POV: Analog Efex Pro

I'm perennially looking for short cuts when I post process my photographs. I use minimal processing whether using Photo shop or Lightroom (with the exception of sharpening, and adjusting levels and curves, I rarely use the other tools), and sitting at a computer fiddling for hours on end for the optimal look is really not my kind of thing...I just don't enjoy it.

Coming up with my own presets is above my intellectual pay grade, so I am always thrilled to find software that provide "one-click" solutions.

I'm particularly fond of Alien Skin Software and of the Nik Collection, and use them whenever necessary. These alternatives often preclude me from having to use Photoshop, and I'm delighted.

The Nik Collection from Google has received a new free update which is named Analog Efex Pro – a series of filters that replicate the look of classic cameras, wet plate cameras, toy and vintage...all 'funky' presets that alter the character of ones' photographs at the click of a button.

For the portrait of the young Balinese student dancers, I chose a colored wet plate look which replicates the look of ancient color photographs of the Italian photographer Felice Beato (1832-1909).

Summer Doldrums: Framing

It's the summer doldrums...and having the better part of three bare walls means that I have the time to choose some of my best photographs printed, mounted and framed, and placed exhibition-style on these walls.

I already started choosing these photographs...perhaps I'll have some two dozen by the time I'm done with this project. All will be in black & white, in simple black frames.

I've tried Adorama Pix to print three of the first photographs, and so far it's been a success. It's cheap, it's easy and it's fast. I've had the first one delivered, and I'll be picking up the rest in a couple of days. The printing is done on Kodak Pro Glossy paper, in sizes of 11 x 14 inches.  Each print cost me $4.00 excluding the shipping (for the first one) and $2 handling fee for those I'll be picking up. The frames? I already had those.

I found the print quality to be quite good, and suitable for the purpose. I have no patience to print them myself, nor to have them done in a more expensive professional print studio...and the Adorama outfit is very fast.

I estimate that I'll eventually have two dozen of these monochrome prints; some of my travels in India, in Bali, in Vietnam, etc...and the room will be a "surround-visual" of these travels.

Manuel Gomes Teixeira | Platinum Palladium Printing

Produced by Luís Oliveira Santos, this gem of a 12 minutes documentary video may help decrease your blood pressure rate quite significantly because it exudes calm and deliberate movements...and is a must for all fans of monochrome photography. Yes, it's a quasi fluff piece for the new Leica M Monochrom, but it will also interest (perhaps even thrill) those who are interested in traditional photographic printing methodology.

Manuel Gomes Teixeira is a photographer and a platinum palladium printer, who usually uses traditional methods, with photographic film in medium and large format cameras. He was asked by the exclusive distributor of Leica cameras in Portugal to test the Monochrom, and demonstrated how platinum printing combined with the quality of the Leica's image files result in beautiful photographs.

Platinum prints are photographic prints made by a monochrome printing process that provides the greatest tonal range of any printing method using chemical development, and are the most durable of all photographic processes. It is recognized that Platinum-Palladium prints convey detail even within the darkest shadows, and reveal a range of inviting tonal warmth.

The documentary was chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick.

American Tintype

American Tintype from Matt Morris Films on Vimeo.

Checking in my Vimeo channel, I noticed this wonderful short documentary picked by its staff about Harry Taylor who discovered a passion for the 150-year-old craft of tintype photography.

There are also remarkable samples of his craft on his tintype gallery, which I urge you to visit.

The ICP website describes tintype as: "One of the most intriguing and little studied forms of nineteenth-century photography. Introduced in 1856 as a low-cost alternative to the daguerreotype and the albumen print, the tintype was widely marketed from the 1860s through the first decades of the twentieth century as the cheapest and most popular photographic medium."

And Wikipedia defines it as a photograph made by creating a direct positive on a sheet of iron metal that is blackened by painting, lacquering or enamelling and is used as a support for a collodion photographic emulsion.

For those of you who don't have that deep passion and investment, you may want to make faux tintypes as described on Instagram's blog.

