets, metal prints are my newest art medium offering. The print has a magical, brilliant luminescence while retaining detail and resolution because the dyes are infused into the metal surface rather than onto the surface.

These durable archival prints have an ultra-hard scratch-resistant surface, are waterproof and weatherproof, and can be easily cleaned with any commercial glass cleaner. I’m offering metal prints to my portraits-weddings-event photography and fine art photography customers, with a choice of three different surfaces:

White High Gloss – Brilliant high gloss surface that shows every detail. Excellent surface for any subject matter especially nature, water, cars and so on. Maximum wow factor.

White Satin - Smooth, very even and soft appearance. Great for portraits, weddings and if surface reflection is a concern.

Sheer - Allows the surface of the metal to show through giving the image a translucent luminescence. This unique glossy material works well with high key images and images with subtle color transitions.

Wondering how to hang and display your unique, georgeous metal print? Choose from the following:

Easel stands for print sizes up to 11×14

Corner-drilled holes (print sits flush against wall)

Float mount block (print appears to float in space 1/2 inch off the wall)

Contemporary wood frame with pewter finish (print is recessed in the frame about 1 1/2 inches for an attractive depth

For an extra special presentation, try the double float metal print, where a smaller metal print is floated off a second, larger metal print base, or even better, the framed double float metal print!

Feel free to contact me to make an appointment to view metal prints and other printing options and fine art photography!

Double Metal Float - Basking in the Glory of Sunset I, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Viginia. A smaller metal print (12x18) floats before a second, larger metal print (14x20). For this print, I chose the back print to be an opaque version of the front print, with an opacity gradient running diagonally from the upper right corner.

Back on the Road…to Mali

Irene Abdou — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:27:55 +0000

I’m back on the road today, so you might not hear from me for a few weeks, though I’ll try to write if I have time. It was touch and go there for a while. Wasn’t sure I’d make it out today, what with more snowstorms in DC and my passport stuck at the Mali Embassy. But the embassy did open back up today, and after a week cooped up in the house surrounded by snow, I had to rush around today like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything done before heading out. So here I am at the airport about to board the plane and wondering, how is it that I’m completely exhausted before I’ve even left?

Anyway, this will be my first time back to Mali in 10 years. It’s one of my favorite countries though. Ten years ago, I traveled from Bamako to Segou to Djenne to Mopti, up into Dogon country, then south into Burkina through Ouaghiya. Ouaghiya was like entering back into civilization, and especially memorable for the best yoghurt I’d ever tasted and the nicest $10/night hotel room in West Africa! I will try to follow that same route again, at least up to Mopti. Stay tuned for photos when I get back!

Anyone try the Steadepod yet?

Irene Abdou — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:38:27 +0000

Library of Congress, Washington, DC, ISO 800, 1/60 sec at f/2.8. Canon EF 15mm fisheye lens with Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera

I saw an ad in Rangefinder Magazine yesterday for the Steadepod, a sort of monopod/tripod replacement. It’s basically a retractable stainless steel cable – you put the base of the cable under your foot, pull it to whatever height you want, trigger the locking mechanism, and it’s supposed to somehow give you a steady platform for shooting. Since it’s simply a retractable cable, it’s very small – it looks like it could fit in your pocket. If it works, it would be very useful in setting where monopods/tripods aren’t allowed. A few months ago, I did some shooting at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and tripods aren’t allowed there. It was OK, but I had to boost my ISO to 800 or 1600, which made my shots a bit noisy. (I usually like to keep my ISO at max 400, and preferably below.) For the shot shown here, I was using a Canon 15mm fisheye at f/2.8. Had I been using a slower lens or wanted to zoom in, ISO 1600 wouldn’t have cut it. The Steadpod would have been useful there. It only costs $24.99-29.95 – you can see a video on the manufacturer’s website at http:/www.steadepod.com. If you’ve heard of it or used it, I’d like to hear your thoughts, and what shutter speeds you used it at!!!

Utah Parks Road Trip, Day 13: Arches National Park, End-of-the-Road

Irene Abdou — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:09:28 +0000

Alas, this is our last morning in Utah before heading home to Washington, DC, so we definitely had to get up for the sunrise. Of all the places we’ve seen around Moab, I must say that Turret Arch by the North and South Windows is my hands down favorite. It’s where we started on Day 1, and where we shall finish on Day 13. Plus, I was still trying to figure out how other photographers managed to get that classic shot of Turret Arch through the North Window. On all our other visits to this arch, I’d traipsed up to the windows and around the back, but couldn’t figure it out. The rock ledge that the window stands on does not extend very far back, and there’s no way to get the entire window into the photo, even with a wide angle lens. Plus, with a wide angle, Turret Arch appears too small in the photo. How did they manage to do it?

Today, as we drove into the park, we were shrouded in low-hanging mist and wondered if we were to see any sunrise at all. But as we continued deeper into the park, the mist cleared up. We parked at the Turret Arch / North and South Windows parking lot and walked up to the windows. And there was the answer to the mystery of the classic shot. Another photographer had climbed high up the steep rocks some meters BEHIND the Windows. We hadn’t seen a path in the past because of the snow – and because no other photographer had gone back there to make tracks. But it does take some climbing skill and NO fear of heights (which I do not have, if you’ve read about my time at Delicate Arch on Day 11). In fact, the photographer who climbed and crawled onto that perfect ledge was unable to climb out on his own! After 15 minutes of trying, my husband had to go help him out! My husband also helped me climb part way there, and I did get some nice shots of Turret Arch through the Window, but my favorite photos are of the mist as I stood inside the North Window and looked east.

