The Dubai Chronicles: Rebirth

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.

dubai trek - sand dunes of nazwa

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

this was the last destination of the trek with fellow photographers here in dubai. if it weren't for tet's vehicle trouble, we ventured forth in the middle of the desert. around 100meters from the road we took a stop and made a little photoshoot.

class picture again

shutter speed: 1/160 sec, aperture: f/22, iso: 200, focal length: 35mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, fired via remote

when we decided to leave, his car just stuck up in the sand. we pushed, tugged, and dug and all we got was sand and burying the car further.

shutter speed: 1/500 sec, aperture: f/14, iso: 200, focal length: 22mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

with the sun was really streaking hot, tet decided to call a desert recovery service (in which he was financially ripped by the persons sent by the company) and able to pull off the sand. the consolation was the manufacturer and distributor of his car was there and with no charge.

shutter speed: 1/200 sec, aperture: f/16, iso: 200, focal length: 22mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus

i was scorched, dehydrated and worn out... but the one-day trek was worth it.

discoursed by jeff @ 2:22 PM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, August 27, 2006

dubai trek - jadaf shipyard

after the early morning shoot at the camel market, we headed towards the jadaf shipyard where dhows are being repaired or made. the place is situated in dubai creek near garhoud. it's quite boring for a typical tourist but great for photographers who wanted to get texture or artistic and mood shots. we didn't stay long since we went for a long drive to our next destination.

here are some of the photos i've taken:

servicing the dhow

shutter speed: 1/60 sec, aperture: f/16, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, flash fired using nikon speedlight sb-800

pre-nup practice

shutter speed: 1/500 sec, aperture: f/10, iso: 200, focal length: 35mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus, flash fired using nikon speedlight sb-800

wrecked

shutter speed: 1/200 sec, aperture: f/11, iso: 200, focal length: 27mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

discoursed by jeff @ 2:31 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, August 24, 2006

dubai trek - camel market

last monday's trek with fellow pinoy photographers here in dubai was fun.

paparazzis on the move. the star? a camel.

shutter speed: 1/20 secs, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 200, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

everybody's eager to learn and met face-to-face with fellow members even the time of the meet is at dawn. fifteen of us went out to trek, capture and share memories and later on, to share other members from other places (as well as here).

first off, we went to a camel market and racetrack in nad al sheba.

first shot of the day. i almost got trampled.

shutter speed: 1/40 secs, aperture: f/4, iso: 200, focal length: 22mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus

the place was full of... err.. camels, in caravans waiting to be either as food or winning breed for the race.

a classic camel trader. he thought the speedlight was the camera.

shutter speed: 1/160 secs, aperture: f/10, iso: 200, focal length: 24mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus, flash fired using nikon speedlight sb-800

is that the same guy who almost got me trampled?!

shutter speed: 1/250 secs, aperture: f/10, iso: 200, focal length: 25mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, auto focus, flash fired (wireless mode) using nikon speedlight sb-800

next stop, dhow building yard in jadaf.

discoursed by jeff @ 9:11 AM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

some things never change

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/8, iso: 200, focal length: 70mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, kenko extension tube, manual focus, flash fired (wireless mode) using nikon sb-800

i've been far and away with my wife and kids for a long time and a lot of things happened. kids are growing up, places rearranged, and the relationship between us were different.

one thing that i assure is my love for my family never changed. we see and feel in a different way but my love for them is not. it's immeasurable.

happy anniversary, mayi. i miss you.

discoursed by jeff @ 10:21 AM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, August 20, 2006

dubai trekkers meet

fellow treklens members are going out for a photoshoot, enjoying the one day holiday tomorrow. if you have free time, with a 4x4 ride (not necessarily needed) and camera, join the fun. even non-members or any nationalities are welcome.

visit the site for more info.

discoursed by jeff @ 1:07 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, August 19, 2006

throw away your dslrs and p&s...