Yes, digital tintypes on your mobile devices! Enough to drive the purists bonkers.

Chiaroscuro: The Power Of Light-Dark

On my Facebook page, I have already posted a few examples of chiaroscuro photographs that I made some time ago in Siem Reap and thought I'd write a post about them. Chiaroscuro photographs are a natural for the temples of Angkor Wat; an ideal place to apply this technique with its dark-light ambiance.

Chiaroscuro is an Italian coinage word which literally means 'light-dark', and is a way to enhance a scene by placing light and darkness next to each other. I don't want to be wordy, but penumbra can also be present in chiaroscuro scenes, as in the lower folds of the monk's robes in the top photograph.

Provided the right lighting situation presents itself, or is set up (as most of these accompanying photographs are) with one source of light , one can achieve the effect by exposing for the absolute highest tones in the image. I generally do it by using spot metering and opting for manual exposure.

I was also interested to know that there is a technique called tenebrism, (also from the Italian tenebroso or dark/unclear, which is a style of painting using very pronounced chiaroscuro. Meedo Taha, a photographer, film maker and architect (and a Facebook friend) reminded me of Caravaggio, who is credited with the invention of the style.

Terri Gold: Where Earth Meets The Sky

Photo © Terri Gold-All Rights Reserved

"No matter where I am, I am always happiest with a camera or three in my hands…"

Terri Gold is an award-winning photographer and artist based in New York City, and has built an impressive reputation for her rituals, rites of passage, festivals, celebrations and portraits from all over the world. She specializes in infrared imagery, which is her signature work.

She has just returned from Ladakh and has posted a new series of infrared imagery in a gallery she titled "Where The Earth Meets The Sky", which is just fabulous. He infrared treatment of her photographs gives the already ethereal moonscapes of Ladakh a unique look and feel. 

Ladakh is the mountainous region in northwest Jammu and Kashmir in north India and in the area known as the Trans-Himalaya. Called by some as The Last Shangri-La (although a fistful of other regions and areas have been called that as well), its capital (or major town) is Leh. Ladakhis people are equally mixed between Buddhist and Muslim, but the majority of the tourist attractions are in the east and relate Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Terri describes Ladakh as a different world...and that certainly is an apt description, especially with her imagery talents.

POV: Why I Like Bare Concrete Walls...

I like bare concrete walls.

Let me explain why.

Many photo tour leaders are known for setting up photographs for their groups, and it's not unusual for photographers who repeat the same photo trips with the same itinerary to end up shooting the same 'models'...albeit looking a year or two older. I've heard anecdotes of how the 'models' know exactly how to pose, which side of their face is more flattering, and know where the dotted line on model releases are.

Due to the nature of my own photo expeditions-workshops which are "event-specific" and are structured around religious or cultural rituals (the more obscure and unique the better), and because my workshops are based on the concept of "photojournalism meets travel photography", I seldom need to set up pre-arranged photo shoots as such. For one thing, the religious/cultural events that I gravitate towards during these photo expeditions-workshops are too intense, too authentic and too crowded...and consequently make set-ups unnecessary, and possibly even disrespectful.

Moreover,  the type of photographers who sign up for my photo expeditions-workshops are generally well-seasoned, experienced and are self-starters...who, not only are perfectly capable of 'de-clustering' themselves from each other, but do what good photographers do best...look for their own photo opportunities within the framework of the religious and/or cultural events.

That said, there are occasions during my photo expeditions-workshops when characters are so photogenic that they figuratively jump at me, and I just have to set-up a sort of "fashion" shoot, gather the group as quickly as I can, and start the fun. However, and as much as the characters' photogenic attributes are important, the backgrounds are also as critical.

What to do if a uniquely photogenic character presents himself/herself but no appropriate background is found? I suppose carrying some form of portable background (white, black or burlap colored cloth) would solve this problem, but what if this wasn't readily available as it was during a photo shoot at a Kathakali academy on my recent The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition-Workshop?

