Bataranzi

The blog has now officially moved

2009-07-30T22:35:00.003+03:00

It took me a while to make this decision, so after 230 posts dating back to 2005, i have decided to move my blog to www.lmajali.wordpress.com
I just wanted a new layout and to be able to post my pictures in a bigger size, i have moved the posts to the new blog, but will still keep this for a while.

Thanks again for everyone who has come through here and please continue to follow my work on the new blog.

Best wishes from a sunny Los Angeles
Laith

30-7-2009

Class Act: Ahmad El-Fishawy photos in new issue of Nox

2009-06-18T18:55:00.003+03:00

If you are in Amman, Beirut, Dubai or Bahrain, check out my shoot with Egyptian actor Ahmad El-Fishawy. You can read the article online too, but there is only one of the photos on the site.
The photo above is an out take from the shoot.
Shooting these photos was stressful because of all the kids running around and wanting to take a picture with him. I thought that if i took him outside of Cairo i'd be able to take him to the streets and shoot some candid portraits. So we headed out to Saqqara. As we were driving i saw an interesting location on the side of the road and we went down to shoot. The people of the town swarmmed us and eventually i ended up using them as part of the photos. Sometimes you have to adapt.

I'm really happy with the results of the shoot.

Photos from a L.A Summer - Week 1

2009-06-18T06:05:00.011+03:00

As usual, it takes me months to update the blog, but things have been really busy. I am in L.A at the moment, and i'll be here till August. In May i had a month assignment that went really well, it was quite stressful but fun at the same time. Since i'm back to the land of quick internet, and since i have some time to myself this summer, i'm hoping i can update the blog with many photos shot over the past couple of months.

I'm back to shooting in the streets of L.A and here is a selection of photos from the first 3 rolls of film.

Jaime, Chris's gf when i met them for lunch in Silverlake.

Murphy, Chris's dog, i guess he's my favorite dog.

Chris and Murphy.

Silverlake is becoming one of my favorite places to shoot in L.A

Forgot how many people drive shopping carts around L.A

Chess is becoming a recuring element in many of my shots.

99 cent shot

On a big screen you can see a girl having her photo taken at the bottom of the photo. Would look nice as a print.

Chris Weeks shooting in his neighborhood. We are collaborating on a nice project this summer.

Jeff enjoying L.A ads

L.A greenery

Santa Monica pier is always an interesting place to shoot.
Joanna reacting to an odd dancing man in the distance
Ms. Bateman on the edge
One of my favorite shots of the series, he's got a lollipop in his hand
Benches and Beaches
The Hot Dog Stick lady had a nice attitude to her, made me want to make this frame
More chess on the beachReading the L.A times weekend edition

The triple J trio enjoying the weekend in Santa Monica

Another favorite frame, i'm slowly getting used to having the 28mm as my main Leica lens.

I like how the two wheels meet in the middle

Three ladies on the side of the street, back to shooting from cars

More dog shots, i guess this is the most dog i've had in a post

The Flower Dinosaur

Smaller dog than the one before

The girl was just sitting there on the post, i guess she was listening to one of the street performers on the other side

Too many homeless people all around, part of the L.A streetscape i guess

Heading to the beach

The hat is what grabbed my attention, the noticed the tree shadow

Flying rats, at least here they are smaller than the ones in NYC

My first view of the sea

Crossing over the highway

Follow the arrow to exit

Joanna is always in her element

Reminded me of the A-Team

A shot of Joanaa with L.A in the background

Back toward the apartment we stopped to film
Wonder what knowledge Jay was transfering to Jordan.
Summer this year should be good, expect a lot of pictures.

A Rainbow over Amman

2009-04-17T04:42:00.002+03:00

The weather was really weird in Amman today, but it created this beautiful rainbow over the city. Another reason why a photographer should carry a camera at all times.

When lightning strikes

2009-04-05T23:15:00.004+03:00

I've been in Dubai a couple times in the past years, and its the first i experience rain in that city. The skies were roaring with thunder, and lighting was striking everywhere. I've never shot lightning, and since i just got myself a new Canon 5D mark II i wanted to test it out. Also being on the 35th floor helped too.
Here are two frames i managed to capture of the lightning in the Dubai skies.

B-Boys in Dubai

2009-04-02T10:30:00.005+03:00

I was very luck to get the chance to attend a workshop with legendary magazine photographer Joe McNally this week in Dubai. The workshop focused on lighting for portraits, and the wealth of information Joe shared with us was amazing.
If I had planned to have to shoot anything it would have been something to do with hip hop, and to my surprise our models where hip hop dancers from a local dance school in Dubai run by Mofdi, a Moroccan/French choreographer . Here are my favorite images I made during the workshop.

All I said was "Jump" and Mofdi did.

Mofdi and Titiana

Mofdi shot with one of the nicest lenses I've used, the canon 85mm 1.2
Omar from Algeria is another dancer in the group.

Carol
Joe shooting a group portrait with our dance group.

Next I'm off to Cairo for a photojournalism workshop...stay tuned.

Going Panoramic in Cairo

2009-02-25T19:01:00.004+02:00

My latest camera purchase has been a widelux panoramic film camera. A couple of posts ago i shared the photography work of actor Jeff Bridges, who uses one on the sets of the movies he acts in. Here are select images from the first roll of film i shot with the camera. Cairo is a great place for street photography, i'll be posting more pics from my Cairo trip very soon.

Next panoramic series will be from Beirut which i'm off to in a couple of hours for a magazine assignment.

* Make sure you click on the pics to see them large.

While in Beirut...

2009-02-05T12:19:00.003+02:00

In 2008 i think i went to Beirut 5 or 6 times, the city is magical and is one of my favorite places to shoot. The textures, the buildings, the passion of the people all make it a great city. Here are a couple of images from a recent trip to Beirut.

Ashrafieh at night

The view from my friend's roof, far in the distance are the docks.

"Boos il wawa" by Um Kulthoum

I really like this , love the pattern created by the bars and the pants.

While in Paris...

2009-02-04T14:30:00.004+02:00

A while ago i got to develop a big amount of film going back to october 2008, in the next couple of posts im going to try and post some of the images i took in the places i visited since.
Starting with Paris...

Vote for me in the Play & Orange talent competition

2009-01-26T18:42:00.003+02:00

Dear friends and readers of the blog

As some of you know for the past year I have been shooting a photography book documenting the culture of Arabic Hip Hop around the world. I've gotten to travel to many places and the scope of the book has been growing since. I have shot hip hop artists from refugee camps in Beirut to performances and access to world famous groups such as Wu-Tang Clan all in the context of Arab hip hop. Yet I still have about a year and a half worth of shooting to do.

A radio station in Jordan in association with orange are doing a local talent competition with an award of $10,000 US, all you need to do is send a quick email and vote for me, if i get to win, this will allow me to continue working on the project since i paid for the whole past year from my own pocket, and it does get draining.

All you need to do is send an email to vote@play.jo and say that you vote for laith majali. If you live in jordan you can sms 0777-102020 and write laith majali in the text.

Here is my profile on the contest's site.

Above is a slide-show showing select images from the project so far, watch it in high quality if you can.

Spread the word.

Thanks again for your support

Laith Al-Majali

In the spirt of change

2009-01-20T22:21:00.004+02:00

I've had about 25 rolls of film I shot since October that I just had the chance to scan. While going through the negatives I found images I shot during my visit to Elon in North Carolina at the time of the US presidential elections. So since yesterday was the day Obama got inaugurated i thought it would be good to post a number of these images.

The voting in the town took place at the fire station.

I shot the cover of USA Today throughout my stay

"...mass migratioin to mexico, luxemborg." A what if cover of Elon University's student paper The Pendulum
The cover of the Pendulum the day after the elections
"Change has come"
shot the tv while watching the elections.

