Photojourney

Looking for some hope ( still on body language)

2008-11-24T04:40:00.000-08:00

The other day i found myself grabbing a piece of paper , and drawing how i feel those days . Using a pen and a pencil and photoshop for coloring , i managed to get some of whats inside me , and push it out on a piece of paper .

Some times when things get real dark ..... the only thing u could hang onto is.... Hope .

El Gezira Club Session

2008-11-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

About 2 weeks ago i was asked to give an overview of photography session at the Gezira sporting club .

Personally i loved the idea because of 2 reasons : 1) I cant waste a chance to talk about photography . 2) To meet people who in the near future are gonna be my superiors when it comes to shooting pics .

So i started reading the basics once more ( which I have to thank them for making me revise ) , summarizing a lot of books , and putting together a presentation which i hope didnt confuse u people all that much .

We discussed :

1) Basics camera controls
2) Lenses
3) How to put together a pic : Composing with different lenses , Basics elements of design .

We still had two sections to go which were : Rules of composition , and LIGHT .

Maybe we could finishem in another session later on .

Btw u guys , for all of u whove been reading the presentation as i explained and noticed sum words that werent spelled right , dont worry , i know the right ones , i just dont believe in spelling , as long as it pronounces right , it works for me .

Anyways , was a great night u guys , dont forget the field trip next saturday .

Just remember to put together an idea log before u go , and decide what types of shots u wanna take , just so u wont be lost when u get there .

Any questions or remarks regarding the presentation , i will be glad if u leavem as comments here .

Thank u all for a great chance . Keep on shootin .

A warm cup of coffee with a mood ....

2008-10-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

The only thing better than a warm cup of coffee and a good read , is shooting them i guess ... I know this is another interruption in the middle of all the body language posts , but a lil change never hurt anybody .... The setup here was :

1) First the foreground :
the cup , and book . They set the color scheme for the whole scene , so knowing my cup was brown/ beige , i placed it on a reddish brown book .
2) The background :
a) and here u have to once again remember the color scheme in the pic (brown/ beige) , so any wooden object in the background was gonna work fine for this one ..
b) make sure that the part of the background against/behind the vapor of the cup has to be real dark , so the vapor would show .
3) Lighting :
I placed a lightbulb right behind the cup ( which u could notice by the shadows on the book ) . Now i did this for 2 reasons ,
a) it usually gives for a dramatic heroic feel to the subject ( my cup) , ie it help me set my MOOD
b) Its the best way to light the vapour ( from behind ) .
I also have to note that the fill light on the front of the cup and book were bouncing of the white walls of my corridor ( where i took this shot ) .

And thats about it ... until we meet later ... keep shootin ...

A lil break from all the body language posts

2008-10-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Thought id give u a lil break from all the body language posts , and talk a lil about having a vision . A unique personal goal or style that makes ur photography standout from the rest . Ur trademark , ur copyright , a way in which people will know U shot this , without having to see ur name on it .

I just have to point out that personal style or vision , isnt sumthing that comes overnight . But it will start appearing in ur work without u even noticing it after years of reading , trying new forms of photography and polishing urself as a photographer . I find it limiting that sum people will stick to one form of photography and leave out the rest under the claim that they "like it" . What theyre doing unconsciously is leaving out vast amounts of knowledge experience and ending up having a weaker personal style that comes out of inexperience and not the opposite.

I admit that after 4 years of shooting im still in search of a "personal style" , but in that search im always learning sumthing new and developing myself , so im in no hurry to end that anytime soon .

Body Language 5 : Hand to face Gestures

2008-10-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

Sooooo ! , were back on the same topic , BODY LANGUAGE and posing ur subjects ! Today were gonna be discussing HAND TO FACE GESTURES . Hand to face gestures are extremely useful when posing ur subjects as they can tell a great amount about the person . Lets take those 3 shots for example :

1) Shot one : when u have the index finger supporting ur face in that manner and ur middle finger rubbing ur lips or just across'em , that's indicative of a CRITICAL attitude . It means ure evaluating whats being heard and criticising it in ur mind . Now if i were to shoot sumone , that i know has a criticising personality , i am likely to shoot him posing that way . That way the viewers will get that impression when they see the pic . So i used this gesture to tell my viewers more about my subject , and that makes for a more successful portait.