We were photographing the pre-performance make-up session, and I was disappointed at the walls of the make-up area were painted a drab and blotchy kind of salmon pink, which didn't lend itself to an attractive background. However, a corner of the school was being newly built with walls of bare concrete. Bare concrete means gray and everybody knows that it helps in producing a consistent image exposure... so perfect!!!

The probability that we would all end up with the same image was my primary concern, but the light of day was perfect, the costume was perfect, the dancer was image-savvy and the performance was about to start. So we were shooting paparazzi-style for a few minutes...and despite the appearance of what photojournalists (and the military) describe as a "clusterfuck", we were all happy with the opportunity.

I asked the participants of The Oracles of Kerala Photo Expedition-Workshop to send me their favorite(s) photograph from that shoot without telling them why...imagining that their photographs would be identical. They're not. Because of their experience, their difference in shooting styles and because of the dancer's adopting various poses, the results of that particular "clusterfuck" were satisfactory.

So much so that I've used my own image of the shoot for the background of my website.

That's why I like bare concrete walls...and so should you.

The Travel Photographer's Warm Split Tone LR Preset

Photos © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

I've received a number of emails asking me how the toning of the still photographs of The Spice People of Mattencherry audio slideshow was done.

It's an overly saturated look, which I thought would go well with the color of turmeric, ginger and the burlap sacks so prevalent in that ancient area of Kochi. So here's the "secret sauce" as some call this sort of post processing workflow, which in reality is really quite simple.

It obviously is not suited for many types of photographs and projects, but if you need this sort of saturation, do try it and see if it suits you. For fine tuning, I'd increase or decrease the Blacks slider as deemed necessary after choosing the preset.

To download, click on The Travel Photographer's LR Presets.

Maika Elan: Thaipusam Festival

Photo © Maika Elan-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Maika Elan-All Rights Reserved

I really can't describe Maika Elan's recent photography style with certitude, and don't know if it really fits neatly in a category...but what I do know is that it's ingeniously creative.

First off, Maika's birth name is Nguyen Thanh Hai, and is a freelance photographer from Hanoi. Her photography was recognized with a number of awards, and she's currently working hard on completing her long term project...The Pink Choice, in which she documents gay life in Vietnam and elsewhere.

Maika attended the Thaipusam festival held at the Batu Caves, near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and decided that, rather than documenting this festival in a traditional editorial style, she would try to fuse the festival's ancient rituals and tradition with modern images of Western culture. She did so by photographing popular culture magazines, and then double exposed these with her images made during the Thaipusam festival.

The result is an intriguing collection of images which, if you peer at them closely enough, will reveal faint images of Western models superimposed on Maika's photographs of Thaipusam scenes.

You may prefer to view her gallery on Invisible Photographer Asia.

When I heard she was on her way to photograph the festival, I was certain she'd come up with an unorthodox way of documenting it her way...a la Maika. Yes, that's what I ought to call her style...the Maika style.

POV: Street Photography In Old Delhi

The Quizzical Guy. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The Coco Seller. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The Don't Photograph Guy. Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Old Delhi is one of my favorite locations for street photography, and is a must stop for me when I'm in India for my photo expeditions/workshops.

I produced a short documentary audio slideshow on the Spice Porters of Khari Baoli of Old Delhi, but on my way through Chandni Chowk, I started photographing with my M9. While some of my photographs were made by shooting from the hip, most were not. Chandni Chowk, as any other market and public place in India, is a dream environment for street photography since it teems with living tableaus.

Notwithstanding, most photographers are bound to be noticed and stared at. Now, this is a problem because the essence of street photography, as told to me many years ago by Costa Manos, is that no one must see the photographer. In other words, if any subject in one's street picture is seen looking at the camera, the photographer has "failed" in capturing the moment. Perhaps extreme, and very difficult to achieve in India where people are alert, curious and have no problem at dropping what they're doing to stare at whatever and whoever interest them.

