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Join me on a journey through the world of photography. My blog covers a range of topics including camera gear reviews, behind-the-scenes of commissioned projects, workshop recaps, and general thoughts on a variety of photography subjects. Follow along as I share my passion for the art and craft of photography.

Recap: Architectural Photography Workshop at the Etihad Museum in Dubai

IS SHOOTING ARCHITECTURE FUN?

With the right subject, the right gear and skills, shooting architecture can be rewarding!

On the 18th December in Dubai, 20 photography students gathered at the Etihad Museum in Dubai for an architecutral photography workshop led by an Dany Eid, my fellow Fujifilm X-Photographer and myself. The workshop was organized by Fujifilm Middle East who provided a range of GFX cameras and GF lenses for the students. For many, this was their first experience with the medium format cameras.

As they arrived, the students were greeted by the stunning architecture of the museum, which features a sleek and modern design with clean lines and expansive windows. The group spent the first part of the workshop exploring the iconic building, both inside and out, taking advantage of the diverse range of photo opportunities that this unconventionally designed museum offered.

Inside, the students were able to photograph the impressive entrance lobby featuring a double-height atrium with its slanted, towering columns, imposing interior elements and sweeping curves.

Outside, the students had the chance to photograph the museum's distinct looking roof inspired by a folded sheet of paper and its surroundings, including its landscaped gardens and the bustling cityscape of Dubai in the background. They were able to experiment with different angles, lighting, and compositions to capture the beauty of the museum in their own unique way. Dany and I guided them each step, answering their questions, helping them find the most interesting angles and assisted them with the equipment and camera settings.

After the photo shoot, the group retreated to the classroom in the basement of Etihad Museum for a lesson on basic image post-processing techniques. We covered topics such as adjusting exposure, color correction, perspective correction, retouching, and demonstrated how to use various software tools to achieve the desired results.

The students were eager to learn and put their newfound skills to the test, practicing on their own photographs from the workshop. They were able to see firsthand how post-processing could enhance the overall look and feel of their images, and learned how to use these techniques to better communicate their vision as photographers.

Overall, it was a productive and informative day for the photography students, who left the workshop with a deeper understanding of both the technical and creative aspects of photography. The Etihad Museum provided a beautiful and inspiring setting for the workshop, and the students were able to take advantage of all that it had to offer to create some truly striking photographs.


Here’s my selection of the most interesting shots of the Etihad Museum I took during the 3 hour workshop

If you’re interested in attending one of my workshops, please subscribe to my mailing list to keep updated with my calendar of activities and don’t forget to say hi in the comment section!

From Snooze to Wow: How Time-Lapse Transforms the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

there are many REASONS

why time-lapses look better than regular video and this difference is particularly apparent at night, in the city. Let me explain why.

DEFINITIONS AND BENEFITS OF TIME-LAPSE CINEMATOGRAPHY

There are several reasons why a time-lapse video of a city at night deals a heavier punch than a standard video of the same subject. One of the key explanations is the fact that a time-lapse can capture a longer period of time in a compressed format, which can produce a sense of movement and change that is not as obvious in a standard video.

A time-lapse allows a larger range of motion and activity, including shifting traffic patterns, people moving through the streets, and changing illumination of buildings and landmarks. For the viewer, this may result in a more varied, dynamic and compelling visual experience that is difficult to capture and replicate with a video camera.

Time-lapses taken at night often outperform traditional videos because they can catch how the light changes throughout the day. A regular video clip will often have consistent illumination from start to finish. As dusk approaches and city lights come on, the illumination will change in a time-lapse, and that is one of the reasons why time-lapses rarely fail to impress.

but that’s just half of it!

Wider apertures and longer exposure periods are frequently used to capture time-lapses. This makes it possible to capture more light, which produces brighter photographs. Nighttime time-lapses of the city also appear more vivid since they frequently contain a broader variety of light sources. Last but not least, time-lapses are captured as a series of high-resolution, 16-bit RAW still photographs with a superior dynamic range and little noise. As a result, the artists enjoy the advantages of creative freedom. Their time-lapses suffer very little loss in image quality when using post-processing techniques.

In conclusion, time-lapse films have the ability to render the mundane world around us with crystal clarity, as a spectacle of dancing, vibrant lights. Time-lapses are exciting. Regular video on the other hand? Not so much.

Here’s a comparison of two still frames. On the left side is a frame extracted from a time-lapse sequence. On the right, a frame from a regular video. What is instantly apparent is how much brighter the time-lapse image appears. There are no black zones in the image where you can’t make out the detail. The colours are punchy, vivid and varied across the frame. Every type of light source has a distinct quality and tone. Cars have lovely motion streaks. The whole time-lapse scene appears alive, compelling and inviting.

The frame on the right side was extracted from regular video. It appears, well, regular. It’s mostly dark and quite dull. Video lacks the dynamic range to resolve the details in the dark areas of the image. There’s a very little variety when it comes to colours. The image is mostly yellow. There’s no real sense of motion or life. It’s kind of forgettable.

The difference between the two ways of shooting and featuring a scene is not subtle at all. The video footage captured with Fujifilm X-T3 is nice, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not exciting or special. On the other hand, motion-controlled time-lapse shot with the Fujifilm GFX100 is lively scene, combining an explosion of colours and a choreographed dance of cars and construction cranes. Time-lapse and regular videos are two different worlds, galaxies apart.


Time-lapse film featuring vistas of Dubai, captured from the penthouse on the 42nd floor of ‘Avani Palm View Dubai’ hotel and residence.


I hope you found this blog post useful, even enlightening. Owing to the advent of digital photography, time-lapse cinematography is one of the most exciting, niche filming techniques to have emerged in the past 15 years. But we all know how fast the technology is moving forward. It’s only going to get better form this point onward.

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THE WHY, AND HOW I SHOOT THE ARCHITECTURE (WITH AN EXAMPLE)

Professional architectural photography is the architecture's identical twin. The existence of architecture is meaningless unless it is seen and appreciated. The architecture's beauty, as well as its occasional ugliness, must be documented, acknowledged, marveled at, sometimes laughed at, and learned from.

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