Images from the Gaza Protest in Amman 9th Jan

2009-01-10T02:37:00.000+02:00

The great photographer James Nachtway once said "I want my pictures to cut through political abstractions... and make a connection on a human level."
While shooting the anti-Israeli protest in Amman that quote was bouncing in my head. This was like no shoot I have done yet, I got a very mild taste of what conflict photographers experience while making pictures that are historical testimonies to what happens in our world.
The protest was peaceful for the most of it until it got a bit heated with the police and the protesters started throwing shoes, rocks and whatever was within hands reach.
The police reacted with tear gas and batons and pushed the protesters down the street. We got heavy with gas, women, children and men were running away affected by the gas, some took shelter in a close by mosque.
I still don't believe I captured images like these on the streets of Amman.

"No to an embassy, no to an ambassador, no relations with Israel."

The Venezuelan flag and a picture of Chavez made an appearance.

One of the big flags at the protest

Saddam made an appearance too

A father and his two kids in the tribute graveyard next to the protest

Alone in the midst of the tribute graveyard

The Israeli flag burned

Kids running away as things got heated upA general scene of the protestShe stood in silence as the men prayed in the midst of the protestThe riot police stood firm and their leaders controlled them well

The protesters also helped in keeping order

A strong line of riot police kept the protesters from moving on

I was trying to get as close as possible to the first line of the protest

As the violence started a woman moving away from the protest area

The police shield themselves from rocks

As the tear gas was dispensed the effects where felt by all

Onions were used as a way to soften the effect of the gas

The police also used water canons

One of the injured men

A line of police gets some rest

A protester holds a gas canister

An injured man gets taken to a car

Protesters put an injured man in a car
Another injured man carried away

The protest area after clearing it

A tear gas canister is dispensed

The rocks that were thrown damaged some cars in the areaProtesters throw stones at the police from atop houses

The last image I took before leaving

Should be developing the film pics soon, hopefully i'll get to post them.
A story featuring the pictures is posted on 7iber.com

Portrait of Egyptian Comedian Ahmed Ahmed

2009-01-08T18:57:00.000+02:00

Here is another one of the portraits I shot while attending the 2008 Dubai International film festival.

Ahmed's Bio from his website:

Ahmed Ahmed - Born in Helwan, Egypt June 27th, 1970. Parents immigrated to the US when he was one month old and grew up in Riverside, CA. Moved to Hollywood when he was 19 years old to pursue a career as an actor and stand up comedian. Attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts for one year and studied with various acting coaches such as Cliff Osmond, Ivana Chubbuck and Sandy Marshall.

Seen in such films and television shows as Iron Man, You Don't Mess With The Zohan, Swingers, Tracey Takes On, Roseanne, JAG, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central and MTV's PUNK'D. Also appeared on CNN, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and NPR. Was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal in December of 2001 and featured in Newsweek Magazine. Will be seen in the upcoming ONION MOVIE for FOX Searchlight. Currently can be seen on the Fahrenheit 9/11 DVD bonus track performing stand up comedy.

A paid regular performer at The World Famous Comedy Store in Hollywood and tours all across America and Europe. Winner of the first annual Richard Pryor Award for ethnic comedy at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in Scotland summer of 2004.

Wrote an original screenplay titled "The Pilgrimage" based on his Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca). He also co-wrote the script "Google Me" with comedian Erik Griffin.

Portrait of Palestinian poet Suheir Hammad

2008-12-28T15:40:00.000+02:00

Finally I got to shoot a portrait of Palestinian poet Suheir Hammad, one of my favorite Arab artists. I discovered Suheir's work while i was in college. My roomate got me hooked to watching a show called Def Poetry. The show which is presented by Mos Def , featured spoken word artists performing their poems.

Also since starting my photography project on Arab hip hop, her name kept on coming up in conversations with many artists who cited her as one of their influences in Arab hip hop. My curiosity grew about Suheir, and two weeks ago while attending the Dubai film festival i ran into her. I was late to a meeting, i was running, sweaty and out of breath and at the entrance of the hotel i see my friend Ann-Marie Jacir, a Palestinan film maker and with her Suhier, who also happens to be acting in Jacir's film "Salt of this Sea." Quick introductions were made and later on i got to arrange to shoot the portraits.

One of my most enjoyable shoots.

Suheir's Bio:

Suheir Hammad is a Palestinian-American poet. She was born in Amman to refugee parents and immigrated with her family as a child to Brooklyn, New York City when she was five years old. Hammad's first collection Born Palestinian, Born Black was published in 1996, followed by Drops of This Story. Her latest collection is ZaatarDiva, and her forthcoming work is entitled 'breaking poems'. An original writer and cast member of the TONY Award winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, Hammad is a 2007 Copeland Fellow at Amherst College. Her theatre
project 'breaking letter(s)' premiered this April, produced by The New World Theatre.

Portrait of French Actor Sami Naceri

2008-12-27T13:15:00.000+02:00

While at the Dubai Film Festival, i got to shoot a quick portrait of french actor Sami Naceri, known for his roles in Taxi, Indigenes and many other French and Algerian films.

Portrait of Lebanese director Chadi Zeneddine

2008-12-23T12:40:00.000+02:00

I shot this recent portrait while Chadi was in Amman last month. Chadi Zeneddine will be directing "Barbershop Trinity" the next film project I am working on. Quite a talented young director, can't wait to collaborate with Chadi.

Slingshot Hip Hop comes to Dubai

2008-12-14T10:49:00.000+02:00

Slingshot Hip Hop is a beautiful documentary about Palestinian Hip Hop and is directed by my dear friend Jackie Saloum, It's part of the reason i am shooting my photography book on Arab Hip Hop. I have followed the film in Sundance, Amman and now Dubai. It showed to over 700 people and after the screening, the Palestinian group DAM, Kanaan from PR and Narcy from Iraq performed for an hour. I was there to document the show and here are some images coming to you directly from Dubai.

Palestinan actor Ali Suleiman (Paradise Now, The Kingdom, Body of Lies) was also out supporting the film and i snapped a quick shot.

Images from the opening of the 2008 Dubai FIlm Festival

2008-12-14T00:56:00.000+02:00

I am currently attending the Dubai Film Festival so I thought i'd share some images i shot at the opening ceremony. The opening film was Oliver Stone's "W"
I'll try to upload some pictures that i capture throughout my time here so keep an eye out.

Man on Bike

2008-12-08T00:07:00.000+02:00

Shot this while i was in Paris in July, I love when a panning shot turns out as I wanted.

Going Dutch

2008-12-05T19:36:00.000+02:00

Back to my Arab Hip Hop project, in July i went to Holland and for 4 days, were I had full access to the life of one of Holland's top rappers, Salahedin. The experience of shooting with a Moroccan artist who has made it big in Europe was amazing and at the end of it Salahedin surprised me by taking me to meet and shoot with WU-Tang Clan, the world's top hip hop group.

Below are some pictures and an excerpt from the article the photo essay that appeared in NOX magazine last month.

Salahedin at his home studio.

Salahedin meets with the youth of his old neighborhood.Method Man of WU-Tang backstage
RZA
RZA again.

Salahedin and Method Man in the green room.

July 10th, 2008
After a five-hour flight to Paris, I take the train to Paris Nord station where I meet Jordanian oud player Elia Khoury and his brother Basil. We wolf down a very quick Micky Dees
before immediately heading off to Rotterdam on another train to meet Moroccan-Dutch rapper Salah Eddine. The ticket costs somewhere around $140, which makes me
reminisce about long-distance services to Damascus for a tenth of that price, and requires a change at Brussels and another four-plus hours of sitting on my backside. If I get there before midnight I will be doing extremely well. The train is painfully slow, with an infuriating number
of stops – aren’t trains meant to be fast? I do my best to kill time by snapping the sunset from various locations I’ve never heard of – like Mechelen. Even when I get to Rotterdam, late and dog tired, I have to negotiate yet more public transport, this time an inner city
tram to Leiden – cost: $10 – and the ride is hideous, with drunk Dutch guys playing terrible country music out of tiny mobiles. Once in Leiden, it’s another train to Alphen, where Salah lives. I get to Alphen and decide to take a cab. I finally knock on his door at 1am. I have been travelling for 16 hours. Despite my desperate desire to see a pillow, Salah and I talk until 4am while listening to tracks from his new album Horr – with his narration layered over the top like a DVD special feature. Both are thrilling to hear, proving that the Arab hip hop scene will be experiencing a genuine revolution when it is released. His voice is confident and trustworthy, growing on you by the second, and with the additional touches of Arabic samples, it transformsthe audio experience into a cinematic one. It is a privilege to be among the first to hear it.

