Hello everyone!

Small update.

I lost interest in the work on dA. Just go around checking what friends have posted up. Sorry if I haven't been commenting on your work.

I finally graduated (YAY!!!) and I'm doing freelance photography work now.

I am getting my first photo printed in the November issue of brownbook magazine..



Its nothing fancy, they just wanted a general shot of the RTA Metro construction site in front of Bur Juman, but it feels good to get something out.

I'm also working on a travel guide with them, and I'm in charge of photography all over Dubai.

So pick up the November issue of brownbook and show your support. Ask for more photos done by me!!!

AND, on a more important note, I want to have a Nutella party.

You come along, with your own jar, and you chill and hang out with everyone else who is there.

So far the date set is 1st of December, and the location is set for Za'abeel park. Its nice, big, and most importantly, CLEAN! Yes, that means their toilets as well.

This isn't a dA meeting, but I would love to have any of you guys there as well, so please come along, or you can search for it on Facebook under my events.

Hope this leaves you well..

OK people, the DevMeet is ON!

Hello peeps,

No ifs and buts, the devmeet will be on Friday, June 29th, 2007.
Location (Might be changed, keep tuned for updates):

Ice-breaker @ Cafe Ceramique, Mall of the Emirates at 19:00

Dinner to follow at Johny Rockets, Magic Planet at MoE at around 21:30

To confirm your participation, kindly note =Omardxb, ~fizzj, or *Petra-.

I WANT TO SEE YOU THERE!!

Hello everyone.

Just finished my last submission (I think) yesterday. Still waiting for a response on another submission that we found out about yesterday.

It was one bitch of a semester that took the life out of me. Hopefully the result will be a positive one.

Had one major photography project on bikers. The result was a 20+ book of photos. Hopefully going to put up the series as soon as I am buggered.

Didn't shoot alot for my person this semester, but hopefully it'll come back to me during the summer.

Life is changing, and I am on the crossroads. Don't know what I will be doing, but I do know it's going to be one hell of a ride.

I apologize for everyone who has great work up there who I have not seen. I have over 2200 deviations to go through. Hopefully I'll get to see them all.

Hope this leaves you well.

All SLR users have the benefit of using a light metre.

Note that the photographers didn't have that privilege. A lot of old photographers never had that, so they learned how to metre the light with their eyes. A number of TLRs and medium format cameras would not have a light metre, so you had to buy one and attach it as an accessory.

My TLR doesn't have a light metre. I use the spot metre from my Yashica FX-3.

Anyway, cameras have three kinds of metring systems.

1. Spot.

2. Centrewieght.

3. Full matrix.

Spot metre:

As the name indicates, it metres only a SPOT of the image. The light metre is usually placed dead centre. On my Yashica FX-3 it is in the middle of the frame, where the split-image/micro-prism focus area is. This is the metre that is usually found in external light metres that are used in the studio.

2. Centrewieght:

This is similar to the spot metre, but it covers a bit more area. It also is in the middle of the frame. In dSLRs this is in the area that is around the centre indicator in view finder.

3. Full matrix:

The full matrix system is one that tells you how much light there is in the ENTIRE frame. The light metre measures how much light is coming in the entire shot and gives you a reading.

All light metres are calibrated to give you a reading that equals to zone IV, or roughly around 15% gray. That means if you shoot a white wall by following the light settings that the camera gave you, you would get a picture of a wall that is 15% gray.

Each of these metres have their advantages.

I personally prefer spot on my film camera. The reasoning behind that is because i have more control over what I am shooting since I shoot a lot indoors and in low light.

See, it is better to use full matrix when you are shooting in a place that has steady lighting, such as outdoor in the sun, since it is continious it will be more advantagous to use full matrix. That doesn't mean you can't use anything else. I still use spot metring. However, be careful when you are standing in the sun shooting shade or the other way round. A lot of light metres get fooled, especially full matrix, since the shade and the sunlit areas give different readings, it might give you a reading that might not give you what you want.

The reason I like spot is simple, because then I can use the Zone System easily. Using spot is simple, I point the centre of the frame onto what I want to expose, and I metre. This lets me use the Zone system ruling of having the shadow with detail area. I just metre and I step down by one stop and I shoot. Very helpful.

However when you are using a dSLR it is a bit different. Having the camera on P and shooting in sequence will give you problems if you aren't using full-matrix or exposure lock. I was shooting a bunch of bikers a while back and they were passing by my camera and I had it on continious. When I looked at the pictures, I realized that most of them didn't have the same exposure, or rather, most of them didn't have the same look in terms of lighting, even though everything was stationary and the only factor that was changing was the bikes passing by.

It turns out its from the metring system I had. On spot, the camera metred exactly the middle of the frame, and since that was changing the whole time, it gave me a variation of picture lighting. If I had full matrix on I wouldn't have gotten such a variation. It might still be there, but it wouldn't be that wide.

First take a look at what you want to shoot, and choose what you want. I choose full matrix for sun light, and spot for everything else.

Sometimes I stay spot if there isn't a lot of constrast in my scene.

After a heated discussion with a friend on the dSLR ranges offered by Nikon and Canon, I thought I'd give some info on these two brands, and recommendations based on your usage.

Note that everything here is based on my experience and opinions of the cameras.

First of all, both brands have a good range of dSLR cameras.

The latest is the Nikon D80 and the D200, while Canon have the Digital Rebel XTi (400 D outside the USA), and the EOS 1D Mark III.

A lot of users think the Rebel series equals the top amatuer Nikon range (i.e. D70s/D80).

Not true. While they are both in the same price range, performance is VERY different. The EOS 400 is more equal to D40 or the D50 from the Nikon range.

The Canon cameras have a better sensor than the Nikons, and is capable of picking up better colours and details, especially when it comes to colour balance.

Note that pixels refer to how clear a picture is, as in the resolution is just an indication of how many pixels will be available in a picture. This does not necessarily mean that the higher the resolution, the more details will show in a photo. The details are dependant on how good the sensor is.

A good analogy is to imagine that the sensor records the details, while the pixels tell you how accurate they are.

Now, for the camera itself, I personally prefer the Nikon bodies, as the lower range Canons are like toys to me. I love the ergonomics of the D70/80/100/200.

Anything lower than the D70 is annoying. The D50 comes to mind. Since it only has one dial, its not fast enough in street situations where you need to change your aperture as well as your shutter speed. With the four mentioned above, the camera has two dials which you can move using your right hand. In fact the entire process just takes three fingers.

The EOS 300/350/400 has a great sensor, and can pick up colours very well, but it is a horrible little body thing, and you feel like you're playing with a toy. Not veryeffective and nice to use. It also has a huge 1.7 crop factor, which kills all the lenses you use on it.

The D50/70/80/100/200 have a great body, but its only in the 80/200 do they have a sensor that can compare to the EOS cameras. While the D70 is a great piece of work, and I recommend it for its price, it goes back to what you need.

As an overall prospect, Nikon is better for the studio since you can control the light, while Canon is better for the field since it is VERY rugged and gives you more accurate colours.

Whats the point of a Nikon you say then?

Well I am more comfortable with the Nikons because of their bulkiness. I hate small cameras, and with the new softer noice in high ISO in the D80, I think its a great choice.

Personal opinion?

If it was up to me, I'd get a D80 and an EOS 1D Mark III. The D80 would mostly be in the studio, while the EOS would be for the field.

It all boils down on how much bang per buck you want to get. The Canon cameras have the legendary L glass which I have to say is FUCKING sexeh.

If anyone needs any more clarification, please let me know.