...that's what i've heard from yesterday's free photography seminar. digital cameras and it's accessories are already obsolete. they're just going with the latest trends according to him. actually, he's a photographer and instructor using film camera.

thru his explanations, he pounded each accessories and parts the digital has and less or none for the film. quite biased eh? you can just imagine him carrying all the stuffs with portable hard drive, card reader, different storage devices, batteries, pda and mobile phone. i just smiled.

yes, 100% i agree with the quality of film over digital, the fine details and can be resized without compensating it's quality. digital photography is just a baby compared to film and manufacturers are there to make it improve everyday, just like the evolution of transportation. we're not reinventing the wheel but we're improving it. some people just can't grasp the convenience (and downsides) of technology.

and if you're asking if i enroll the full course, no. i prefer to learn by myself and keep the ball rolling instead rather than debating and discussing who's the best.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:11 PM | 7 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, August 17, 2006

e m i l i o

while busy finishing the "stuff" (that's a hint), i'll give you a little history and photography... :P

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/8, iso: 200, focal length: 70mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, kenko extension tube, manual focus, flash fired (wireless mode) using nikon sb-800

general emilio aguinaldo (1869-1964) was the first president of the philippine republic. he and his men fought for freedom and independence of the country against the spaniards and americans.

for more info, click here. also, see the large version.

this photo is a five-peso denomination of philippine currency. emilio was used to be in green paper and being transformed into coin due to the devaluation of its currency and poor economy. now, our country has a new enemy... from overwhelming poverty, corruption of government, dirty politics and mother nature's wrath.

if he was alive today, he is now too small to fight for it...

taken from the top, i mounted the extension tube and focused 2cm close to the subject. i used tripod to avoid the shake and fired via remote with wireless flash pointing on the upper right of the coin at 5-10cm.

no further pp work done except crf.

discoursed by jeff @ 11:25 AM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, August 13, 2006

procrastinator

problems with the troops, busy sched with sessions and thinking too much greek mythology... what's next?

while i'm busy cookin' up something new (it's been two months i forgot this task), i just want to share a site that helps me in improving my photographic and creative skills.

as much as i wanted to, although there's no vulgar nor malice in my photos, some images posted on the "other" site are not allowed here due to self-censorship. please do visit my gallery there and tell me what you think...

thank you all for the support and the visits. i'll see you later.

discoursed by jeff @ 3:30 PM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

Friday, August 11, 2006

t a s t e . o f . e r i s

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/5, iso: 200, focal length: 70mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, kenko extension tube, manual focus, flash fired (wireless mode) using nikon sb-800

it is recounted that zeus held a banquet in celebration of the marriage of peleus and thetis. however, eris, goddess of discord, was uninvited. angered by this snub, eris arrived at the celebration, where she threw a golden apple (the apple of discord) into the proceedings, upon which was the inscription "for the fairest one".

three goddesses claimed the apple: hera, athena and aphrodite. they asked zeus to judge which of them was fairest, and eventually zeus, reluctant to favor any claim himself, declared that paris, a phrygian mortal, would judge their cases, for he had recently shown his exemplary fairness in a contest in which ares in bull form had bested paris's own prize bull and the shepherd-prince had unhesitatingly awarded the prize to the god.

thus it happened that with hermes as their guide all three of the candidates appeared to paris on mount ida, in the climactic moment that is the crux of the tale. after bathing in the spring of ida, each attempted with her powers to bribe paris; hera offered to make him king of europe and asia, athena offered wisdom and skill in war, and aphrodite, offered the love of the world's most beautiful woman, helen of sparta, wife of the greek king menelaus. paris accepted Aphrodite's gift and awarded the apple to her, receiving helen as well as the enmity of the greeks and especially of hera. the greeks' expedition to retrieve helen from paris in troy is the mythological basis of the trojan war.

eris had her revenge on not being invited.

source: wikipedia

a buddy of mine handed me a new tool, an extension tube (see this link for more info) which helps magnify subjects. experimenting with it, while having a snack, i put the apple on my table using my yellow shirt as backdrop, tripod mounted and used wireless flash firing upwards to avoid glare on the shiny texture of the apple.

no pp work done except resizing it to the usual frame.