2) Shot 2 : The hand on the cheek position . Ok now thats usually a negative gesture indicating BOREDOM
,DISINTEREST . Usually accompanied by sleepy facial expressions . Now if we were to look at Mr No face's face and see him looking upwards , smiling slightly with the angles of his mouth , that would indicate a DREAMY attitude .

3) Shot 3 : Rubbing ones chin , or holding it between ones thumb and index fingers , is a sign of DECISION MAKING . Its a pose most people make when theyre about to make a decision . If i were to shoot, say a leader , posing him that way would make him seem like a person more capable of making decisions .

More on this topic later , until then , enjoy .

Body language : part 4

2008-10-08T05:23:00.003-07:00

Now , firstly im sorry ive been a lil late to post , i apologise. But i still remember we were on the interesting and very imp topic of body language , so lets continue with that . Today were talking about some body gestures that are considered negative body language signs . So here goes :

Negative Body Language

Leaning back and looking down: Lack of confidence, aloof
Limp, weak handshake: Nervousness
Leaning in too close: Could be threatening
Weak, soft voice: Nervousness
Clearing throat, saying "um, uh," using overly complex sentences: Insecurity, nervousness
Dropping head and looking down: Untrustworthy
Staring at other person during silences: Increases tension
Maintaining eye contact too long (over 7-10 seconds): May cause anxiety or discomfort
Rigid, stooped posture, feet shuffling: Lack of confidence
Folded arms, crossed legs, picking lint off clothing: Disinterested, disagreement
Twiddling thumbs, drumming fingers: Not paying attention, anxiety
Clenching or wringing hands, playing with jewelry, sitting on edge of chair, jiggling foot: Stress, nervousness, anxiety
Rubbing hair or back of neck: Frustration
Touching your face: Nervousness, dishonesty

Got them from this link here .

I will have to point out sumthing though . Body language is read in clusters or groups , just like words only make context when theyre in sentences . So its a mistake to judge only one sign on its own . U must link several body gestures together to give a correct interpretation . Well discuss that in more detail later .

New Photoshoot

2008-10-05T03:37:00.000-07:00

I know its been a while since ive posted and i also know that were still on the topic of body language , but this is a break . A small slideshow of a recent photoshoot ive done . Enjoy

Body language : The NO FACE experiment

2008-09-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

So continuing the topic of body language , i thought we'd use a few examples to help get my point through . Were starting a new experiment called the 'NO FACE' experiment , just to show us how strong body language is . In the next series of pictures were posing a character without a face , yet his body will help tell us about how he feels . So lets get to it :

In this first example we have here .... how do u feel about the subject ? I feel like hes relaxed ... Hands crossed behind his head nice and wide , body straight , slightly extended , no .. no tension there at all .... mr no face is relaxed here ...

Ok now the next couple of pics are gonna have mr no face with his hands on his waist ( supposedly a gesture of readiness , or disapprovement ) yet theyre still gonna have a different emotion in each ..

Here mr no face is lookin straight at us in a Challenging fashion . He looks ready , and confident ....

Whereas here just by looking away (slightly upwards) and

pushing his chest forwards , mr no face gave us an impression of arrognace , or disconcern .

Thats bout it for today , more examples in later posts ... Keep shootin ....

Further looking into body language

2008-09-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

This image is an example of just how strong body language is . Its plain to see theres no "face" or facial expressions here at all in this pic , yet the pose tells a whole lot about the subject .

The general feel u get from the pic is that of CONFIDENCE , ASSERTIVENESS . Arms crossed on the chest can sometimes show confidence , other times defensiveness , but it shows more confidence here than defensiveness when it was combined with the subject sitting back in the chair, and crossing his legs in an authorative attitude .

