It's not dark yet, but it's getting there...

So, to follow from last week's blog the week started with the beginning of the School Brochure shoot and regulars to my Face Book page will have seen some of the results - at least one more day's shooting is needed to tidy up loose ends and cover subjects not yet completed. Some subjects readily lend themselves to photography - games, drama, art to name but three; however, the more academic subjects are much more problematic - people studying are people studying regardless of what subject they are reading about. Additionally, should these subjects become more animated and venture into the realms of roll-play they immediately look like drama...hummm... I think you get the drift here.

Here is one of my favourites from this week... from a drama lesson...

The beginning of the week saw some of the students receive their first external exam results. They all did brilliantly and the look of relief on the faces was a joy...

And it was with this good feeling I set off round the school, Nikon in hand to find some lovely pictures of happy students enjoying their school days...

...and after a couple of days shooting I took a break for some much needed editing and sorting. During this I went for a "clear the head" walk around our Corniche. Now a month or so ago I was walking around the island when I came across a western reef egret fishing on the rocks. It was foggy at the time and the air over the sea had a mystical feel to it. Still clutching Nikon in hand I watched the bird as it took off, ghost-like over the sea. All the time I watched it I was thinking "That's a good picture" whilst making no effort to raise my camera to my eye and take it... !  This time I managed to get off a few shots - the lack of fog robbed me of the atmosphere which really made the previous shot; so I dropped an image into Photoshop and had a play. Several images resulted and my favourite is...

Another day shooting in the school (well morning as I don't work in the afternoons as a rule). Hopefully that will be the end of the images - only some pp will tell... Whilst wandering around the corridors of the school I was taken with some door designs... to celebrate International Book Week, classes and offices alike have been asked to decorate their doors with their favourite book covers... Here is a one of my favourites...

Amazing what people will do if it avoids working!!! (just kidding guys...)

After all this excitement I received a phone call from a Real Estate Agent booking me to initially photograph his office staff in Dubai and Sharjah  - hopefully this will expand to his Abu Dhabi office as well and then some bookings for property shoots - fingers crossed for that. And later this month I may get a booking confirmed to shoot the advertising images for a local swimming academy (lets hope eh?)...

Well after that excitement, I managed to get out and about for my own fun today (Thursday). An hour was spent at the Dhow Harbour and fish market in Abu Dhabi. Now this is one of my favourite places for photography in the city - it has a vibrancy and a fascination all its own; it shows a different life from the modern, cash-centric life that predominates this Emirate, and its position, adjacent to the sparkling Corniche with all the modern high-rise, just give more emphasis to its unique appeal. Hey, it's an old bit of a city that wants the world to think it's all new... Visitors to my Face Book page will have seen some pictures I have taken there both in the past and today, but here are some more...

 An old dhow steams past the Corniche on its way back from a fishing trip...

Under construction high-rise tower over a moored dhow...

 New lobster pots are made on the quay side probably to be used tonight...

Adjacent to the dhow harbour is the fish market full of the sights, sounds and smells you would expect from a working market. Lighting in here is tricky but it is possible to get some rewards if you take a bit of time...

Fish awaiting preparation...













For this kind of photo reportage type work I have adapted my gear to help me to remain as anonymous as possible. So I carry one camera body - Nikon D200 with the grip removed, making the body smaller and less obtrusive. Lenses are been reduced to two fast primes - Nikon 50mm f1.8 AFD and Nikon 28mm f2.8 AFD. I also carry a small speedlight just in case (Nikon SB-600 in case you are interested). These are carried in a Billington Hadley Pro shoulder bag which is a lovely old fashioned canvas and leather bag that wouldn't look out of place in the 1920s!!!  It is still a great way to take pictures especially with all the controls set to manual... you have to think...!

So that is about it for this week - hope you have enjoyed the pictures and the bit of editorial... Hope to see you all next week..

TTFN