Recent portraits I shot

2008-12-01T17:46:00.000+02:00

I haven't showed much work lately because I have been spending most of my time in airplanes and airports. Also my hard drive on my macbook crashed and burned. So slowly I'm rebuilding my photo library from the backups.
I'm posting a couple of portraits i shot in the past couple of months. Enjoy!

Director Spike Lee, Abu Dhabi

Jackson Allers, a friend and a journalist based in Beirut.

Nawazen-Le Trio Khoury, Paris.

Here are also 3 shots from a recent shoot for my Arab hip hop book i did with a graffiti artist in Dubai.

Two pictures from Salt

2008-11-30T21:14:00.000+02:00

While scouting for locations in Salt today, shot a couple of pictures....here are two of them.

In Casting

2008-11-29T14:40:00.000+02:00

I'm currently in the Casting process of a new film i'm a producer on. Shot this in one of the casting sessions, thought i'd share since i haven't posted any of my photography for a while. The subject is Hassan Darweesh a Jordanian actor.

A Darkness Visble

2008-11-27T03:19:00.000+02:00

A Darkness Visible is a brilliant photography project shot by Seamus Murphy in Afghanistan. It spans from 1994 to 2006. Some of the best documentary photography i've seen.

Check the link

Image Copyright: Seamus Murphy

Behind the Scenes of Iron Man: Brought to you by actor Jeff Bridges

2008-11-25T01:16:00.000+02:00

I have been traveling for the past couple of months and I had a hard drive failure which made me lose a lot of work, luckily most of my photos were backed up, so no updates in terms of pictures this time around, but here is a link for a great shoot done by Jeff Bridges who was one of the actors in Iron Man, he documents the making of the film with a panoramic film camera. Interesting insight to a great film.

check the link
http://www.jeffbridges.com/ironmanbook_cover.html

Images from Gaza Refugee Camp

2008-09-16T05:15:00.000+03:00

Today I visited the Gaza Refugee camp near the city of Jerash in the north of Jordan, and i captured a couple of pictures that i really wanted to post. The refugee camp is home to over 30,000 Palestinian refugees, and the poverty there is beyond what i've seen in any other camp i've visited. There is no underground sewage system in place, instead there are open sewage canals all around the camp. I wish i had more time to shoot but I think this isn't going to be my last visit.

"Captain Abu Raed" Jordan's offical submission to the Oscars

2008-09-03T01:21:00.000+03:00

Jordan has officially chosen "Captain Abu Raed" as its first submission to the foreign film category at the Oscars. This is really exciting for all of us who worked hard on making this film a reality. Wish us luck and keep those fingers crossed.

For arabic speakers, here is the link to the article in Al-Rai newspaper

My daily companion - The Canon G9

2008-08-28T14:50:00.000+03:00

I have owned a Canon G9 since December of last year, and if i ever don't have my Leica on me, the G9 is there...and when i have my leica with me and don't want to carry my dslr the G9 is there. This is a point and shoot digital camera but built with the serious photographer in mind. So as i was going throough my G9 archives i thought i'd post some images from this camera. It's so versatile and fun to shoot, allowing you to play around with different styles and techniques.

The back room of the lab i develop at in Amman.

My friend Lamya, one beirut night.

Lamya and Jackson
Salahedin...Moroccan Rapper. Alphen, Holland
London
MTV Arabia's HipHopna...Dubai
London
Istanbul, Turkey
Amman
Las Vegas
New York City
The Zipper Factory, NYC.
Amman..shirt says "Break Dance"
London, the day Kosovo got its independence.
A hip hop verse, beirut
Dj Spooky at Sundance, Utah
Shadow play with the director of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Sundance, Utah
Actor Nadim Sawalha, Sundance, Utah
Slingshot hip hop, Sundance, UtahNight Life

Istanbul, Turkey

Mc Ragtop, Omar Offendum and Def Poet Mark Gonzalez, Beirut.
Amman
AmmanDamascus, Syria

Manama, Bahrain.

As you can see i have been travelling quite a bit this year and packing my gear has become an art. The pics below show all what i was going to take with me for my shoot in Holland with Salahedin and street photography in Paris. All are packed in two carry on bags, one is the backpack you see..the other is a Naneu Pro shoulder bag.

My First Fashion Cover - Skin Magazine July '08

2008-08-25T15:56:00.000+03:00

A while ago i shot my second fashion shoot ever and i was lucky to get the cover of Skin Magazine's July issue. Skin is a magazine published out of Jordan with readership in Jordan, Lebanon, Dubai and other countries in the Middle East.
The same team that publishes Skin also publishes Nox Magazine which is a more male oriented magazine. I have been shooting for them for a while now and its a pleasure working with the creative team there. They allow me to pitch stories and ideas and give me freedom with my work.
This photo shoot took place in the deserts of Wadi Rum, Jordan. The photo above was shot with a Rolleiflex using Kodak Portra 160 nc film. Hopefully ill be able to post some images from the shoot soon, but for now there is a tiny sample that you can check out here.

200th blog post special- Behind the scenes of Captain Abu Raed

2008-08-25T01:22:00.000+03:00

As this is my 200th blog post i thought of making it a special one. I have just posted a slide show of pictures from behind the scenes of Captain Abu Raed that i took while i was on the set as the producer of the film. Some of these are being shown for the first time....so follow the link to the slide show on Uber.

Behind the scenes- Captain Abu Raed

Potrait of Editor Matt Chesse

2008-08-12T17:35:00.000+03:00

Matt Chesse is an Oscar nominated Editor. His films include Monsters Ball, Finding Neverland, Stay, Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner and is currently editing the new James Bond "Quantum of Solace"
Matt is friend and a mentor and has always been there for me whenever i had a question. The picture was taken in April when i visited his editing room in London.

Kratochvil has a new site

2008-08-10T19:01:00.000+03:00

As I was browsing through my list of photography blogs i came upon a new online portfolio solution offered by Rob Haggart of aphotoeditor.com , its called aphotofolio.com and it seems since Rob is a fan of Antonin Kratochvil's work he got to have him as one of his first adapters. Antonin now has a new site which is much better than his older one and his a pleasure to view. In my efforts to blog more and share more about the world of photography that i love, i thought i'd write about Antonin's new site. I got the pleasure of attending a workshop in Spain a couple of years ago that he was conducting and it is one of the reasons i shoot the way i do. He opened up new approaches for me and pushed me to cross the line and work closer to my subjects.
He stressed that one's picture's should be about attitude and that one should not just sell a product but sell the attitude with it too. "Let the audience find their own emotion in the picture, don't dictate, happy or sad. Let them discover, take a journey, have an open picture." is one thing he said that still runs through my head everytime i pick up my camera to shoot.

Look at his pictures, browse the site, and take a journey through the lens of Antonin Kratochvil.
Antonin Kratochvil's new site

Photos by Antonin Kratochvil / Vii

Here are some pictures I have taken of Antonin.

