As we move from autumn into winter, Kuwait got a much-needed wash yesterday. Yes we had some rain since early November, but it was more falling-mud than water droplets. Yesterday was different… it cleaned everything including the air. The horizon at sea was razor sharp.
H M AL-KHALIFA 1928-2009
الله يرحمك و يغمد روحك الجنه – إنا لله و إنا إليه راجعون
The weather has been wonderful this weekend. I love the clear blue sky, occasionally decorated with faint clouds. We had a nice desert walk on Friday morning, and spent most of Saturday on the beach. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this relaxed.
I’ve been across the King Fahad Causeway a few times over the past two years. I’ve never been able to get any reasonable shots of the journeys. Most of my crossings were in the night, and the only time I went during the day – it was a very hazy one. Read More »
I couldn’t resist this last post about Egypt. I stayed at the Marriott in Cairo. This may not sound interesting, but this hotel has a building with an interesting history. I took some shots of the original building of the palace.
When I was in Egypt, we drove to Alexandria for a meeting. My host was kind enough to drive me through the town and on the corniche. The meeting was near the harbour and I really didn’t want to be so close and not see this old city.
If Chicago is the windy city, and Paris the city of love, then Cairo has got to be the city of contrast. Every extreme of anything in life is all around. You see it live as you walk the streets and drive through this huge, bustling and sprawling metropolis. On the same street corner you will find the latest luxury cars, a ‘thing’ that can barely be called a car and a donkey-drawn-carriage selling vegetables. This doesn’t even begin to describe the extremes one sees in this place.
I am in Cairo on a short business trip. So far all I managed is a late afternoon walk. I thought the second day would give me some more time to catch up with the city – my last visit here was a few years ago – but I just learned that my second meeting will be in Alexandria…
I hope to be able to get a few shots of here and ‘zair’…
Whilst we often work hard to get the perfect shot, some just seem to seek us. This scene was waiting for me earlier this afternoon. I walked into our living room, looked out to the balcony and there it was! Perfect angle from the sunlight, sitting at the top of the balcony fence and perfectly matching the colours of the distant background. I raced downstairs to grab my camera and approached it slowly to get this result.
It’s the first dragonfly we’ve seen this autumn. In Kuwait it’s considered a sign of good luck…
It’s been a while… I was busy catching up with my family, work, and tonight with friends.
We need some pictures for our dining room wall. No fruits nor flowers are allowed! The obvious choice is therefore the most important ingredient after any meal. Not that I need a reminder…
In fact there wasn’t a single cloud in sight. I just couldn’t think of a better title to describe the feeling of my experience yesterday. Imagine suddenly growing wings… then imagine something grabbing you, rocketing you a thousand metres up and… letting you go. It was exhilarating!
This post is about my first ‘planned’ walk around Paris. Although I’ve been here before and am familiar with the major landmarks, I wanted to see some of the things I had put off previously.
After some time off from business travel, there is no escaping it… It’s time to play catch-up with work starting with a visit to the head office in France. It’s been great having some free time with the family and, thinking of my flight early tomorrow morning, I miss them already. So we’re off to play on bikes and onto a nice evening meal.
The shot of the Wataniya plane was taken back in March when I was shooting the MotoCross event.
As terrible as it sounds, I am pleased that – starting tomorrow – I can have the only thing I miss in Ramadan: a good coffee in the morning. I haven’t had time to take a photograph for Eid. I do hope that you like this close up of a Habiscus flower. The shot was taken in April this year at my mother’s garden.
Eid Mubarak to you and your loved ones. I hope all your prayers are answered.
تقبل الله طاعتكم و عيدكم مبارك
In the middle of the month of Ramadan, we celebrate Girgi’an. Boys and girls dress in traditional costumes and sing old songs in exchange for some sweets. It’s our version of trick-and-treat… only without tricks. When I was a child, it was still a relatively simple affair with small handfuls of sweets, almonds and – if you’re really lucky – a couple of coins handed to us. Today is a different story all together. Parents (mainly mothers) compete to achieve some truely ridiculous results. The concept of ‘Less is More’ is yet again forgotten. Whatever way you do it, I hope your kids have a wonderful time in celebrating this wonderful tradition.