discoursed by jeff @ 1:20 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

e l y s i a n . f i e l d s

shutter speed: 1/500 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 54mm, wb: auto, manual focus

in greek mythology, elysium was a section of the underworld (the spelling elysium is a latinization of the greek word elysion). alternately, scholars have also suggested that greek elysion may instead derive from the egyptian term ialu (older iaru), meaning "reeds," with specific reference to the "reed fields" (egyptian: sekhet iaru / ialu), a paradisiacal land of plenty where the dead hoped to spend eternity. the elysian fields, or sometimes elysian plains, were the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous.

source: wikipedia

after the redbull flugtag event last year (see gallery for pics), my friend and i took a stroll to see if there's any interesting places to shoot at. luckily i found these grain-like grass (i don't what i call these...) and instructed my friend to walk slowly with hands touching the grass, reenacting the scene from gladiator herein maximus see himself walking down the plains.

the background was a distraction and my subject's attire was inappropriate for the mood. further trouble was the shadow cast of the subject towards the "fields" that caused some dark areas. i decided to crop the image showing only hands. i adjusted the levels, saturation and added soft touch of this photo thru photoshop.

discoursed by jeff @ 11:38 AM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

g i f t . f o r . m o r t a l s

shutter speed: 3 secs, aperture: f/6.3, iso: 400, focal length: 50mm, wb: tungsten, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus

prometheus, or prometheas (ancient greek, "forethought") is the titan chiefly honored for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to mortals for their use.

he held no awe for the gods, and he ridiculed zeus, though he fought alongside the gods against the other titans. prometheus was the creator of man. when he and epimetheus, his brother, set out to make creatures to populate the earth under the orders of cronos, prometheus carefully crafted a creature after the shape of the gods: a man. prometheus felt sorry for his creations, and watched as they shivered in the cold and winter's nights. he decided to give his most loved creation a great gift that was a "good servant and bad master". he took fire from the hearth of the gods by stealth and brought it to men. thus mankind was warm. to punish prometheus for this hubris (and all of mankind in the process), zeus devised "such evil for them that they shall desire death rather than life, and prometheus shall see their misery and be powerless to succor them. that shall be his keenest pang among the torments I will heap upon him." zeus could not just take fire back, because a god or goddess could not take away what the other had given.

source: wikipedia

setup was easy, achieving low-light condition with just fire as source of lighting. i asked my roomie to model for me and let him dressed like the gods with just white blanket covered on parts of his body. i focused the subject posing first using a tripod and with sufficient lighting then turned the lights off when ready.

the trick, however, was keeping the fire in hand without moving and staying for long periods. we used rubbing alcohol then ignite it... the fire didn't last long due to water percentage is bigger than alcohol and the fire was small. to avoid burning of the hand, we put lotion to the exposed parts of the hand and put a damp cotton with alcohol (alcohol has a cooling effect) then put on top with a thin dry cotton. next was adding an additional light to illuminate the subject. i lit a small candle mounted on monopod and raised on top front of him. the finale was to set the camera on remote to avoid shake and instructed the subject to "ignite" his hand and took several shots.

no other pp work done except resizing it to frame and adding title.

discoursed by jeff @ 8:31 AM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Monday, August 07, 2006

c a s t o r . a n d . p o l l u x

shutter speed: 2 secs, aperture: f/6.3, iso: 200, focal length: 50mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus

castor (or kastor) and pollux (sometimes called polydeuces) were the twin sons of leda and the brothers of helen of troy and clytemnestra. they are known as the gemini, latin for twins.

they are called the dioscuri (dios kouroi), meaning the "sons of zeus", although the story of their parentage is confused, as it is for their sisters helen and clytemnestra. the best known story is that zeus disguised himself as a swan and seduced leda. thus leda's children are frequently said to have hatched from two eggs that she then produced. by many accounts, however, leda's mortal husband tyndareus could also have fathered some of the children. which children are thus mortal and which half-immortal is not consistent among accounts, nor is which child hatched from which egg. castor and polydeuces are sometimes both mortal, sometimes both divine. one consistent point is that if only one of them is immortal, it is polydeuces. in homer's iliad, helen looks down from the walls of troy and wonders why she does not see her brothers among the achaeans. the narrator remarks that they are both already dead and buried back in their homeland of lacedaemon, thus suggesting that at this early point in the development of the legend, both were mortal.