Photos by Laith Al-Majali

Uber's Street Photography Competition

2008-08-09T16:05:00.000+03:00

I've wanted to write about this for a bit but as usual i have been busy with a couple of new projects. I was out of town for about 3 weeks, Holland and Paris, got a lot of pics to post up here. Also shot 2 weddings in Amman for friend's of mine and a wedding in Karak.
But Recently i got an email from my friend photographer Chris Weeks asking me to be a judge in a street photography competition that Uber is holding. Looking at the list of judges i am really honored to be part of such a group of photographers and photo specialists. The prize is a very nice Zeiss rangefinder camera, great for street photography. The lens they are giving away is a 28mm zeiss lens. I own and have been using it for a while now. I'm loving it because it is forcing me to go even closer to my subjects while on the street. The link for the competition is below, check it out and check uber out too.

http://streetphoto.uber.com/

The Aliens have landed in Jerash

2008-06-11T14:51:00.000+03:00

My attempt at fine art photography :)

Hip Hop in Amman

2008-06-11T14:02:00.000+03:00

Over the past 6 months I have been traveling around the world and documenting the world of Arab Hip Hop. I have been to Syria, Lebanon, Dubai, L.A, Bahrain, and even shot with the palestinian group DAM in Utah at the 2008 Sundance film festival.
Last month i finally started looking at the local scene in Amman and started it out by shooting pictures behind the scenes of MC Maze's first music video. ( The pictures are featured in the current issue of Nox magazine.)
My guide through Ammani hip hop is DJ Sotusura, one of the best DJ's in town. I have been shooting with him at parties in local clubs and private performances. He also owns a hip hop clothing shop in Swefieh and he even DJ's at the shop throughout the day.

This friday The DJ Sotusura Show will take place at Nai and i am excited to shoot it and i'm sure its going to be a really good show. All the elements of Hip Hop are going to be present, MC Ragtop of the Philistines coming all the way from L.A, DJ Sotusura, break dancers, graffiti a violinist and Stevie Soul , a Jordanian beatboxer who lives in Detroit. Tickets are still available but going quick if you want to attend.

Stevie Soul beatboxing

Stevie Soul will also be having a album release party at Nai on the 16th.

Mc Ragtop in Beirut

Mc Ragtop in Damascus

Currently i'm in the process of looking for a little bit of funding to continue the project, i expect it will take me another year or so to finish up the photography for it. By the end of this project i should have shot in about 17 countries.

So far its been really exciting and interesting journey and i look forward to what comes next.

Street Photography from Turkey

2008-05-11T18:16:00.000+03:00

In April i got to travel to Turkey to attend the screening of Captain Abu Raed at the Istanbul film festival. As always my leica was with me at all times and what a joy it was to shoot in this amazing city. I have developed half the film i shot and here is a picture heavy post of what i found on those 5 rolls of Tri-X

A view of the Asian side of Istanbul

Throughout the day fishermen stand on this bridge and try catching small fish.

This is exactly to the right of the last frame

I think this man sells food for the fishermen.
On a larger view of this frame you could see what caught my attention, and no its not the destroyed stairs.
Went walking towards the famous bazzar, got lost in the alley ways, it started raining and i saw this kid washing his hands

Inside the famous bazzar, a maze of small streets, shops and tons of characters.

Selling ka'ak , or at least thats what we call it in jordan.

An old man inside the bazzar, i decided im going to take many close up street shots of people i see around

Here is another one

Outside a bakery, selling belts among other things

Pineapples in the rain

Many shoe shiners are found all around the streets of Istanbul

Sometimes a street scene like this catches my attention

Followed this man for a bit, i have 4 different frames of him and his woman, liked this frame the most

The old and young generations

The man's beard was making everyone stare and look

Another shoe shiner, i was so close to him and he had no clue i made a couple of frames

Outside my hotel, a flower seller and her son

A mosque in the middle of an alleyway, waited until someone came into frame

Istanbul has some amazing textures everywhere, plus the people are so varied you can't even put a time stamp on this

Isn't this the same man from all the Kertesz's photographs?

I like what i have in this frame, saw him and waited till i found this nike shop front

Part of my closeup street captures

At night this street is full of life, actually it is alive throughout the day, this man had just bought a sandwich

When it rains the umbrella man emerges

and you see umbrellas everywhere

Then the sun comes out the next day and people sit and wait

one reads

two read

a third reads, this was all around lunch time

and others sit around and talk

after walking for quite a bit i took a break and decided to have a cup of tea, the man next to me was reading too

I love how light and shadow presents itself all around the city

tea and cigarettes everywhere

Maybe my favorite frame so far, in the large version of this image you can see her look as she leaves her friend

This old lady collects whatever she finds around

old men sit in the sun

or in the shade...i have no clue what this man's story is, but he caught my attention

The view of taksim square from my hotel room

Kids run around at night, i love it when i have motion in the frame

a couple was hanging out, smoking, this stair case at night looks really different, creepy of sorts

reminded me of those toy glasses and mustaches you buy for parties

the 28mm ziess lens came really handy here

the dog wanted some water

many things to sell, but no one buys

he had something stuck in his teeth

you find many people asking for money on Istiklal street

i got lost and walked into an old cafe, the men were playing cards, a flag of Ataturk is present in the background

and i'll end with this frame

Hopefully in the next couple of days i'll develop more pictures and post them up here

all images shot with a leica m6 , kodak tri-x +1

The Cover of Metro Life - 7 Days Dubai

2008-04-08T20:24:00.000+03:00

Two of my photos have been published in The weekend Metro Life Section of 7 Days in Dubai. The photos are portraits of Arab Hip Hop artist, Omar Chakkaki, aka Offendum. For a number of months i've been shooting my first long term project which hopefully will end up in a photography book about Arab Hip Hop. The article can be read here.
The photos were taken in Beirut.

Quest for the Muse

2008-03-20T16:07:00.000+02:00

Throughout history artists have always had muses, individuals that inspire them to be creative and help in pushing that creativity to the surface. They are fun to hang out with and a nice dynamic is always present.
I have been lucky to have two friends who have always been there when i needed a little bit of a creative push, one is my L.A muse, the other is my Amman muse. I usually take these pictures for myself and my friends but today i thought i'd post a couple of pictures that i shot in the past couple months of Jen and Lara.

The Jen shots were shot with the leica and tri-x film. Lara's shots are with the canon 20d.

Gollum/King Kong and Me

2008-03-15T19:14:00.000+02:00

While walking in London and i bumped into actor Andy Sarkis, famous for his roles as Gollum in Lord of the Rings and King Kong.

We had a chat for about 15 minutes in the street, i told him about our film and he was really nice and liked the idea of it. Asked him if i can make a frame and he was ok with it.

One Holga, Two films and Three countries

2008-03-13T00:02:00.000+02:00

Every while and then, i venture out to the streets with a Holga camera. The results are always fun and i enjoy shooting it. I've shot two rolls recently and they cover NYC, Amman and Dubai.

Old ladies, white sneakers and a trolley always catch my attention.

So do red bags and huge sunglasses on old ladies.

I love the color in this picture , and the holga soft effect around the center of focus.
Someone caught me shooting...look at the difference between film and digital.
Back in Amman i saw this in front of the office.
Shooting from the car is an art you learn when you live in L.A
Dubai beaches. I wanted to get closer but i chickened out.
This is the guy that cleans the beach.

Is he going to go in or is he an Arab who is afraid of the water?

Simplicity vs. excessiveness
...and to end this post, Japanese tourists in Dubai taking pictures of a white santa on a sled.

All pictures shot with a Holga on Kodak Portra 400 vc 120 film.

My first Magazine cover

2008-03-09T18:37:00.001+02:00

I finally shot my first magazine cover!
While attending the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, i was commissioned by Jo magazine to shoot their March issue cover.
Mahmoud Al-Massad is a Jordanian film maker whose documentary "Recycle" won the cinematography award for world documentaries at Sundance.
The session was a very quick one, we were running late to the closing ceremony, the sun was going down and i had to get the shot. The result is what you see above.

