Changing Lanes

I’ve become a bit of a sucker for prime lens. My dream collection would be a 35mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.8, 135mm f2, 200mm f2.8 and 400mm f5.6. I already own the 50 and 85 while I’ve been eyeing the Sigma variant of the 35mm (more like the 30mm f1.4) for some time. Instead I’ve landed up with a Sigma 24mm f1.8 for AED1,000, second hand. SJ picked it up for me a few hours back so I still haven’t used it but I’m excited. Next is to bribe myself with the dreamy 135mm… ^_^

Four months and around 10,000 kilometers after my suicidal intention blog post, today I managed to change the faulty tyre. Why it took me so long is completely because the tyres my car rides on (Pirelli P Zero Rosso 235/40ZR 18 95Y) are never in stock. I chose not to go for any other branded tyre cause I didn’t want to change all my tyres due to the cost (eg. Pirelli cost AED1,200 per tyre) and I didn’t want to change just one tyre due to different tread design and performance. In the end I decided to change just one tyre (bought a Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 for AED1,350) cause the faulty one was falling apart and I still couldn't afford to change them all. As the Michelin goes in the rear, I should be fine for now as there is no noticeable change in driving ergonomics. I do plan to change the other 3 tyres in another 10,000 kilometers to Michelin (hopefully the Pilot Sport 3) as a quick google search claims they are a lot better then the Pirelli tyres..

I photographed Jo while assisting Bobby Lane in a portraiture workshop in Abu Dhabi in November. While looking for some other image, I came across this one which was screaming to be processed into monochrome. Simple Adobe Lightroom split tone processing with plenty of contrast and clarity to make the blacks darker and the whites brighter. Also increased exposure for the eyes to make them pop.

Shots of the board game 'Risk' that I took today as I try to experiment more with strobe lights, soft boxes, grids and snoots. Till now I like the challenge though I need to start pushing the envelop with some more creative lighting ideas.

Dragonflies are difficult subjects to shoot. After waiting for over 15 minutes and getting bitten by other bugs, I managed to get just two decent shots. Here's one, will post the other one later.Camera Model : Canon EOS 500D
Shooting Date/Time : 05/01/2010 10:17:41 AM
Tv(Shutter Speed) : 1/250
Av(Aperture Value) : f3.5
Metering Mode : Evaluative
ISO Speed : 100
Lens : 105mm f2.8 Macro
Focal Length : 105mm

Shot for the same catering company....Camera Model : Canon EOS 7D
Shooting Date/Time : 03/15/2010 03:06 PM
Tv(Shutter Speed) : 1/250
Av(Aperture Value) : f4.5
Metering Mode : Center Weighted Average
ISO Speed : 200
Lens : 105mm f2.8 macro
Focal Length : 105mm