Testing

Testing!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:E 11,Sharjah,United Arab Emirates

Growing a little too slowly.

In the world of blogging and following(or being followed) on social media, it seems one has to be connected 24/7.  It's been really busy with being my alter ego, Mustafa the business entrepreneur. Our electrical retail outlet is what pays my bills for now, so I still need to give some time there, before I can become a regular blogger and post updates about what I'm doing for myself and photography.

For a matter of fact, I have been just so busy trying to survive in this market, I haven't picked up my camera for 3 weeks now, and I feel like I've lost it. Frankly, I've taken up too many personal goals and I'm confused how to fulfill each of them, in each sector of my life. I have a few religious goals, I have a few entrepreneurial goals, I have a few fitness goals, a few goals as a family man and a few goals for photography. So in this schizophrenic life of mine, with multiple personalities, each personality having its own goal and aim in life, God only knows where I'm going to end up. It seems I'm trying to grow a plant between rocks, and botanically, that ain't such a good idea. Though I still haven't lost hope, and that's where I'm still positive and strong. A plant between rocks? so be it. Pssh its just time management foo'.(yea right!)

A dear friend of mine, suggested I use BlogPress to start blogging. I disregarded her suggestion at first since I didn't like blogging from a phone, but now I'm reconsidering it. My next one should be from there.

     

Cured from G.A.S.

I remember all those times during my early days getting into the field of photography. I remember the feelings, and I remember the emotions. I was over whelmed. Therefore, that gave me a lot of gas. This wasn't a clinical problem, but more of a psychological condition. What is gas? GAS is Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

Let me take you step by step.

Prologue - You have a decent camera, and you meet a friend, who is awesome with his point and shoot. You learn, and you understand your p&s even better. That's where all the majority is. If you are still here, you better give yourself a pat, because this isn't a gas condition.

Chapter 1 - Oh you have researched the web, and you've seen all the other people with amazing stuff, out of DSLRs. You just gotta have one. I need more control over my camera, and P&S is just not giving me what I want. I'll just buy a really cheap DSLR and the kit lens is all I need.

Chapter 2 - Oh! You can make money with your photography as a hobby, with stock photography. I guess I need to invest a little bit to buy a macro lens. Then I can really make some money

Chapter 3 - OMG! This kit lens SUCKS. I can't even zoom to an object outside my room. I need a zoom lens. Like something that can cover from a wide angle till a telephoto.

Chapter 4 - Man, I get too much camera shake in low light situations. I need a tripod. Everyone has a tripod, and I can afford it. Its an awesome thing to have in your gear right. I'll buy a tripod and fix this low light situation.

Chapter 5 - Okay, I can't take my tripod everywhere. At gatherings, everyone stares at me. Also, since its a zoom lens, the aperture is not good enough to take images in low light. I need to get a FLASH. The pop up is so uncontrollable. I need Flash that I can bounce.

Chapter 6 - Okay, so this website says that the prime lens are the sharpest, and that website says that a prime have better glass too. I should have at least one prime in my gear right?

Chapter 7 - I have the prime, but the I use the zoom more often. I need to invest in a good sharp zoom lens, with a wider aperture.

Chapter 8 - Man, I can't work with this small camera body. I need a better one, to fit perfectly with these set of expensive lens I have.

and it goes on....

Luckily for me, I woke up from this condition. Heres the good part of waking up after possessing this much gear. It gives me a better perspective. I see them as tools. I have a bigger toolbox, which means that I have less restrictions to certain photography genres. It was just recently that I had purchased a Zack Arias workshop, and that workshop really put all my photography into perspective. I knew some stuff, and I knew how to do it, but I didn't know WHY? I didn't know the technical. Now I do, and gives me a better and clear picture of what and where it is that I want to end up.

Also, an amazing quote from  Edward Weston "...few photographers ever master their medium. Instead they allow the medium to master them..." I have applied this theory for so long in terms with Money, being a business entrepreneur, that don't work for money, but let the money work for you, and I just couldn't see and think about applying the theory elsewhere.  

Finally, You know its like a little girl saying, I want to grow up and live in a Palace, and if she seriously worked towards it, gradually, everyday she would add detail to that. Initially, the vision in her head would just be an outline of a palace, and then slowly, she would envision, how the gates would look, how the windows would look, how her room would look, how many trees the palace would have and so on till she reaches there.

Everyone envisions where they want to end up, but it is the journey which gives the final shape ,the detail and the perfection to their vision. (Wow, I should copyright that) haha!

Photo

Engagement Session : Kumail & Pamela

Can't you tell they are made for each other? Kumail and Pamela, have finally arrived at the point where they were destined to be; with each other. I've known Kumail since High School, and met Pamela during College, and now, two good friends become one. Pamela is a sweetheart and a wonderful lady. Her radiant smile and her jolly-good personality is nothing less then simply amazing. Ofcourse, I wouldn't say Kumail is any less. I am so happy they have made it to this point, and I hope they stay happy for years to come.