Had the subject been sitting up straight, still with his arms across his chest , and had his legs not been crossed , the impression u wouldave got could prob have been defensiveness and lack of confidence , even with the face hidden .

The meaning of body language , and learning how to pose ur subject

2008-09-10T02:41:00.000-07:00

Body language is one of the strongest means of communication used by humans . Its what humans do as the talk and live , without realizing it in a lot of cases . As a photographer , i think its really helpfull to be aware of that language and use it intentionally in ur portrait , lifestyle , stock, or modelling shots to convey more about ur subject . Some poses have come to be standard in portrait and modelling pics , and people will just copy them without really realizing what they mean , which is a shame cause in a lot of situations the pose u choose to copy wont really be fitting ur subject or what ure trying to say about it . So in a series of posts were gonna try to tackle that problem , and explain a lil body language so we can spark that creativity bit in all of us .

Examples Of Body Language from this link.

NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR	INTERPRETATION
Brisk, erect walk	Confidence
Standing with hands on hips	Readiness, aggression
Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly	Boredom
Sitting, legs apart	Open, relaxed
Arms crossed on chest	Defensiveness
Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched	Dejection
Hand to cheek	Evaluation, thinking
Touching, slightly rubbing nose	Rejection, doubt, lying
Rubbing the eye	Doubt, disbelief
Hands clasped behind back	Anger, frustration, apprehension
Locked ankles	Apprehension
Head resting in hand, eyes downcast	Boredom
Rubbing hands	Anticipation
Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed	Confidence, superiority
Open palm	Sincerity, openness, innocence
Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed	Negative evaluation
Tapping or drumming fingers	Impatience
Steepling fingers	Authoritative
Patting/fondling hair	Lack of self-confidence; insecurity
Tilted head	Interest
Stroking chin	Trying to make a decision
Looking down, face turned away	Disbelief
Biting nails	Insecurity, nervousness
Pulling or tugging at ear	Indecision

Well thats about it for this post , but wait for more examples , and info about the topic in later posts .

Quick note

2008-09-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

When shootin food , we wanna bring out texture . So backlighting jam , and other semi translucent foods , really helps bring out their nature . Also those highlights on the surface of jam are not a thing to be avoided , quite the opposite , it makes it look much tastier and more realistic.

Ramadan Kareem to all of u Guys

2008-09-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

May it be a blessed month for all of u guys . Make the best of it .

As we all know , now is a good chance to shoot some Food and Drink . Practice , practice, practice ! Remember when shootin food , go for color , texture , fancy plates , glasses , cool styling ,and ofcourse good lighting . Shoot simple , clean , shallow Dof pics .

The one up there , i used lighting from a window to light this glass full of colored ice ( colored the water light yellow with some acrylic colors before freezing it ) . Simple pic , but works .

Stock photography

2008-08-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Now ive been meaning to talk about stock photography for a while now , and i found this post at Mr Rich leggs blog . It was a great podcast he did with the fellows at lightsource , i personally loved it . Also check out Mr Sean Locke's blog for more on stock photography .

Panoramics in the break ....

2008-08-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

By now u all know im a fan of panoramics . So i snapped a couple of shots durin the break . The second shot was a trick panoramic to achieve a cool effect . Had my cousins and i pose in different positions in different shots as i rotated the cam for a fun shot .

That sums up my shots for the vacation . Keep shooting , and peace out .

Food shots durin the break

2008-08-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

Well last post was the last part of the challenge technically . But i also managed to snap a couple of food pics . Also a couple of panoramics , but ull see those in the next post .

Fifth part of the challenge : Landscape

2008-08-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Fifth part of the challenge is landscape . Now we already discussed landscape before , so im not gonna say much . But this pic i took in HDR , actually both of them , just used a tripod ,
took the pics over the span of about half an hour or a lil more , took multiple exposures and combined them on a program named Photomatix , which is why u see the name all over the pics . Again i went for Hdr to spice up what was a pretty bland landscape .