castor and polydeuces abducted and married phoebe and hilaeira, the daughters of leucippus. in return, idas and lynceus, nephews of leucippus (or rival suitors), killed castor. polydeuces was granted immortality by zeus, and further persuaded zeus to share his gift with castor. (in some accounts, only polydeuces was fathered by zeus, while leda and her husband tyndareus conceived castor. this explains why only polydeuces was granted immortality.) accordingly, the two spend alternate days as gods on olympus and as deceased mortals in hades.

source: wikipedia

doing self-portraits is hard specially when there's no one to assist you in focusing. using a tripod, i put a dummy pillow, focused on it and put a mark where would i be posing. source of light was on the right side of the subject using flourescent lighting covered with white fabric to soften. set on a remote setting, i made a few shots of each profile, front and side views. since the lighting was low, the shutter speed was longer and i was obliged not to breathe and move for few seconds to avoid blur. after choosing the best poses, i merged the two using photoshop with minimal pp work.

discoursed by jeff @ 8:48 AM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, August 06, 2006

c h a r b y d i s . t r a p

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 200, focal length: 40mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, tripod mount, manual focus, flash fired using nikon sb-800

charybdis, or kharybdis ("sucker down"), is a sea monster, daughter of poseidon and gaia, who swallows huge amounts of water three times a day and then belches them back out again. she takes form as a whirlpool and devours anything within range. she lays on one side of a narrow channel of water.

on the other side of the strait was scylla, another sea-monster. the two sides of the strait are within an arrow's range of each other, so close that sailors attempting to avoid charybdis will pass too close to scylla and vice versa. the phrase between scylla and charybdis has come to mean being in a state where one is between two dangers and moving away from one will cause you to be in danger from the other. between Scylla and Charybdis is the origin of the phrase "between the rock and the whirlpool" (the rock upon which scylla dwelt and the whirlpool of charybdis) and may be the genesis of the phrase "between a rock and a hard place".

the argonauts were able to avoid both dangers because they were guided by thetis, one of the nereids. according to homer's oddysey, odysseus was not so fortunate; he chose to risk Scylla at the cost of some of his crew rather than lose the whole ship to charybdis.

traditionally, the location of charybdis has been associated with the strait of messina off the coast of sicily, opposite the rock called scylla. the whirlpool there is caused by the meeting of currents, but is seldom dangerous. recently scholars have looked again at the location and suggested this association was a misidentification and that a more likely origin for the story could be found close by cape skilla in north west greece.

charybdis was originally a sea-nymph who flooded land to enlarge her father's underwater kingdom, until zeus turned her into a monster.

source: wikipedia

this was another experiment of water action. i setup the washing machine and filled it with water 3/4 full in order to be deep and have an effect of whirpool. i mounted the tripod near the side with a slight angle (70-80 degrees) from the top. since the tub is white, i poured a few amounts of fabric conditioner to have colors (azure) and little amounts of dirt to eliminate few bubbles. i turned on the timer for ten minutes to routinely spin and able to focus more near the "mouth" area. after a few shots and picked the best, i edited the image fit for dark mood thru photoshop.

more "greek mythology" themes to come...

discoursed by jeff @ 8:47 AM | 6 comment(s) | permalink

Friday, August 04, 2006

h o u s e . o f . a r a c h n e

shutter speed: 1/2 secs, aperture: f/3.5, iso: 400, focal length: 18mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

the fable of arachne is a late addition to greek mythology, recorded in ovid's metamorphoses. arachne's name simply means "spider" and was a fine weaver in lydia who began claiming that her skill was greater than athena's, the goddess of weaving.

athena was angered, but gave arachne a chance to redeem herself. assuming the form of an old woman, she warned arachne not to offend the gods. arachne scoffed and wished for a weaving contest, so she could prove her skill. athena dropped her disguise and the contest began.

athena wove the scene of her victory over poseidon that inspired the people of athens to name their city for her. arachne's tapestry featured Zeus: zeus being unfaithful with leda, zeus being unfaithful with Europa, zeus being unfaithful with danae.