The shot above was my first real test of the new tripod. I took the photograph from our roof late Wednesday night using a Sigma lens at 500mm. Have a look at the larger version by clicking the image.
It’s not a serious piece of kit, but you can have some serious fun with this little camera. When I read the review, I thought it was a little gimmicky. Then I saw the Stuff TV video review, and I couldn’t wait to buy one. The Canon D10 is the best companion on wet holidays.
First day of school and the first signs of things returning to ‘normal’ since May!
Ramadan still has an effect (meal times, sleep pattern, extra socialising) and I miss the scent and taste of coffee in the morning. But apart from that, as the children return to school and as we near the middle of the holy month, I can see things slowly but surely falling into place. I can’t wait for the boring routine of everyday…
The photo above is of Yousef taken earlier this morning.
A short hop to Dubai for a day. I didn’t bring my camera this time, so it’s another old photo I’m afraid. You can tell from the columns on the left bank of the road. These are now the supports for the metro track, which is almost complete including stations. The photo above was taken in February 2008.
Dubai is still quiet – but the queue for the taxis at the airport was unbelievably long.
I’m clearing my photos (about half way there) and came across this one last night. I haven’t shared it on this blog before and, with the significance of sunset during this month, I thought it would be nice to post it. The wonderful weather added two major factors to the composition: great colour and the people on the pier.
Click on the photo to have a look at the larger version (it’s a huge one this time). The silhouettes of the people are really interesting, and they put me in a good mood. The photo was taken early October last year.
I wish you and your families all the best for the holy month. To my readers who are not familiar with Ramadan, it is the month every year when Muslims around the world fast during daylight – no food, no water and no smoking until the sun is down. Another significant event that took place during this month is the revelation of the Holy Quran.
The small attractive mosque above is in Fintas. I took the photo earlier this evening at sunset.
مبارك عليكم الشهر و عساكم من عواده
The light-writing exercise the other night made me realise just how terrible my tripod is. I ended up using a table instead. I’ve had it for four years and, if I’m honest, used it very little. It was useless with larger lenses so my monopod became a better friend. Today, I replaced it with this one and am looking forward to using it more often.
The test shot above is of our fish tank. It was taken in very low light (only the aquarium lamp) and the shutter speed was not too slow (but slow). I still managed a perfectly still shot. To put it through a reasonable test, I used the massive Sigma 50-500 lens at 200mm. I was standing about three metres from the tank and I think you will agree the result isn’t bad at all.
The real test will be outdoor night photography – which I will find some time for soon. I will use the old one as a stand for the remote flash.
After a busy day at work, and with the dusty weather outside, I needed to set myself a small challenge of indoor photography. In the blurred photo above, there is a boat, its fuel and its engine. For twenty minutes, I had as much fun as a five-year-old would with a life-sized remote-controlled car! Well, not that much fun, but you get the picture…
Remember this post? Well, I was reminded by SomeContrast to try it with a torch. The possibilities are endless with the different things you draw on an invisible board. It’s clearer than a clear canvas! For the above photo I wrote God’s name in Arabic (Allah) and that has given me a nice idea for an original Ramadan e-card…
Can you hear her? I certainly can. She’s singing loud and clear announcing the end of my holiday. I’ve had a wonderful break and I’m very thankful. Tomorrow is the first day back in the office, and I have over 400 emails to go through. This excludes silly emails from IT and others – I deleted those once a day from my Blackberry.
I will be ‘offline’ a few days while I do some catching up. I hope I don’t end up in too many meetings…
It’s hard to imagine that somewhere behind the tidy countryside below, lies a place where all these animals are to be found. I was too lazy to walk around a zoo today, so we decided to drive around one instead. I believe lazy zoos, aka Safari Parks, have been designed for parents. All our food, drinks, toys and jackets are in the car with us as we drive around. Nothing to carry in our hands but cameras – and nothing is too far to get to. We spent the afternoon looking at animals and following a silly map with cartoons on it.