Finally Back in Amman

2008-03-02T15:16:00.000+02:00

It's been a month since I have blogged but i have been traveling for the past 2 weeks, i went to London for a screening of Captain Abu Raed for Al-Jazeera's fabulous picture show, then i went to Dubai for a photography shoot for a book i am working on, then back to London after that. So as you can imagine i have tons of pictures to share here. Hopefully sometime next week i'll have time to upload some.

I leave you with four frames from my last visit to New York.

Damascus in Black & White

2008-02-03T01:05:00.000+02:00

Soon i hope i'll be able to catch up on the blog and post some of the work i have shot in the past 2 months. I have traveled to 8 countries in the past 2 months and attended two big film festivals, where we won in both. So life has been a bit busy and crazy. Currently in NYC at a friend's place and i thought i'd upload some pics from my trip to Syria. So this is a photo heavy entry.

This was one of the first shots i made as soon as i arrived to damascus.

The alleyways are beautiful with a little bit of hollywood style wet downs.

Early in the morning in souq al hamidiah, cleaners working hard.

Moving wardrobe through Shami streets.

The road leading to my residence ( Al-Akkad House) had work being done on it.

Boredom was all around.

Reflections of an old building in downtown Damascus.

We headed up to Hama, the hometown of my friend Omar Offendum. Found some Saudis on the road.

Chilling in Hama.

One option for Omar's new album cover. Vespa ad.

Private public phones are the craze in Hama.

A lot of chilling was happening in Hama.

I don't even what he classifies as.
Inside an old house in Damascus. The kid of the family that was living in the house used to write his notes while studied on the wall. You have everything from molecular bio equations to arabic poetry .
The house mentioned above.
We agreed to making pictures of each other.

Product transport.

Something attracted me to shoot this.

"Mc Ragtop " Nizi & Omar Offendum. (L-R) in an old souq in Damascus.

Shutter draging with the leica.

A late night Damascus street.

At the end, i leave you with my most amazing discovery of my trip. Kwang, future owner of the first "Sha3bi" falafel restaurant in Korea.

All Images shot on film, with a Leica m6 and an Eos 1-v, Kodak Tri-x and Neopan 1600.

WE JUST WON!!!!

2008-01-27T10:41:00.000+02:00

Captain Abu Raed just received the World dramatic audience award at the Sundance film festival!!!
I can't even explain what we went through, this has been an unreal experience.
Jordanian director Mahmoud Al-Massad also won the best documentary cinematography award for his film "Recycle."

Captain Abu Raed Portraits from Sudance

2008-01-23T08:18:00.000+02:00

Here are some portraits taken during our official photo sessions at the Sundance film festival.

Captain Abu Raed: The Hollywood Reporter review

2008-01-22T04:48:00.000+02:00

" Nothing is more difficult than making an honest film about a good man, but "Captain Abu Raed" accomplishes the feat."

Bottom Line: A rare film from Jordan is a humanistic triumph.

By Stephen Farber
Jan 22, 2008

Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY -- Middle Eastern cinema has been thriving recently, with strong entries from Israel, Lebanon, and Iran. Now one of the first films from Jordan to enter the international arena has its premiere at Sundance. "Captain Abu Raed" belies the inexperience of its makers, for it's a substantial, deeply moving film that has the potential to captivate audiences everywhere. If it finds a savvy distributor willing to handle it with the loving care it deserves, it could click on the arthouse circuit.

Writer-director Amin Matalqa was born in Jordan but grew up in the U.S. and studied film at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. He was determined to make his feature directorial debut on a story filmed in Jordan. His protagonist, Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha), is a widower and a janitor in the Amman airport. He has never left Jordan but dreams of traveling the world. When some of the young boys in the shabby apartment complex where he lives notice him wearing a pilot's hat, they assume he is a pilot and beg him to recount his adventures. Reluctant at first, Abu Raed eventually decides to humor the boys and indulge some of his own daydreams by spinning tales of fictitious travels. But an older neighborhood boy, Murad (Hussein Al-Sous), is suspicious of Abu Raed and eventually finds out the truth and exposes him. There is a heartbreaking moment when Murad takes the other boys to the airport, where they see Abu Raed cleaning the floor; the look of disillusionment on their faces is beautifully caught. Yet that is just the beginning of the story, for the antagonists Murad and Abu Raed eventually form an alliance that changes both of their lives.

Matalqa incorporates a wealth of revealing character details. At the beginning Abu Raed lives a narrow, sheltered life. When he hears a violent domestic dispute in a nearby apartment, he merely closes the window. The dispute is taking place in Murad's apartment. He lives with an abusive father, and this toxic environment has fostered Murad's cynicism.

Both Murad and Abu Read are gradually and believably transformed by their encounter. Abu Raed fnds the courage to take a stand, while Murad learns to trust and respect the older man. A subplot concerns a female pilot, Nour (Rana Sultan), who befriends Abu Raed. She has to contend with her parents' determination to marry her off to men who bore her. All of the characters are observed with affection and precision. Even Murad's abusive father is presented in three dimensions; we see that his own failures at work lead him to lash out at the people closest to him.

Performances are superb. Sawalha captures the dignity of Abu Raed without turning him into a plaster saint. In fact, it's clear that in trying to improve the lives of the local kids, he sometimes blunders and makes things worse. But Sawalha illuminates his humility and understated nobility. Al-Sous has a wonderfully expressive face, and Sultan radiates intelligence and quiet strength.

Working with cinematographer Reinhart Peschke, Matalqa makes excellent use of the Jordanian locations. One false note is struck by the music composed by Austin Wintory. It sounds too Western and sometimes falls into sentimentality. The film is too potent to need such underlining. Matalqa has crafted a stirring tribute to the invisible people in our world who may end up changing our lives more profoundly than high-profile leaders. Nothing is more difficult than making an honest film about a good man, but "Captain Abu Raed" accomplishes the feat.

28mm moments from downtown Amman.

2007-12-27T02:27:00.000+02:00

It's been 5 months since i shot some pictures in the streets of Amman. Yesterday i picked up my camera , loaded it with one roll of kodak tri-x, put on my new 28mm zeiss lens , screwed my 3 stop ND filter and hailed a cab to downtown. Here is what my eyes saw.

Followed this guy for a bit. Took about 6 pictures of his journey up the hill.

When i saw this, i remembered an image Chris Weeks made in Paris a couple of weeks ago.

The guy was fixing a watch, i love how the people on the right caught me taking the picture.

There is nothing like seeing an image in your head, and find that it translated well on to the negative.

The wide angle is allowing me to put more things in the frame, you just see a hint of the guy sitting on the left.

This is the next image on the negative. Everything fell in place.

He asked me to take his picture. He wanted to be standing, had to convince him to sit and actually smile.

He was selling turmos, if i am not mistaken he is blind.

The four images above and the two below all happened within 2 minutes of each other.
People were in photo mode, third guy to ask for his picture to be taken.
The service/taxi/bus stop, hip shot as i was walking down the hill.Pictures were taken with a Leica M6 , 28mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss lens, on Kodak Tri-X film.

Nadim Sawalha wins best actor at the Dubai Film Festival

2007-12-16T09:11:00.000+02:00

Just wanted to congratulate our amazing actor Nadim Sawalha for winning the bst actor award last night at the Dubai international film festival. I have so much film to develop from this trip i can't wait to get back to Amman and get the up and ready. We had two amazing screenings and the buzz around our film has been very very positive. Bye bye dubai...next stop...sundance.

"Captain Abu Raed" competes at Sundance film festival 2008

2007-11-29T06:55:00.001+02:00

We made it into Sundance. They just announced it officially and after a week of knowing this amazing piece of news we can finally tell people that this film that we been working on for the past 2 years is going to compete in the World Cinema Dramatic competition. This is a dream for all of us.
What is also exciting is that there is a Jordanian documentary called recycle by Mahmood Al-Massad that is in the documentary section of the festival.

