Every Body Dance Now by Philippine Prison Inmates

Prison inmates in the Philippines practice their "Thriller" routine. This WILL be the best thing you see all day. Or month. (The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center)



Thriller



Hail Holy Queen (from Sister Act Movie)



I Will Follow Him (from Sister Act Movie)

Architectural Photography

Architectural photography is amazing. A single image can take hours to set up, then hours to shoot. The photographer is trying to match what they eye sees and what the architect envisioned when he/she designed the lighting.

Interior

Each set of lights gets its own exposure and must be balanced for color. On film that requires a lot of testing and calculations. Experience really comes into play. Imagine testing exposure via light meter and Polaroid for each set of lights, one at a time, knowing what the color temperature is of each, and what filtration and filter factor for each. Oh, and add in reciprocity issues, because exposures can last for seconds up to an hour. Then try to bracket all that onto several sheets of film. It’s not unusual for one image to take an entire night to make

Architecture has many attractions for the new photographer. Buildings don't usually move much, are generally fairly easy to find and will seldom complain when you try to take a picture - or at the results. However it's main attraction has to be an interest in the built environment. We all live in buldings, most of us work in them, see them every day.

Exterior

Despite this, buildings are difficult to photograph well, presenting a number of challenges that make life interesting for the photographer. It is often very hard to produce exciting images that make your work stand out from other people.
Technically it can also be a demanding area. Professional photographers of architecture usually work with medium or large-format cameras, producing work of high technical quality. With a 35mm camera you cannot hope to equal this, but you can certainly produce respectable images, and may well have the advantage of a wider choice of focal lengths giving more precise framing.

Outdoor

This feature will look at the subject for people with an interest in photographing buildings using ordinary photo equipment, whether film or digital. However it will at times mention the increased potential of professional equipment.

Floating Bridge in Dubai

Yesterday the Road and Traffic Authority (RTA) Dubai, finally open a new bridge in order to battle congested traffic caused by motorist who wants to eliminate passing thru the Salik (new road toll system in Dubai) as of my curiosity I decided to pass the said floating bridge and take some snap on it.

The bridge stretches across the surface intersection near Deira City Centre and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, and ends at the intersection to be built on Riyadh Street between the Dubai Courts and the Creek Park.

It provides an additional link between Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road and Oud Metha Road from one side and Al Ittihad Road and Deira from the other.

The floating bridge will be open from 6am to 10pm daily and is considered a temporary solution until the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) completes the design and construction of a permanent bridge in the same place.

Silhouette Photography

What is a Silhouette?

A silhouette is a classic and dramatic photographic technique. By isolating the outline of a subject while eliminating detail, a silhouette places tremendous emphasis on shape and contrast. It's not only popular for portrait photography, but also landscapes and nature photography. While traditional SLR cameras made the process of creating a silhouetted shot a matter of manual exposure adjustment, the automatic nature of digital cameras makes achieving this effect more difficult. However, it's not impossible to shoot silhouettes with your digital camera if you follow a few simple guidelines.

In photography, a silhouette is defined as an outline that appears dark against a light background. More specifically, it is where your subject is seen as a black shape without detail against a brighter background. This is an artistic outcome that many photographers like to perfect. This effect can be achieved with any kind of bright light source, but of course the most commonly used is the sun around sunrise or sunset. The backlighting from the sun shadows everything towards you and produces this effect.

Silhouette Techniques
When you are getting ready to take your silhouette pictures, there are a couple things to keep in mind. These tips work for both digital and film photography. Make sure you never point the lens directly at the sun. If there is too much light, the light will fall on your object. If there is not enough light, your background will become gray. The main key to silhouette lighting is having your background lighter than your object, but this can be done in more ways then one. Many photographers focus on a certain time of day, where their subject is, what kind of weather there is, and where the sun positioned in the frame. See above image...

Other Options

There are quite a few more options to tweak your camera to get a silhouette just right, but they depend of the capacity of your camera. Some cameras offer a specific picture mode that adjusts your camera to take a silhouette. Others offer manual control over your exposure system that can help get the right shot. When setting these manual controls, keep in mind that a good silhouette comes from a fast shutter speed, a slower aperture, negative exposure compensation, and a higher film speed. It's hard to recommend exact settings for the wide range of scenes you'll find yourself in when shooting silhouettes, but take advantage of every feature your camera has and find out which setting works best for you.

Silhouette Shooting Style
It's digital, so shoot away! Take as many shots as you have memory to give you the widest range of shots to choose from. Experiment with different exposure settings -- you can always check the EXIF data later to see what the settings were when you captured that perfect silhouette. Try changing your point of view or rearranging your subject to emphasize the most identifiable features. Remember that your LCD preview screen is your best friend in situations like these -- no more waiting until your film gets processed to see your results. This digital camera standard feature is the best way to make sure you got the correct shot while you're still at the scene. And, as always, it's a good idea to use a tripod to minimize camera vibrations and ensure that your subject's edges are distinct.

True to form

The use of silhouettes is a great technique for creating mood and emphasizing line. Hopefully, this article has shown you that shooting silhouettes doesn't have to be difficult. By playing a few tricks on your camera, you can create stunning silhouettes of your own.

But all of these, keep in mind the number one Rule in Photography, "the Rule of Third"...

What is The Rule of Third?

The Rule of Thirds is a guideline that photographers use to help them compose, center and frame their photographs. According to the rule of thirds, a frame can be divided into nine equal sections by dividing the space with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Framing the center, the lines will produce four corners points, known as “power points” .

A photographer should then orient the central focus of his picture at or in the middle of any of these four power points. The effect of the resulting picture will change depending on where the subject is placed. If the subject is located at one of the top corners, the image will take on a stronger, more imposing tone. Conversely, an image centering on either of the bottom two power points will appear more demure, mysterious and secretive.

The image can also be located in the direct center of all four power points. If this is the case, the final picture will appear more balanced and direct.

By applying and manipulating the rule of thirds, a photographer can make his photos more artistic, adding a remarkable degree of dynamism and dimension.

Dubai World focuses on Philippines

DP World one of Dubai Biggest Company operating outside the United Arab Emirates enter in the 7,100 islands of the Philippines. As what I read in the Gulf News (UAE local newspaper) said...

Dubai: Dubai World, the holding company for Nakheel, DP World and several other Dubai entities, is looking for potential projects in the Philippines.
Dubai World chairman Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem held talks with Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday to explore investment opportunities.
The talks covered Dubai World's interest in exploring investment in the Philippines in areas of ports, free trade zones, property development and the hospitality sector, according to a company statement.
The visit was arranged by the governor of Cebu Province, Gwendolyn Garcia, following her visit to Dubai in June, when she met senior Dubai World executives.

In the Picture Bin Sulayem and his delegation with Arroyo. The talks covered Dubai World's interest in exploring investment in several sectors. (Press Release)

Read More....