about dxb chronicles

The saga of Jeff living in the City of Gold. Presently living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, unravel his journey throughout the city with memoirs and everyday life stories.

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Monday, July 31, 2006

p e a c e


shutter speed: 1/5 secs, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 400, focal length: 70mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

let's end the aggression and repression... end all conflicts for the sake of the innocent families and children affected by misunderstandings and differences.

can you see the irony in w a r?
discoursed by jeff @ 9:15 AM  |  1 comment(s)  |  permalink

Sunday, July 30, 2006

sandstorm and picnic

fog? no, it's sandstorm in the morning

shutter speed: 1/250 secs, aperture: f/14, iso: 200, focal length: 24mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

sandstorm struck in dubai for two days, visibility was reduced and temperature (40-42c) and humidity (60% - 70%) soared. i'm stuck at home during the day, soaked myself in the bathroom for two hours and watched underworld: evolution.

in the evening though, we went with japs and his colleagues to jumeirah beach park to celebrate one of his officemate's anniversary with his other half. barbecue was the treat and the park itself was a giant barbecue. even it's dark already, the temperatue was still unbearable. worse, you can't swim to the sea because the park management won't allow us to.

instead we went for a little jam plus mini-shoot for mak-mak...

jam on a hot, humid night

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/3.8, iso: 200, focal length: 24mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, tripod mounted, flash fired, remote setting using nikon sb-800 and an old nikon slave flash

another class picture

shutter speed: 2 secs, aperture: f/4, iso: 200, focal length: 31mm, wb: flourescent, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus, tripod mounted, remote controlled

it was a good spend-off weekend for me but not for my roomie because he still didn't able to visit the beach and swim since he got here in dubai (he's been here for more than a year).
discoursed by jeff @ 1:24 PM  |  2 comment(s)  |  permalink

Saturday, July 29, 2006

l o s t


shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/6.3, iso: 200, wb: flourescent, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, using tripod, remote controlled and flash fired, remote setting using nikon sb-800

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
a b c

the place was dark, humid and eerie and decided to make a new concept. my favorite baby subject, mak2 (5), was placed on a dark foilage with trees behind him (1, 2, 3)during our visit to jumeirah beach park. i made a preset shot beforehand (b) and later placed him beside the tree (4) to avoid his inconvenienes. placing the remote flash (6) with the diffuser cap pointing to the tree (4) slightly downward. one shot was enough and it came out well.

i converted the image to bw for a classic look. you can see the original color here.
discoursed by jeff @ 11:30 AM  |  3 comment(s)  |  permalink

Thursday, July 27, 2006

hole rules



all the organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was the one in charge.

"i should be in charge," said the brain, "because i run all the body's systems, so without me nothing would happen."

"i should be in charge," said the blood, "because i circulate oxygen all over so without me you'd all waste away."

"i should be in charge," said the stomach,"Because i process food and give all of you energy."

"i should be in charge," said the legs, "because i carry the body wherever it needs to go."

"i should be in charge," said the eyes, "because i allow the body to see where it goes."

"i should be in charge," said the rectum, "because i'm responsible for waste removal."

all the other body parts laughed at the rectum and insulted him, so in a huff, he shut down tight. within a few days, the brain had a terrible headache, the stomach was bloated, the legs got wobbly, the eyes got watery, and theblood was toxic. they all decided that the rectum should be the boss...

the moral of the story?
the a**hole is usually in charge.

if you don't send this to at least 8 people...who gives a sh*t!
discoursed by jeff @ 10:09 AM  |  0 comment(s)  |  permalink

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

diy - light tent

and we're at it again, experimenting new stuffs...

i got the link from one of the photography forums on how to produce an effective lighting of products, a.k.a product photography. instead of buying expensive equipment, this do-it-yourself (diy) tutorial can help ease your financial restraints and enjoy with the same quality.