If you’re looking for ideas and inspiration for your photography, read the flickr blog. Back in June, I read a post titled Past Present(ing), and I immediately started my research. I looked for old photographs of Ealing, where we live(d) in London, printed them in Kuwait ready for this post. Today, I took some time alone and went on a shoot walk.
With a slightly better understanding of the focusing capability on my camera, I was able to achieve the above shot. It was a best of twenty which is a significant improvement especially considering the motion of the horse – both the obvious rotation and the not-so-obvious up-and-down movement.
Our day started with a tube journey into Central London, followed by a walk by the Thames. Then we watched street performers near the Shell building (one named Richard was particularly good), and went on to see London through her Eye. For lunch, we took the bus to Wigmore Street’s Wagamama (it’s bigger than the Picadilly one) – and had ice cream (99) just prior to taking the tube home.
The day was very much like this mary go round. Nothing particularly new, nothing original, but loads of fun.
I had some time while at this rather attractive station so I decided to take a few shots. I can never work it out: Is it that designs were better and bolder in days gone by? Or is it that the effect of time helps add a soul? The supporting structure for the sheds at Paddington Station are both simple and elaborate. Try achieving this mix – in today’s straight line madness.
I’m always interested in the displays on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square. Because I’m in London once or twice a year, the art changes nearly every time I revisit. This time exhibit is somewhat different. It’s changing constantly. When I was there earlier this afternoon, this man was reading various messages from the people at the square.
It was 11am when my neighbour rang the doorbell. ’Kick-off is just after 1pm and we may be able to get tickets – do you want to come?’… Why did he need to ask? Less than 15 minutes later, we were on our way to Wembley which is about 10 minutes by car. This is not how I usually do things. I’m more of a tickets-in-hand-arriving-early-to-find-parking-and-enough-time-for-a-coffee type of weirdo.
It took longer than one day for the blakberries to ripen. We picked them this afternoon when the weather was just perfect. Total production was two bowls, one for us and one for next door, and we ate most of it. To be honest they looked better than they tasted – but there were a few amazingly sweet ones in the bunch.
I came across this spider by chance… The light and colours offered the perfect studio – and it remained reasonably still for some time. I cropped the full image to show more of the details.
I have around ten books about photography, a couple of which I’ve read at least three times. The basic information is the same and starts to become repetitive – but it’s good to understand the basics. I took an online ‘course’ in 2006 but that didn’t really offer anything more than the books. I decided the best way forward was to play… and play I very much did. I have around thirty thousand images to sort as a result!
I looked around for a suitable course, both in Kuwait and London, and I found a polarised choice. It was either the very basic training, which one can get from a good book, or specialised training in disciplines such as Lighting, Product Photography, Sport Photography etc. General courses are either aimed at a level for people who need to be told how to press a button (sometimes twice!), or are run by artists who encourage you to break the rules and work outside the norms. It would help if they described these norms – but I honestly don’t think they know them.
I finally decided the best way forward is to continue to ‘play’ but to do it in style. I signed up for a Nikon course designed specifically for my camera. They cover functionalities, capabilities, tricks, shortcuts and a general familiarisation with this weapon of mass distraction.
Today was day one of two. The above cheerful boy cycled past Nikon’s Head Office in Kingston when we were taking some practice shots outside.
It’s the small things in life that offer the greatest pleasures. This morning, Yousef asked if I could help him rebuild the track for his train set. I had pleasure in saying YES for a change. He reminded me again late afternoon, when we spent the next hour or so putting every bit together.
The test run was successful and my smile was even bigger than his.
One of my first jobs on any London visit is to weed the garden and tidy it up. There is a tiny garden here, so the job takes one afternoon at most. We visit friends, family and just-go-out-for-the-sake-of-it a lot of the time. However whenever we do stay in, it’s nice to spend some time outside – think a cup of coffee and a good paper.
Whilst I always try to capture my travels when on business, I am inevitably more focussed on the task at hand. Phone-calls and discussions with colleagues mean many opportunities are simply missed. Being on holiday allows me more concentration on my photography.