Wish us all luck in Dubai and Sundance. :)

" Captain Abu Raed" gets its premier at the Dubai International Film Festival

2007-11-26T22:50:00.000+02:00

Since the Dubai Film festival has announced its lineup of films for this year's event, we can finally announce that "Captain Abu Raed" will be competing in the Muhr Awards for best Arab feature and that it will be getting its premier at the Dubai International Film Festival.
After two and a half years and the hard work of hundreds of people, the world will soon see our film.
Stay tuned for some more exciting news very soon ;)

Captain Abu Raed gets its final mix

2007-11-21T23:14:00.000+02:00

We are at the final stages of mixing our film "Captain Abu Raed" , this last stage of production is quite unbelievable. One gets to listen to every single sound detail in a theater like environment. Here are two pictures from the mix, we are at 424 Studios in Los Angeles, quite an amazing place, and we are blessed for having such an excellent sound post crew.

Back to Amman very soon, can't wait.

Beautiful Surprises

2007-11-19T09:10:00.000+02:00

What is brilliant about shooting film is waiting for the film to come back from the lab, and nothing beats the feeling when you see a picture that you totally forgot you took. This image right here is everything i wanted it to be in my head, and i was able to line up my thoughts my feelings and my reaction to the moment i saw.

Shot with a Leica M6, 35mm Summicron f/2, Neopan 1600

From Idol to Friend

2007-10-30T22:40:00.000+02:00

There are piles and piles of pictures that i need to post, but today i am going to first write about one of my favorite photographers, Chris Weeks, who has gone from being someone who has changed everything i do photographically to a really good friend. After being influenced by his work, i sent him an email, and we decided to meet while I was in L.A , so we had our first hanging out/shoot in Venice beach. Last night me and Chris hung out at our local lil' Arabia. He's off to Europe and I am off to the Middle East very soon.
Chris is doing great things on Uber.
You can also check his blog here.
Uber is going to be one of the next big things online. Here are some pictures i have made while hanging out with chris.

All pictures except first one is shot with a Leica M6.

David Alan Harvey

2007-10-29T08:01:00.000+02:00

David Alan Harvey at his home in NYC.

David Alan Harvey is one of the world best known photographers. His work has been inspirational in many ways, but one of the things that has made him special is his interaction with photographers worldwide through his workshops (which are held in his home) and his blogs. He some how finds time to maintain 4 different blogs. David was kind enough to let me into his house when i was in NYC and we had a wonderful conversation. I made this picture just before i left.

Here are the links to his blogs which are worth a visit:

- Road trip

- Student work/Workshops

- Work in progress

- Family/ Friends

New York , New York

2007-10-26T17:27:00.001+02:00

I have a special relationship with New York. I have yet to spend more than a couple of days in this crazy city and get to explore it more. New York is such a brilliant place to make street photos. There are so many people that no one notices you making pictures. I leave with you with a number of pictures I made on my last two trips to NYC.

All pictures made with a Leica M6, 35mm f/2 Summicron.

Yazan Al-Rousan

2007-10-26T09:45:00.000+02:00

Recently when I was back in Amman for a very short period of time, I got the chance to attend a performance by one of my favorite local artists, Yazan Al-Rousan. His first album Telfizion, is worth buying and listening to. Here is a frame I made at the performance.

Shot with a Leica M6, 35mm f/2 Summicron

Pictures from Ghor Feifa

2007-10-07T20:05:00.000+03:00

Its early morning on Saturday, I have had only two hours of sleep the night before and I agree to head down to the South of Jordan to an area called Ghor Feifa, in the Jordan valley.
There was a charity mission heading down there and I tagged along and made some pictures. The feeling I had throughout the day was that I wasn't in Jordan , but this was closer to what the image of Africa is to us. I'll let the images do the talking.

All images shot on a Canon 20D, 24-70mm f/2.8 L , B&W conversion in Lightroom.

Danielle & Brett's Wedding

2007-09-26T10:28:00.000+03:00

I was in Cape Cod last week to attend the wedding of my two friends, Danielle and Brett. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but i have to say that this was the most beautiful wedding i've been to. It was held at an amazing location, it was simple and romantic, I had a great date and the weather went from being dull to sunny just as the couple exchanged their vows.
Enjoy.

All pictures shot with a Leica M6 and a 35mm f/2 Summicron .

The surfer on Nauset Beach

2007-09-26T10:04:00.001+03:00

I thought this picture deserved its own blog post. There is something magical about Nauset beach. The weather was overcast, the water was freezing and we were driving just along the beach. The Atlantic ocean, waves, sand, and then i spotted the surfer and his board, framed it and thwaap, moment captured.

Pictures from my trip to Boston

2007-09-26T08:26:00.001+03:00

Here are some street shots from my trip to Boston last week.

Reminded me of a Russian candid camera video i saw

For some reason i am attracted to shadows on cross walks.

Applying the art of street shooting from cars in Boston.

Can't remember if she was putting them on or taking them off.

I hoped that this picture came out right. If you look closely the guy getting the hair cut was reading an x-rated magazine. Amazing.

Slow shutter combined with ND filter creates shots like this.

She was running around freaking out because she thought the dog was lost. Turns out it belongs to the guy who was standing there. She felt embarrassed.

Junk in barrels.

Pizza Cowboy

Old people with cameras :)

Seemed to have the time of their life.

Skating musician.

Portraits: Gaba'a & Sabri Hakim

2007-09-23T12:20:00.001+03:00

Two portraits i took of our crew members on "Captain Abu Raed".
The first is of our assistant location manager Mohammad Nawafleh, better known as "Gaba3a"
He's one man you can't not have on your film set when you shoot in jordan.
The second is of our set photographer Sabri Hakim.

Pictures shot on Ilford Delta 100 film with a Canon T70 using a 50mm Macro lens.

" Captain Abu Raed " mentioned in Hollywood trade papers

2007-09-23T12:14:00.000+03:00

This week our film "Captain Abu Raed" has been mentioned in two of the most important trade papers of the film industry, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. Hopefully this is just the beginning of the buzz cycle. There is a week left before we lock the picture editing of the film which we hope will premier in Amman by the first week of December.

Soon enough i will be posting a number of pictures i took while shooting the film which haven't been seen before so keep in tune for more Abu Raed goodies.

Portraits: Nadim Sawalha

2007-09-07T05:51:00.001+03:00

One of the most beautiful things about shooting film is the little surprises you find on the negative. I had forgotten about these portraits that i shot with my canon t70 using a 50mm macro lens. I bought this lens recently and these are the first images i see from it. I'm pretty sure i'll be shooting more close up portraits with it.

Shot on ilford delta 100 film.

A new batch of b&w pictures

2007-08-27T08:51:00.000+03:00

It's been a while since i have posted some pictures and its about time i share some frames i've captured in the past couple of weeks. My camera is having some maintenance done on it at leica in New jersey. Hopefully i'll get it back soon and i can shoor more.

A hallway at night.

Looks like important stuff is hidden in the briefcase.

As i walked back home, i spotted Steve-O from jackass outside a club.
Hollyweird blvd at night could be quite interesting.
Aladdin buying a movie ticket.
The hollywood greyhound bus station
Some lady carrying pizza. This was shot on neopan 1600 using an ND filter
Modern day houdini, he took forever so i left. A usual sight on hollywood blvd.

In between two X's

Hollywood/ Highland

I want to see these three haircuts in downtown Amman.
We call this dude Oakland. He shares this light with Amet, the clarinet player. The starbucks in chatsworth

Counting baby trolleys is fun.

All images shot with a leica M6 , 35mm Summicron f/2, on Fuji Neopan 1600 and Kodak Tri-x

Juliana Fine

2007-08-18T08:41:00.000+03:00

Its pitch dark on the balcony of our cinematographer Ray Peshke's house. We are over the clouds,the sea and mountains surround the house. Amin holds the flash light, i lift the leica to my eye, thwaap...the moment captured.
This was the last roll of film i shot with the camera before having to send it to leica in NJ for maintenance and repair. I hope the wait isn't too long.
I had seen these pictures earlier that day.