shutter speed: 1/10 secs, aperture: f/10, iso: 320, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus

last night, before trying to buy the materials and making the apparatus, i try to imitate the setup first. placing my single-sized cushion bed on the floor, i placed the old rollup banner material (i don't know what to call it) over it and stick the other half on the wall with a curve in the mid-section. next is placing a tent frame over it by using the ladders of double deckers and sidebars of the bunk beds and securing it with gardening wires. next is placing the white fabric all over the tent frame. the flourescent lights were placed on the sides and the top. if you have an wireless/slave flash capabilities like the nikon speedlight sb-800 or canon's speedlite 580ex, it can be placed on top as fill.

now the products...

nikki, my baby

shutter speed: 1/20 secs, aperture: f/2.2, iso: 200, wb: auto, sony cybershot f717, manual focus, flash fired using sony external flash unit

sonia, her friend

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/8, iso: 200, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus, flash fired, remote setting using nikon sb-800

alpombra of pateros

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/5, iso: 320, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, flash fired, remote setting using nikon sb-800

can't beat the real thing...

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/8, iso: 200, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, flash fired, remote setting using nikon sb-800

the setup i've done was quite bigger for product photography but it has usage also for baby portraits. japs and i decided to put his son on the tent as model


shutter speed: 1/30 secs, aperture: f/3.5, iso: 320, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus

mak2 turned six months that day

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 320, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus, flash fired, remote setting using nikon sb-800

cooperative model stayed for more than ten minutes in the tent

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 320, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus

after this success, i'm planning to build an adult-sized version from the original concept of diy light tent.
discoursed by jeff @ 8:57 AM  |  9 comment(s)  |  permalink

Sunday, July 23, 2006

war***be ***set


shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 200, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus, flash fired, ttl setting using nikon sb-800

"war is never a solution; it is an aggravation." - benjamin disrae


a discarded box of portable "wardrobe closet" placed on top of double decker bunk bed and pictured from the lower deck upward. i demand to end this madness/business that's happening recently in the region.

pp talk:
- raw processed and converted to bw
- duplicated layer and adjusted the levels, curves of top layer with transparency of hard light, opacity 40%
- add noise (filter> noise> add noise)
- added "vignette" effect by using black soft brush on the sides
- used sepia actions
- added red touch by brushing with transparency of soft light, opacity 10%
- crf

see the original version.
discoursed by jeff @ 11:32 AM  |  1 comment(s)  |  permalink

Friday, July 21, 2006

f o r s a k e n - i i



my product of frustration, i didn't came with my friends last night to party. a lot of things that came into my mind.

there's always bad news...

stayed at home alone and sat at my computer, and started doodling things with this photo. sometimes, frustrations make me feel inspired to do some stuffs and it's been a while i haven't did any digital artwork.

there's good news after all...
discoursed by jeff @ 11:03 AM  |  3 comment(s)  |  permalink

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

s i l e n c e


shutter speed: 1/100 sec, aperture: f/13, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: sunny, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm polarizing circular filter, manual focus

"learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose." - elisabeth kubler-ross


it's time to shut up for a while and wait for the outcome...
discoursed by jeff @ 8:57 AM  |  7 comment(s)  |  permalink

Sunday, July 16, 2006

b o o


shutter speed: 1/200 secs, aperture: f/11, iso: 200, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus

on our way from abu dhabi to dubai. i wonder what's in store for us...
discoursed by jeff @ 9:32 AM  |  3 comment(s)  |  permalink

Saturday, July 15, 2006

moonlight over dubai


shutter speed: 15 secs, aperture: f/22 f/14, iso: 200, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus using nikon remote

during summer months, the moon is usually bigger (same with the sun during sunset). taken from my apartment window using two exposures. one is underexposed, to get the details of the moon and the other, to get the right exposure of the dubai world trade center. used a tripod on a remote setting

pp talk:
- merged two images
- adjusted levels
- crf
discoursed by jeff @ 10:17 AM  |  4 comment(s)  |  permalink

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

happy moments

just sharing some of the portaits i've taken from the last two weeks...