As on Day 5 at the Natural Bridge at Bryce Canyon, I stopped down my aperture to f/22 in order to turn the bright sun into a star. I took a series of four exposures at ISO 50 and shutter speeds of 1/320, 1/80, 1/40, and 1/10 seconds to capture the full range of the scene from light to dark. Later on the computer, I used Photomatix to combine the four images to create the final HDR image. (If you don’t know what high dynamic range – HDR – is, check out my blog post on HDR.) I then cleaned up the lens flare fom shooting into the sun in Adobe Photoshop CS4 (Photo 1 below). Yesterday, I continued playing around with the image in Photoshop using OnOne Plug-In Suite 5, coming up with Photos 2 and 3. I also added layer masks which I painted out so that the various OnOne filters impacted only certain parts of the images. I’m pleased with the results… I’m naming Photo 3, “Blue Dawn.” Any suggestions for a name for Photo 2?

Photo 1: The sun rises over the rocks of Arches National Park in Utah on a misty morning.

Photo 2: The sun rises over the rocks of Arches National Park in Utah on a misty morning.

Photo 3: The sun rises over the rocks of Arches National Park in Utah on a misty morning.

If you read my Day 1 post, you’ll know that somehow, it took us 4 days to get from Washington, DC to Utah. So it’s only fitting that we would also have trouble getting back. In fact, our Great Lakes Aviation flight out was cancelled due to…no flight crew… They had to bus us 2 hours to Colorado and another airport! If it hadn’t been for the timing, I wouldn’t have minded staying another day (on their dime!). I even know what we would have done on the extra day – one more try to find the mystical Tukuhnikivats Arch. Unfortunately, though, I had to get home for another engagement. But we left satisfied in our trip and convinced in the worthiness of visiting Southern Utah again for another photo tour in another season.

In the coming weeks, I’ll continue sorting through and processing the hundreds – no thousands – of images from this trip, and sharing them with…YOU!

To download a pdf on buying fine art photography, click here.

Playing around in Photoshop: Day for Night

Irene Abdou — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:05:43 +0000

I was playing around with OnOne Plug-In Suite 5 on my Utah Parks Road Trip Day 12 photo of Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, Utah. Check out this look. It’s called “Day for Night.” I like it…

To download a pdf on buying fine art photography, click here.

Landscape Arch, Arches National Park, Utah

Utah Parks Road Trip, Day 12: Arches National Park and Behind-The-Rocks, Moab, aka, Day of the Fruitless Search for Mystical Tukuhnikivats

Irene Abdou — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:55:56 +0000

We’re exshausted, having spent the afternoon on a wild goose – or should I say wild arch – chase through the Moab wilderness. We were searching for that most mystical of arches, Tukuhnikivats, the unpronouncable. No one we asked had ever heard of it, not the park rangers at Arches National Park nor the woman who walks her dog each afternoon on the dirt road to Pritchett Arch. Yet, we were certain it existed. In fact, the framed photograph of this pretty, uniquely shaped arch hanging on the wall of our Best Western hotel room was living proof. And we even had detailed directions on how to find it in my handy-dandy guide, Photographing the Southwest,Volume 1–A Guide to the natural landmarks of Southern Utah. In fact, we followed its instructions to a tee, risking our 4-wheel drive rental SUV on the rocky dirt road off of US 191. (Good thing my husband is pretty expert at off-road driving. I couldn’t have done it myself – thanks, honey!).

From the McDonalds in Moab, follow US 191 south for a little over 12 miles, and turn off on the unmarked dirt road with the small sign indicating Pritchett Arch. After 0.4 miles, take the right fork and continue for 1.2 miles. Park here and follow the rough track heading north for 1.1 miles. Looking northwest, spot the small opening of Tukuhnikivats Arch high on your left. We headed off on foot, ready for the next mile of hiking up and down the long, steep hills of Behind-the-Rocks. But alas, it was not to be. Tired as we were, far as we went, we never did find sweet Tukuhnikivats. However, as we finally turned and hiked back to our car, we were greeted once again by the orange glow on Behind-the-Rocks that accompanies each sunset and sunrise and that makes this place so special.

But as I look back on my many photos of this day, Day 12, Day of the Fruitless Search for Mystical Tukuhnikivats, I decide to show you a panorama made from three images of Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, which we visited at sunrise. To download a pdf on buying fine art photography, click here.

Landscape Arch, Arches National Park, Utah

24 Hours in Dakar, Senegal

Irene Abdou — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:56:55 +0000

Transitions Abroad has published another one of my photo stories, this one of my late 2008 trip par hasard through Dakar, Senegal, which ended up being my best trip in 10 years! I felt like I was back in Peace Corps again. The story goes like this:

During recent travels to Guinea, I experienced some trouble getting out of Africa.

Originally booked on a Friday Air France flight from the Guinean capital of Conakry to Paris, strikes in Paris forced the cancellation of my flight. I rebook onto Air Mali through Dakar, Senegal, yet, that too is canceled due to technical problems. I finally board an Air Senegal flight two days later to Dakar. While I finally manage to get out of Conakry, I am met in Dakar by strikes at the airport, so cannot get off the plane! This is when I discover that I am sitting next to the cousin and manager of the internationally acclaimed Senegalese singer, Baaba Mal, and discover that Baaba Mal’s entire orchestra is on the plane with me! Read more at TransitionsAbroad.com: 24 Hours in Dakar.

And by the way, Traveller Magazine also published 11 of my photos from that 24 hours to illustrate Portrait of a City: Dakar.