It takes a little more speed, sometimes stealth, and certainly patience to work around this. We all have our techniques, but I find that a lot patience and "fading in the background" works best. Eventually, the most curious loses interest and I have free rein in photographing as much as I care and need to.

Here are some examples of the street photography "obstacles" I faced during my latest trip in Chandni Chowk.

The top photograph is of someone I describe as "The Quizzical Guy". He saw me photographing, and just froze alongside some mannequins, and kept staring at me for a while...trying to figure out what I was doing. So I photographed him.

The middle photograph is of someone who's the exact opposite of The Quizzical Guy. He probably saw me photographing The Coco Seller, but didn't care and just walked through. If he didn't notice me, he's probably a rarity amongst the crowds of Chandni Chowk.

The bottom photograph is of the "Don't Photograph" fellow. The man had absolutely nothing to do with Khari Baoli, but thought he had authority of telling me not to photograph. I get this type of people quite often...and I tell them quite firmly they ought to move on and find something better to do. He must have been a retired police officer who missed his authority. He wagged his finger at me, and quickly left.

Yatin Patel: Sutra

I'm pleased to have been directed to Yatin Patel's website whose title Sutra in ancient Sanskrit translates as "a thread or line that holds elements together".

Yatin Patel is an Orlando-based photographer, internet entrepreneur and native of India, and his "Sutra" project consists of images of Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat. The project uses high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, which gives photographs a distinct artistic feel.

As explained in Yatin's Wikipedia entry, he chose Ahmedabad as subject because it's a partitioned city, with ancient gated communities, small enclaves of different cultures, and lots of hidden courtyards.

Some of the "Sutra" series of prints have been printed on Japanese kozo (rice) paper, and the process is explained in a number of posts on Yatin's blog. The combination of monochrome HDR imaging and rice paper is an interesting one; the photographic style is certainly one of street photography, processed with HDR techniques and then printed on a textured medium.

The choice of Ahmedabad is an excellent one. Founded in 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah, its architecture is a fusion of Hindu craftsmanship with Islamic architecture. I would think that Yatin will eventually do the same in Varanasi and Old Delhi, to name but two similarly compelling cities.

My thanks to Ron Mayhew, an accomplished photographer himself, who suggested Sutra to me.

The Dancer & Name Branding

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

As I've posted a few days ago, I've been fiddling with the trial version of Flare, an app that describes itself as "a fast, easy, and beautiful darkroom for your desktop".

With Flare, one can apply interesting photographic effects to photographs, and it comes with more than 20 presets. It's a matter of drag and drop...mere seconds to get the preset look one likes. The above photograph (click to enlarge) of a traditional dancer I made in Bali last year got a Flare preset treatment, which includes a grungy border.

In all candor, I am beginning to like Flare a lot. I also happen to be a fan of Lightroom's presets...and a fan of anything that reduces the time I spend in post processing images to a minimum. And if this 'anything' is simple enough for a 2 year old to master, it's a hit as far I'm concerned.

In any event, it's fun to be able to use applications such as Flare and others, accepting that these degrade the quality of the images.

But wait, didn't I title this post to include Name Branding? This is important...If you ask any marketer how to set yourself apart from the rest, they’ll all tell you to the same thing, establish and secure your brand.

"I now have a lock on The Travel Photographer as a brand name on most popular blogs...this includes my domain brand name, my Twitter account and my Facebook page."

Keep reading and you'll see what I mean. For a couple of more examples of my photographs fiddled about with the Flare app, drop by The Travel Photographer on Tumblr. Yes, I have various blog platforms such as Posterous, Wordpress and Tumblr with The Travel Photographer brand name....and here's some useful advice: if you have a brand name (your name can be a brand name), you ought to do the same. I now have a lock on The Travel Photographer as a brand name on most popular blogs...this includes my domain brand name, my Twitter account and my Facebook page...and I'm keeping an eye out for any new ones.

As a footnote: I have no relationship whatsoever with Flare. It's just a fun application.