even athena admitted that arachne's work was flawless, but was outraged at arachne's disrespectful choice of subjects. finally losing her temper, athena destroyed her tapestry and loom, and struck arachne on the head. arachne realized her folly and was crushed with shame. she ran off and hanged herself.

athena took pity on arachne. sprinkling her with the juices of aconite, athena loosened the rope, which became a cobweb, while arachne herself was changed into a spider.

source: wikipedia

after ceslou's son's party, we just passed by and visited the newly-constructed section of burjuman center. lighting was poor and i didn't brought my tripod at that time (and i guess it's prohibited to take shots there using one) that caused camera shake.

pp talk:
- adjusted levels
- sharpened, one click
- crf

discoursed by jeff @ 9:18 AM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, August 03, 2006

"garhoud" and paintball

after office, we got excited that we're going to play "war games" and it's our first time here in dubai. our friend invited us over to play with his peers near in wonderland (better remember this word...).

since it's rush hour, we took a taxi near the rydges hotel in satwa. we instructed the driver to go to "wonderland" near the grand hyatt hotel. he agreed. while driving, he informed us that he's taking a faster route to avoid traffic. we agreed. from satwa we took mankhool road then took a u-turn towards trade center (like halfway going back to ease traffic) then towards oud-metha. feeling suspicious after his turn towards the dubai creek instead going to wafi city (he thinks that we don't know where we going) we asked him again that where we going.

"aren't we suppose to go to wafi city instead?"

"no. too much traffic. this is the way," he said.

"where will you turn?" we inquired.

"there's a u-turn."

with the meter's gone up to dhs22 (instead the normal bill from satwa to grand hyatt of dhs13-15) we past up the wonderland from other side and crossed the garhoud bridge. feeling sure that he doesn't know where we going and feeling agitated, i asked him again on where we going.

"you told me garhoud..."

upon hearing it, that blew my fuse... "who told you to go to garhoud?! we're going to wonderland not garhoud...."

he cursed and kept insisting that we're going to garhoud.

trying to keep my control i told him to take the next u-turn that cost us a lot (dhs28) and go back. feeling irritated, he sped up and turned off his meter...

... upon arriving, felt the inconvenience and pissed the way he reacted to his fault we gave him dhs15 but demanded more as per last meter reading. we argued that it his fault and he closed the meter for that matter that he threatened to call police.

that favored more on our side. he called the police to come and i called his company to file a complaint and reported the incident.

leaving him the parking, he waited for police and can't wait for the officer's reaction on the hassle going there and then arguing for dhs13 when he just turned off his meter.

as per meter sticker... "your ride is free when the meter is not operational."

ditto.

releasing the tension, we continued our "pursuit games" and enjoyed with litte red spots on my arms.

note: i didn't bring my camera since it was dark and not to risk of any damage or theft. a time to relax, right? :)

discoursed by jeff @ 11:55 AM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

g a t e . t o . h a d e s

shutter speed: 1/320 sec, aperture: f/16, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

hades, in greek mythology, it is referred to both the underworld, the afterlife, and the god of the dead.

the deceased entered the underworld by crossing the river acheron, also called the styx, ferried across by charon, who charged an obolus, a small coin for passage, placed under the tongue of the deceased by pious relatives. paupers and the friendless gathered forever on the near shore. the far side of the river was guarded by cerberus, the three-headed dog defeated by heracles (roman hercules). beyond cerberus, the shades of the departed entered the land of the dead to be judged.

source: wikipedia

this abandoned pier was taken during my stay in kish island, iran while strolling near the beach. the sun was streaking too much light that i had to underexpose the clouds and later on post-processed it thru photoshop. i added the blue hue for a dark and sad mood.

discoursed by jeff @ 9:50 AM | 5 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

w a r

shutter speed: 1/60 secs, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 400, focal length: 70mm, wb: auto, af-s nikkor 18-70mm dx, kaiser 67mm uv filter, manual focus

"be of sober spirit, be on alert. your adversary (the devil) prowls like a (roaring) lion seeking someone to devour." -- 1 peter 5:8

can you see the irony in p e a c e?

discoursed by jeff @ 9:01 AM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

The Dubai Chronicles