orange (peach? hahaha) and lemon

shutter speed: 1/20 sec, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 200, focal length: 22mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, flash fired using nikon sb-800

father and son

shutter speed: 1/30 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 200, focal length: 22mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus, flash fired using nikon sb-800

plane ride

shutter speed: 1/4 sec, aperture: f/3.5, iso: 800, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus
discoursed by jeff @ 8:56 AM  |  3 comment(s)  |  permalink

Monday, July 10, 2006

foolin' around

after setting up the "studio", my roomies finally arrived and decided to continue even i felt uninspired... think of something to do with sauna party... with eggs?


shutter speed: 1/30 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 200, focal length: 31mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus, flash fired using a nikon remote


shutter speed: 1/30 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 200, focal length: 31mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus, flash fired using a nikon remote


shutter speed: 1/30 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 200, focal length: 31mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus, flash fired using a nikon remote
discoursed by jeff @ 4:11 PM  |  3 comment(s)  |  permalink

Saturday, July 08, 2006

lemon project

after my experiments on the milk project last year, i decided to take on the elusive action shots of liquid once again.

diagram:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
a b c

with a better gear, i prepared the setting using two long flourescent lights (used in bathroom mirrors) in front (1 2 3) and back (7 8 9) of the subject (5) placed on top of the mirror. these lights are below the subject to give a "bar" look. adding more props, i used my computer desktop side cover as a backdrop. i tested firing the flash unit attached to the camera (8) facing away from the subject (b) and used an underexposed setting -2 3/4ev to avoid glare. putting a black backdrop (a b c) is essential to absorb the flash and not to bounce the flash to the glass.

after placing the lights, i cleaned and poured the transparent beer mug with 3/4 full of water. i sliced a portion of the lemon and set the camera to remote. the level of drop is 1 foot above it.

one, two, three...

i made few tries and regarded them all good but this one i liked most. i tilted the image for a "spill" look

shutter speed: 1/250 sec, aperture: f/4.2, iso: 200, focal length: 34mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus, flash fired using a nikon remote

lemonade? i prefer gin tonic instead... :)
discoursed by jeff @ 10:29 AM  |  7 comment(s)  |  permalink

Thursday, July 06, 2006

light me up!



one of the latest additions to my photographic arsenal, the nikon speedlight sb-800 gives me versatility to take pictures even in low-light conditions. not only that, you can compose your own lighting with the use of remote flashing and even on daylight.

nifty, eh?
discoursed by jeff @ 8:33 AM  |  4 comment(s)  |  permalink

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

part iii - sweaty marina

after the disappointment at the madinat, cesar, a fellow trekker called and invited us to go to dubai marina. with no hesitation we went there since the place was nearby.

the place was good and a lot (i mean, a LOT) of high-rise apartments and offices are under construction and it's growing too fast. we stood nearby the lagoon (an artificial once again) and grab the opportunity of the sunset. although the view is good, the humid was not. we were sweating our asses in less than five minutes and did not take long sessions and went inside the air-conditioned premises.

dubai marina at sunset

shutter speed: 1/15 sec, aperture: f/3.5, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manfrotto monopod mount, auto focus

a little longer stay

shutter speed: 1/3 sec, aperture: f/3.5, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manfrotto monopod mount, auto focus

child's play around the fountain

shutter speed: 1/1.6 sec, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 200, focal length: 40mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manfrotto monopod mount, manual focus

after a few shots and donuts, we closed the session of the day.
discoursed by jeff @ 8:45 AM  |  0 comment(s)  |  permalink

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

part ii - madinat encounter

few hours after my arrival in dubai, eric fadgie, a fellow treklens member called me up and invited me to go for a photoshoot at the madinat jumeirah. spending my "holiday" to the fullest, i went with them.

it's been a while since i visited madinat jumeirah. not knowing any restrictions, we took out our "big guns" and started shooting for subjects. since the weather was humid, our cameras produced moisture and we had trouble in operating them. so we waited for few minutes just to let the cameras leveled with the current temperature and to disappear the moisture.

fog in the afternoon? the effects of moisture to camera...

shutter speed: 1/200 sec, aperture: f/7.1, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm polarizing filter, manual focus

then we headed down near the artificial lagoon when we were stopped by the guard.