Fourth part of the challenge : Portraits

2008-08-24T01:33:00.000-07:00

Portraits were the fourth part of the challenge . Now portraits are a huge topic to discuss and theres all sorts of portraits around ( aesthetic , environmental , etc etc ) .

When asked by my cousins to take portraits for "facebook" use . U immediately understand , they want sumthing thats : a) them , b) cool, c) or in a cool setting . So i tried to go for that .

Some people seem to think that a good portrait only has to focus on the face or the face and shoulders , but i believe in flexibility and there are a huge number of successful full body portraits out there . Thats why the first pic in the post was a full body shot .

Part 3 of the challenge : Modelling Shots

2008-08-23T00:16:00.000-07:00

Modelling shots where the third part of the challenge , and those are quite different from portraits . Portraits are usually more natural , and calm than modelling shots .

In modelling shots the photo has to have a certain "wow" effect and a sort of impressive feel .

When trying to bring out muscle in ur shots , always remember its not mass ure looking for , rather definition . Very thin people who are well defined appear much more massive in pictures than huge dudes with no definition . Again hard light aimed directionally at the model and rim lights also help "paint" the muscles .

Second part of the challenge : Sports shots

2008-08-22T01:06:00.000-07:00

Having my cousins around , it was a good chance to take a couple of good sport shots . So we headed off to snap a couple of pics . When taking sports shots that aint on the field ( out of actual events ) its more like a modelling session , and so u have to find the best poses in action that help show movement . Poses taken from low angles , with the subject midair usually give a strong action effect .

Also unlike event shots , long lenses arent usually what ure looking for , in fact wide angles can be more useful , as is clear with this shot where i couldnt manage to fit both his legs in the frame . In this shot , i had my cousing jump off a small fence throwing the ball infront of him , as i slept on my back snapping several shots .

Also black and white can give u an impressive look .

U have to find good locations , the sky is always an impressive backdrop . When post processing , go for a look that has a high contrast between light and dark on the model , it gives a radical dramatic look .And what better way to achieve this effect than shooting in the hard light of the midday sun .

Back !

2008-08-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

ٍSo i just came back today from a really needed summer break . Thank God for a great couple of days , filled with lots of photos. Speakin of photos i challenged myself before i left to take certain shots , dont really know how i did , but here goes :

Under lifestyle :

First pic

Second pic :

Just a few goals before i leave ...

2008-08-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

My fam and i have been lucky enough to manage and clear up some space in our schedules for a short summer break . To me , its a great chance to do a lil shootin , but i dont wanna just go there and " hunt" for what i can find . I thought id set myself some goals and see how many i can achieve by the end of the break . So i challenged myself to come up with at least :

1) A good landscape shot .
2) Some lifestyle shots .
3) A good action or sports shot .
4) Some cool portraits .
5) A couple of modeling pics .

Theres 5 goals up there . I'll prob be gone for a week, well 4 days to be exact , lets see what happens by the end of that time period . Hope my plan works . See u all soon .

Still not photography ,....

2008-08-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Just found the theme music/ soundtrack of the movie ( which i talked about before ) called KitKat . Its named Beskalia and composed by Rage7 Dawood . An amazing piece of music . Posted by a utube user named meroman32 .

Chase's Summary of an assignment

2008-08-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

Just saw this great vid of Chase on strobist . Had to get it here . Loved how he ,in a couple of minutes , expalined the entire process of doing an assignment . Enjoy.

Spelling doesnt matter

2008-08-08T04:28:00.000-07:00

Its just sumthing ive been sayin for a big while now . And im sure all of u guys noticed that i intentionally write my posts the way I think words should be written . Spelling doesnt matter . A lot of my frends and fam , and ofcourse parents , would argue otherwise , but it made no sense to me why a word like tomorrow cant be " tomorow " , or different cant be " diferent " . Anyways , i was thrilled to find this post on the yahoo website today which sez just the Same .....