Shot with a Leica M6, 35mm f/2 Summicron, Kodak Tri-x

Its Holga time

2007-08-13T10:25:00.001+03:00

I recently bought a Holga camera for fun and i took it out to the street the other day. I loaded it up with some tri-x and went for a walk. Here are some images from the day. The last image was shot on Fuji Velvia.

Venice Beach and Hollywood Blvd

2007-07-20T00:02:00.000+03:00

Last week i had a chance to hang out and shoot with chris weeks , one of my favorite photographers. His work was my first introduction into street photography about a year ago. Since then my approach and technique has changed immensely. We went to venice beach, and what a trip that was. That is chris shooting with the new leica m8. You can check chris's account of it titled " Views of the carnival". There are similar subjects in both his entry and mine, i think it shows that if you get two street photographers walking together similar stuff catches our attention.

The old couple checking out the Hariskrishan folks after they passed.

The shirt says it all.

The kid's conversation is what caught my eye at first, the shadows are interesting too.

Wonder what he was having for lunch.

On the way back to Hollywood we stopped for a while at a red light, she was writing notes like crazy, it's kinda creepy how she seems to have only one leg

The lady at the bus stop, shot this from the backseat of the car.

Then the bearded man arrives and gets the look. Since we don't have proper bus stops in jordan, people sitting here always catch my attention.

After chris dropped me off i felt i still needed to shoot some more so i walked around the neighborhood. This lady ran away with the shopping cart.

This was one of the better moments of the day. What's he thinking? Nhat said that he is wishing he was 20 years younger :) Nice eye itching disguise.

Everyone is writing a great movie in L.A, or is an actor/waiter.

Tuning in. The hollywood blvd is as interesting as venice beach i have to say.

Night fell and i pushed a roll of tri-x, i really like shooting at night.

I like the movement in this picture for some reason.

The last picture in this long blog post, the shadow, the dangling phone, did he make that last phone call? Film noir style.

I can't wait to shoot more street while i'm in L.A, hopefully i'll upload stuff as i shoot.

Back in LA LA Land

2007-07-19T10:14:00.000+03:00

I'm back in Los Angeles and as usual my camera doesn't leave my side, here are a couple of pictures from the past two weeks. Life is busy and the post production on Captain Abu Raed has started, so not much time on hand.

Amin happy with his new love " The iphone"

J.McMerty was in town from NC
Our friend michelle

This guy was digging a hole in the parking lot.

Sunday reading

Hollywood and Highland

While having dinner i noticed the shadow, is he on a piano? Laptop? or just eating?

This image doesn't feel like L.A

The filming is done

2007-07-01T02:24:00.000+03:00

After a month of shooting (and taking a break from the blog) this is my first entry. I head to the states in a couple of days and i hope i'll be able to make use of the quick connection there to post some more pics from the set of "Captain Abu Raed"

But for now, i leave you with this portrait of actor Nadim Sawalha who did a brilliant job playing the old janitor.

Shot on ilford delta iso50, with a Leica M6 , 35mm Summicron

Captain Abu Raed Comes to Life

2007-05-22T02:05:00.000+03:00

I am four hours away from the first crew call. Couldn't get any sleep. It's been a long journey leading to this moment. At 7:15 the first 'action' will be said, and in 28 days the last 'cut' will follow. Making a small dream written on a napkin come true is no easy task, many have worked hard to get us here. I hope everyone on the team will enjoy this experience as much as we have so far.

Some people believed, others doubted, but now its a reality, "Captain Abu Raed" is coming to life.

The Old Man from Salt

2007-04-22T02:20:00.000+03:00

As we were scouting locations for Captain Abu Raed
I saw this man smoking and waiting. Made the frame and never got to know if the onion and tomatoes are his.

Life is busy as usual, i hope to post some pictures soon from pre-production on the film. Each day we find a new treasure. Can't wait till we start shooting. One Month. Scary.

Leica M6 , 35 f/2 Summicron

Portrait of an Actress

2007-04-11T00:36:00.000+03:00

While in New York , i got to meet a good friend from college. Danielle is an actress. We had a great time walking around the city, and i got to shoot a couple of frames with her. As usual i shot both digital and film. This one is on film, Kodak tri-x, pulled one stop, shot with a leica m6, 35mm Summicron lens.

The craziness that was L.A

2007-03-30T04:19:00.000+03:00

I am finally back home in Jordan after 3 weeks of being in the US of A. Its great to sleep on a bed and not a couch, although i have to admit, some of the couches are quite comfy.

Many great things happened while i was in L.A. , i got to see the industry at a totally different level.

Made a lot of pictures, and developed most of them, i have only two more rolls from my last days in NYC.

But for now, here are some more pictures from the trip.

My homage to Henri Cartier Bresson. This was also selected as a Daily Deviation on deviantart by cweeks.

Sunset in Santa Monica

Some lady on Hollywood Blvd.

I first spotted this couple in a display window of a shop, turned out they were being photographed by a photog with a huge lens. I prefer the 35mm i had on the leica, thanks Randy.

I like this.

Spiderman...on a trash can.

This man was giving out discounts to Universal Studios theme park.

Soy Sauce and skateboard

Chimping Couple

A couple at Elon Univesity.

Fighting the force.

Grant parking pay phone.

I also shot portraits of some of my friends. Will post them soon.

A week in Los Angeles

2007-03-22T19:17:00.000+02:00

I've been in Los Angeles for 10 days now. Had some meetings for our film and other projects i'm working on. I haven't been able to shoot much, but here are some pictures from my trip so far.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Emergency Service for lost keys

Night hot dog on Hollywood Blvd.

Carls Jr. , a.k.a Hardees

He was sitting alone playing with a guitar.

Hollywood Trash

He was waiting for the 217 bus

Amin thinking he's the man.

On the road to our cinematographer's house

Shot with a Leica M6, 35 f/2 Summicron, on Ilford 100 and Fuji Neopan pushed to 3200

A week in Elon

2007-03-16T19:23:00.000+02:00

I spent the last week in Elon, North Carolina giving a workshop to students at Elon University. I focused on filming sports and editing sport packages and reels. I am amazed to see what the freshmen and sophomores are capable of doing these days. Makes me want to work harder.
It was great to be back at uni, i spoke in a number of classes. I also got to show my work in the photojournalism class, and i think that went quite well.

Randy Piland who teaches that class was very supportive of my work and has given me something to borrow. A 35mm F/2 Summicron lens. Now i can shoot a bit wider with the leica, and i have been testing the lens lately and i have to say i am quite happy with the results.

Here are some frames from my stay at Elon.

Last batch from Spain

2007-03-16T19:00:00.000+02:00

This is the last batch of pictures I made on the streets of Spain. As usual I have been quite busy and haven't had time to keep up with all the images I have made and posting some of them here. Enjoy.

Shot with a Lecia M6, 50mm f/2 Summicron

Picture of the week: Toothless in Mieres

2007-03-02T14:06:00.000+02:00

I have finally developed all of the 13 rolls of film i shot in Spain. I am very happy with many street shots. Yet i am in the mood to post a portrait as my picture of the week. I spoke with this old man for about 10 minutes, and both of us didn't understand a word the other said. In the end, i asked if i can make a frame, and he smiled.

I am off to the states in 2 days, North Carolina first then off to Los Angeles for some meetings. Inshalla i will be making some pictures while i am there.

Made with a Leica M6, 50 f/2 Summicron, Kodak Tri-x +1

Street scenes from Spain

2007-02-23T12:39:00.000+02:00

Here are some of the recent street shots from my trip to Spain.

Inside one of the metro stations.

Different generations in this frame

The man with the mechanical musical machine.

This was made under the aqueducts in Segovia

Town Center of Segovia

Saw these kids trying to help each other drink water, i had to make a couple of frames.