"nikon is not allowed here." the guard said.

"what? how about canon?" i inquired.

"you have to take permission from the management. this is not allowed..." ignoring my inquiry.

"this is discrimination. you only allow other cameras and not this."

"only small cameras allowed," he insisted

while arguing, we saw a tourist handling a same camera capacity (350d i think) and taking shots in the area in an abra.

upon seeing him i went back to the guard and argued, "you see him? he's using the same camera type as mine but you didn't stopped him. now this is what i called discrimination. we have rights since we're "tourists" and do you know the rights of the photographers?"

"yes, i know what it is." he replied.

"tell me then."

"if you want to take pictures, just ask the management..."

now, he thinks that he really knows what he's talking about. feeling irritated already, i asked him to call his manager and file a complaint. good thing the manager is present and he's kabayan. after telling him the problem and the reason of going there that it's for personal, not for any commercial work, he allowed us but with caution.

sand sculptor

shutter speed: 1/20 sec, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 320, focal length: 70mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

gio and the burj

shutter speed: 1/30 sec, aperture: f/10, iso: 200, focal length: 22mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

inside the madinat souk

shutter speed: 1/13 sec, aperture: f/3.5, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

but that spoiled our momentum. we did a few shots and left for a different venue instead...
discoursed by jeff @ 8:21 AM  |  0 comment(s)  |  permalink

Sunday, July 02, 2006

part i - a slice of oman (2 of 2)

what did we do in muscat? just went to pee.

to make things short, we were delayed, booked for transit and we boarded the same plane we left... shortest time i stayed in a country.

a 10-minute stay... world record!

anyhow, just enjoy the pics i've taken during the flight... and the stewardess are too hospitable giving us three times snacks and giveaways!

hit the brakes

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/22, iso: 200, focal length: 27mm, wb: sunny, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

omani shoreline

shutter speed: 1/60 sec, aperture: f/22, iso: 200, focal length: 44mm, wb: sunny, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

painting at 25,000 feet

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/18, iso: 200, focal length: 29mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

roadblocked by sand

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/18, iso: 200, focal length: 62mm, wb: sunny, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

dubai landing

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/18, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: sunny, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus
discoursed by jeff @ 8:53 AM  |  0 comment(s)  |  permalink

Saturday, July 01, 2006

part i - a slice of oman (1 of 2)

dubai airport's control tower and its birds

shutter speed: 1/160 sec, aperture: f/7.1, iso: 200, focal length: 35mm, wb: sunny, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm polarizing filter, manual focus

we almost didn't catch the flight due to blunder of our administration. instead of getting the pink copy of the visa, they printed only an online version which is not allowed for a-to-a visa change (airport to airport). it was cleared only few minutes before our flight and we weren't able to tour and have photos inside the duty free area at terminal 1.

to add the frustration, the flight was delayed due to the ongoing repairs and expansion of new runways of the airport. we took off thirty minutes behind schedule.

i am afraid of flying but this time i was focused on something... taking shots. it diverted my fear into fascination. during takeoff, i didnt closed my eyes and peeked thru the window instead. a nice diversion.

an error using a polarizing filter...

shutter speed: 1/30 sec, aperture: f/25, iso: 200, focal length: 46mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm polarizing filter, manual focus

birthplace of dubai, the shindaga

shutter speed: 1/200 sec, aperture: f/9, iso: 200, focal length: 34mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm polarizing filter, manual focus

panoramic view of an aircraft wing, dirty window in view

shutter speed: 1/250 sec, aperture: f/14, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm polarizing filter, manual focus

flying at 25,000 feet, the flight was smooth forty five minute ride and the stewardesses were very polite and accomodating(two were filipinas). we landed in muscat airport with no further incident...
discoursed by jeff @ 9:22 AM  |  1 comment(s)  |  permalink