Our shoot took place in a small garden, in the middle of Karama (totally not the location we had in mind) and I made Pamela doll up at 3AM. Haha! Ofcourse there were some miscalculations by me for the sunrise, but I think in the end all went pretty well I would say.

This is right before their wedding here in Dubai. They've finally tied the knot. Congratulations!

Here are a few shots from that day. Enjoy :D

Wedding : Idrees & Insiya

An elegant man living in the hearts of Dubai, and a beautiful bride, crossing over from the borders of Oman, have finally tied that knot of matrimony. It was an amazing all around event, with a little bit of everything. Culture, Tradition and P-A-R-T-Y!

Great chemistry between the bride and groom, and not to say the whole family, planning the event. The brothers of the groom were playing ten roles at once, from the wedding planners to the best men. Who needs ten hands when you can do everything with just two? The wedding started out with a henna function, where the ladies of the house, decorate their hands with henna in the celebrations of the newly weds. Following was a Darees, where the couple are blessed. Which is then followed by Rukhsati, where the bride bids farewell to start her new life, with the man of the hour, Mr. Idrees. And then comees the reception, where everyone is thanked for their presence, and may I say, PARTY!!!

These were an amazing 4 days, and the family totally welcomed me with open arms, and made me feel part of the household. Thank you Idrees and Insiya, for making this experience memorable for me. 

Here's a sneak peak of some of the moments from our April Wedding.

The April Wedding - It is, what it is.

A Decent Card Reader       AED 100
Special 95 Petrol Top up    AED 130
Backup CF Cards              AED 250
5D Battery                         AED 350
Laptop                              AED 6500
Car Broke Down on my way to the Wedding - PRICELESS!

What do you want me to say? I can only laugh about it now, because it was funny. On the other hand, I was lucky. It was the wedding night, and just to relieve you guys, I did reach the wedding, way ahead of time. I shot the whole wedding, except when the bride and groom were seen off, I was suppose to head back to their room from the venue and do a set of final shots of them there, to achieve the perfect ending for their wedding night. Well that didn't happen. My engine started burning as I followed the bride and groom in my own car. Since I have this american car, it is really crazy on safety, but also freaks you out. As soon as the temperature went in to the hot zone, my car started an internal alarm. It was like I had to evacuate or this car would explode. The alarm was loud, and it got me panicking. In that instance, I slowed down, and the bride and groom sped off, unknown to my situation. I didn't know what to do, so I started to look for a grocery store or a gas station (in Ajman : Okay, after Midnight Ajman becomes scary. And I didn't know the roads) and started making turns right and left and right and left. Finally, I found a small cafeteria which was open, where I bought two bottles of water. I popped the hood, and I saw one of the pipes was busted, and the coolant was spraying out. I let the car cool down. The radiator was empty after it had sprayed all that coolant out, so I poured in some water. The temperature came down, but I had lost my way. While finding my way back, the temperature rose again. It was a lost night. Finally, I called them up and apologized sincerely of my situation. It was so unprofessional, but it was, what it was. I finally found my way back, and reached home 3 hours later, because I had to take periodic stops for my engine to cool down.

Luckily for me, this happened after the major stuff was over. Though I still believe that if I got some of those shots, I would've had a perfect ending to my story.

No matter how much you prepare for a job you undertake. Sometimes, **it happens.  And it is, what it is.

I will soon be putting up some of the images from the wedding. So keep checking.

Business Tuesdays: Under Promise and Over Deliver

I think one of the most important lessons, I have learned the hard way. Why are people unhappy by your work and your service? Maybe you are unhappy about how some service you might have paid for, didn't come up to your expectations. That's the keyword, expectations. An employee expects his employer to take care of him. An employer expects his employee will work hard in return. A husband expects his wife, to take care of him, and in return a wife expects the husband to take care of her. The world is filled with expectations. When I go down to a steakhouse, I'd expect a nice juicy steak on my plate, and not the ones I make at home, which are half cooked and raw. But if that steak is raw and dry, and the worst you had in your life, someone somewhere has let you down. Your brand, your name is a promise. I can expect a Billy's Steakhouse can give me a bad steak, but if I go to a Tony Roma's or something, I expect to have a really good steak. That brand, that name is a promise in itself. 

Enough of general talk. No matter what field you are in, every person trying to make a buck, will promise the moon, the stars, the sun, the galaxy and the whole universe. As a customer, you will be like "Wow! This must be the deal of the century." and when they deliver, the sun, the moon, the stars, the galaxy, but not the whole universe. What's going to happen next? Your expectations will fall. Hence making that the worst deal of the century. Its not about the effort involved. The person might have worked day in day out, to give you the sun, the moon, the stars, and the galaxy, and it must've been their best work, but they over promised and they under delivered. And thats when all that effort will mean to nothing.

This is customer service 101 guys. If you service your clients better then competition, people will pay the extra buck for you. Take some time, and remember why you went to an expensive place only because some one spoke to you nicely. So never promise the sun, the moon and the stars to your client. Always under promise and over deliver.

Join me back on Tuesday, for another round on Business Tuesdays. 

Photo Credits: Apple ; Fruits