This post summarises my journey – looking out of my window seat. My favourite shot is the one above of the Thames and Houses of Parliament. Have a look at the larger version for more detail.
Today is my first day off work! The photograph was taken from the Free Zone late Wednesday morning. The dust seems to be gone this morning so I hope it will be a nice weekend for Kuwait. As for me, I’m at the airport leaving for a break.
I will be off work for almost three weeks… the first break longer than two weeks in almost ten years. Thank God for holidays. I will spend some of this time in London.
Since the storm damage to our front two trees back in May , our house name looked like an after-thought. Well, the trees have finally started to fill with leaves, and I now pray for some long sturdy branches. This should start to bring them back to their former glory.
This has to be one of my favourite places in the Gulf. It’s certainly my favourite market. You can find everything imaginable – all within a one-mile radius. This afternoon I had to get my misbah (beads) fixed, and therefore had some time to look around. I stayed within the Mubarakiya area with not enough time to go to the Souq Selah and Soug il Bishoot.
I’m back in Kuwait. I was driving home from the airport when I noticed the temperature – something we take for granted here. It’s hard to describe where forty-plus-degrees-celsius-heat comes from when the sun is nowhere to be seen! Look at my car’s thermometer after 8pm and more than an hour after sunset.
I saw it at 46 when driving near Messilah and then it dropped back to 44. At almost 11pm it was still 40!
I need a holiday.
We drove to Yanbu’ in the evening and saw very little. This is my second time on this road so I knew there wouldn’t be much action on the way back either – even if it was during daylight. I did find the mirage on the way back rather attractive. It remained with us most of the journey and we seldom saw the horizon.
I’m back in the air!
Jeddah airport has been renovated but it still looks hopelessly dull. It’s such a contrast to what it looks like from outside. I love the simple tent-look of the main terminal building. The lack of the ugly (but necessary) jetways, and the vast open area of the airport apron, help maintain the illusion.
Inspired by Mathai’s Light Writing post, I wanted to do something that gives similar drama but with a faster shutter. I can’t get Yousef and Noor to stand still for 2 seconds – so an ordinary torch would produce a rather dull result. Then I saw that my wife had bought sparklers. I knew instantly that this would produce fun results.
From 30,000 feet, a dust storm is rather beautiful. That’s what we should do in fact: we should build stations high up where the weather is both cooler and dust-free. Just look at that blue sky!
Even dust seems to produce beauty: I love the view above – taken from our cruising altitude. Dubai wasn’t anywhere near as dusty as Kuwait – but it was a ‘yellow’ journey from start to finish. Below are a few shots from the trip, starting with the airport, Dubai, the ‘World’ and Kuwait.
Dubai is awake again. Whilst it’s still not to the Dubai I knew before the recession, there are plenty of positive signs. I used the Sheikh Zayed road to measure the activity level on a previous trip. This time I was actually stuck in traffic on a few occasions. There are still unfinished buildings with no obvious signs of any work in progress; but roads, shops and restaurants are reasonably busy. With the summer heat, malls feel busier and I’m told hotels are taking more and more bookings for the summer.
Work-wise, some of the projects previously on hold have been dusted off and are taking shape – even if only on paper. In all my meetings, I sensed a readiness to do business again.
I hope this continues and I wish Dubai all the best.
This special camera greats anyone arriving into Kuwait and instantly measures their body temperature. With Swine Flu officially a global pandemic, and the airports getting busier with the summer holiday season, it’s a good precaution to take.
Today’s flight to Dubai was delayed, security checks took ages and boarding took more than an hour… I miss the quiet days.
I thought I had seen everything they can do with a remote-controlled car, then I saw these. They’re not well built/put-together, quite ugly and not robust enough for what they’ve been designed for. For a child however, none of this matters… It can drive on walls and ceilings!
Meet our house guest, Flat Stanley. He has been with us a couple of days and leaves for London tomorrow. During his short stay, he has seen Yousef and Noor in traditional Kuwaiti clothes, sampled (the aroma of) Kuwaiti food, driven around in 48°C heat for sightseeing, and even found time for the beach.
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