Been a while since my last blog posting, simply because there hasn't been much going on in my life apart from a few photography outings to explore Doha and the wider Qatar in search of material for my ongoing "Qatar Unfiltered" series.
Read MoreOne Week in Tunisia
Just returned from a cold and rainy week in Tunisia, and more specifically, the capital city Tunis. It's been a while since I last visited an African destination, but found the atmosphere to be more distinctly Arab than African.
Read MoreDusting off the Rollei for Croatia
Apart from my current favorites, my Leica Q and Fuji X100s (no, still can't put it away), I'm also planning to try my hand at film photography again. I'll be taking along an old Rolleiflex I picked up in an antique shop in Aleppo (Syria) some years back. After consulting a few YouTube videos to understand how it works, as far as I can now tell, it is in some form of working order.
Read MoreSaPa Collection Revisited
I’ve spent the last few weeks working through my entire Vietnam archive, stretching from my first visit in 2007, through to 2011. More specifically though, I’ve reconsidered my images from a visit to the northern mountain region around SaPa and surroundings, a mountain village where a number of ethnic minorities reside and trade their cultural wares with tourists.
Read MoreMy Five Street Photography Tips
Now, I know that the web is full of advice for street photographers on best lens choices, camera settings, "stealthy" shooting, etc, which I will try not to repeat or discredit, but instead hope to offer some new advice of my own.
Read MoreSocial Media is making us dumb
These are platforms where anything goes, where the good and the bad are hardly indistinguishable anymore. It seems like our brains are switching off when bombarded with a constant flow of information. This information is dished up in such a way that, once we've scrolled past it for that fleeting second, most of the information the posting contains become forgotten history.
Read MoreThe Street Photography Dilemma Solved
Though many variations can be found, street photography is generally defined as a type of photography that features candid moments of subjects in public spaces. This I consider to be the most basic, purist definition, but it becomes more complicated when one extract further meaning from this simple statement. Let's consider the three key words making up this basic definition: "Subject", "Candid" and "Public".
Read MoreEveryday Doha ... and things #4
During the summer months, I find it really hard to keep my street photography passions going in any active way. Just this past weekend, I tried again to hunt for a few usable shots at a new local shopping mall, but I always leave disappointed. Some street photographers are probably highly skilled in indoor mall photography, but it is not my strong point or main interest.
Read MoreFive days in Tbilisi and Kazbegi
First impressions of the city were promising, especially while driving through the historic downtown area from Freedom Square down Rustaveli Avenue. This area contains many grand, historic European style buildings. Most of these buildings are well maintained and beautifully lit, which made an even better first impression while driving through the streets during a perfect blue hour. I was excited about the prospect of getting shooting out into the streets as soon as possible.
Read MoreOh come on! Street Photography isn't dead!
It's become a bit of a trend over the last few years to (rightly) question where the genre of Street Photography is heading towards. With typical arguments decrying the facts that "everybody calls themselves photographers", "everybody carries a camera", "social media sites are flooded with bad and mediocre images", ""likes" have become more important than real skill", bla bla bla, together they stack up making a highly compelling case motivating the demise of Street Photography.
Read MoreMy Street- and Travel Photography Genesis
I quickly realized that this very Jaipur trip was kind of my Street- and Travel Photography genesis, ground zero where it all started. Apart from a disturbing, unhealthy fascination with the "dutch angle" at the time, and shooting most images in a cinematic 16:9 ratio (even in portrait!) this set of images is the first one that showed some kind of promise.
Read MoreEveryday Doha ... and things #2
As already mentioned, I find modern Doha to be an extremely harsh city. For unknown reasons, there appears to be a resistance from the Municipality and property developers alike to avoid softening the urban cityscape by significant green landscaping, and to be fair, with some noticeable exceptions.
Read MorePublication in Urban Eye Magazine
Proud that one of my images, taken in Hanoi (Vietnam) is published in the latest Urban Eye Magazine (January 2017 Edition), but also with sadness that this is the last edition ...
Read MoreWeek 2 in Sri Lanka - Fuji X100s vs Leica Q
I spent my last week in Galle to mostly travel around the area, in an almost desperate attempt to see and capture as much possible quality stock before my return to Doha. This is (as always) made easier by renting a scooter, and with the wonders of Google maps in my pocket, deep explorations into the back roads and rural farmlands is always possible without the angst of getting lost.
Read MoreWeek 1 in Sri Lanka - Fuji X100s vs Leica Q
As always, my trusted Fuji X100s, a constant travel companion of circa four years, accompanied me. However, having also recently accuired a new Leica Q, I was interested in seeing which one of these tools suit me best. Admittedly, my heart layed with the Fuji before the trip, as my short time with the Leica has been slightly unimpressive to date.
Read MoreEveryday Doha ... and things #1
Despite repeated visits to the obvious hunting grounds, I also consciously try to force myself to recognize the less obvious "charms" of Qatar and Doha's generally bland, uninspiring scenery.
Read MoreFirst winter shoot
I was delighted to start my official 'hunting season" this last weekend by visiting the rustic charms of the old faithful stomping grounds of Souk Waqif in downtown Doha.
Read MorePortraits of Syria: The Bakers
It is always easy finding a bakery in Syria. Apart from being plentiful and mostly located in well exposed locations, one just need to follow the great aroma of freshly backed bread to the open shopfront window swiftly serving fresh, hot, steaming flat breads to customers queuing in the street outside.
Read MorePortraits of Syria: The Craftsmen
What always used to fascinate me was how Syria appeared and felt like it was literally thirty years behind most modern industrial nations, a time-warp taking one back to the times before big factories and a simpler lifestyle.
Read MorePortraits of Syria
With Aleppo again being in the international news for all the wrong reasons, I feel sad in the knowledge that many of the areas in Syria that I've been privileged to visit and experience before the 2011 start of this dreadful civil war, have been damaged at best, or at worst, completely destroyed.
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