Musician in the metro

Pictures made on Kodak Tri-x and Ilford Delta 100 film

Shooting street in Spain

2007-02-22T01:53:00.000+02:00

After finishing the workshop in the North of Spain, i got to spend a couple of days in Madrid. I roamed the streets for hours, camera in hand, looking for pictures to make.
I shot 13 films , and since coming back i have only developed 5, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks i will be updating the blog and my flickr page with street shots from Spain.

One frame will do for today.

Shot with a Leica M6, 50mm Summicron, Ilford Delta 100

Portrait of a Photographer

2007-02-22T01:34:00.000+02:00

I recently got back from attending a photography workshop in Spain given by Antonin Kratochvil, one of the founding members of the VII Agency. I can't say enough how much i enjoyed it, but most importantly how creatively challenging it was.
Here is a frame i made of Antonin as we sat for dinner in one of the restaurants of Mieres in the North of Spain.

Biography of Antonin Kratochvil:

As photojournalists go, Antonin Kratochvil has sunk his teeth into his fair share of upheaval and human catastrophes whilst going about his documentation of the time in which he lives. As people go, Kratochvil's own refugee life has been much in the way the same as what he has rendered on film. Kratochvil's unique style of photography is the product of personal experience, intimate conditioning and not privileged voyeurism.
Over the years his fluid and unconventional work has been sought by numerous publications stretching across widely differing interests. From shooting Mongolia's street children for the magazine published by the Museum of Natural History to a portrait session with David Bowie for Detour, from covering the war in Iraq for Fortune Magazine to shooting Deborah Harry for a national advertising campaign for the American Civil Liberties Union, Kratochvil's ability to see through and into his subjects and show immutable truth has made his pictures not facsimiles but uncensored visions.

And yet, what set his kind apart from the many is his consistency and struggle to carry on. For Kratochvil this fact comes in the form of his numerous awards, grants and honorable mentions dating back to 1975. The latest of these are his two, first place prizes at the 2002 World Press Photo Awards in the categories of general news and nature and the environment. The next is the 2004 grant from Aperture publishing for Kratochvil's study on the fractious relationship between American civil liberties and the newly formed Homeland Security since the World Trade Center bombings. In addition, Kratochvil's fifth book Vanishing will be unwrapped in 2005 and marks another significant milestone for the craft to which he belongs. Vanishing represents a collection of natural and human phenomena that on the verge of extinction. What makes this book so innovative is the twenty years it has taken to produce, making it not only historical from the onset, but a labor of love and a commitment to one man's conscience.

Shot with a Leica M6, 50mm, f/2 Summicron, Kodak Tri-X

In the Music Room

2007-01-26T00:28:00.000+02:00

For the past week i have spent most of my time in a music recording studio.
We've been recording the score for a documentary I edited recently.
My friend Lara passed by while we were taking a break. I made this frame.
Nothing beats natural light and film.

Hasselblad 503CW 150mm, f/4 , Kodak Portra 160 VC

A frame I made of Saddam's execution

2007-01-23T01:13:00.000+02:00

I was in the city of Karak for eid, the day Saddam died.
I made this frame. Made it for myself. For someone. For history.
A moment i wanted to remember. A face frozen on celluloid. On a 6x6 negative. In black and white. No unnecessary color. Pure photography.
Photography is the way i'll remember things one day, when memories would have faded.

Shot on a Rolleiflex medium format camera. Kodak tri-x at 1600

Amman on slide film

2007-01-23T00:57:00.000+02:00

I finally got two rolls of slide film that i shot with the Leica developed and scanned. I am loving the results. No computer manipulation on these images, these are direct scans from the negative. I just wish it wasn't expensive to develop slide film in Jordan. The colors and contrast just beat digital any day.

* click and view large, its worth it.

Shot with Leica M6, 50mm f/2 summicron, Fuji Provia 100 and 400

Two new photo essays

2007-01-17T23:50:00.000+02:00

I decided that January would be a relaxed month. I need my alone time before starting heavy work on the pre-production of "Captain Abu Raed", which we will be shooting at the end of April.

If you are in Amman, check out the latest issues of Jo Magazine and Nox magazine, i had two photo essays published. The one in JO deals with the living space of some Egyptian construction workers. I spent 4 nights with them taking pictures. Quite an experience. I shot these as part of a workshop i attended here in Amman. You can see my work from the workshop on the Al-Liquindoni workshop gallery page.

The one in Nox is about "The Factory of Champions" the Al-Baq'aa boxing club, one of the famous Arab boxing clubs. This small place has produced some amazing champions.
Again I went down there a number of times and i am happy with the results.

Another piece of good news is that it looks like that i'll be in the north of Spain during the first week of February. I got accepted to attend a photography workshop that is going to be given by Antonin Kratochvil, one of the founders of the VII agency. Check out his work, this man has been everywhere and has an interesting style. Can't wait.

Here's a recent frame i made with the Leica. Thought i'd share.

After 9 hours in the dark room

2006-12-26T01:15:00.000+02:00

At a dinner party last night i was asked why i was still using an "old" camera. It made me smile, as i've been getting that question more and more recently. The other day a guy saw the camera around my neck and asked me if i like to take pictures, i felt the urge to say, "no i just have it as a weight on my neck!"

People are surprised that i still use B&W film.

The digital or film issue is one that is never ending, and i am not going to get into that debate. I use both, and often at the same time.

Take yesterday as an example. I first shot a roll with the Leica in Al-Abdali, then a couple of hours later i went down to Al-Baq'aa boxing club, and had both the digital and film cameras with me.

I am shooting a photo essay on the club for the January issue of Nox magazine. The editor wants it in color, so i used my digital, but i made a couple of frames on film for myself. He may change his mind when he sees the results.

I decided that i'll dedicate today to the darkroom.
Spent 9 hours working with film. I even developed two rolls from a pool side bbq that took place in summer. It was about time.

Just got back home. I smell like chemicals, but am happy with the results i ended up getting. I am attaching a scan of one of the contact sheets i printed today. The blue circles indicate frames that i want to print. Ended up printing six images. Also printed two from the Abdali series. Nothing beats feeling and looking at a true photographic print.

I also printed my first fiber print. Left it to dry.

Enough of me talking nonesense.

Back to the streets: The Abdali Chapter

2006-12-25T13:15:00.001+02:00

I'm back to photographing the streets of Amman. It has been some time since i have gotten a chance to do what i love doing. Hitting the streets with a camera, a roll of film, and hopes of capturing moments that happen in my viewfinder's framelines.

Yesterday i decided to go to Al-Abdali. This is a photo heavy entry.

Watched her cross the street and tried to do some panning action.

He sat there drinking his coffee, i saw the sign which says "king hussein st" , also wanted to get him through the bars.

He sat there smokng a ciggarette, i waited till he put it down, for some reason i was more interested in him just sitting there and watching people walk around.

Looked like a tough guy, waited till he pulled out his lighter.

Maybe one of my favorite from this roll. He was eating ulker pretzel sticks. The combination of that with the coffee on the ground made it for me.

Many small vendors are scattered throughout the place, waited till he gave the old man the money.

I actually made this frame before the one above.

Everyone was on their mobiles. I could have done a series on that.

A yemeni man waits for the bus, wonder where he is heading. Yemen? It would be cool to take a bus from Abdali to the mountains of Ibb.

The people and the bus.

Again a man on his cell phone.

I think i'm going to be doing a series on people carrying stuff. They were looking for a ride to Irbid.

One of the station's controllers.

These are all low quality negative scans. I'm about to go back into the darkroom and print some of these. Can't wait to see the results.

All Images were shot on a Leica M6, 50mm Summicron, Ilford Delta 1oo developed in ID-11.

The director looks up

2006-12-23T12:25:00.000+02:00

After shooting the Nawazen concert, me and some friends hung aronud downtown amman for a bit. It was cold. I saw a light blub hanging, asked my friend Amin and Fadi to get under it. Both looked up. The frame was made.

I was happy with the result, i'm starting to get a hang of the camera.

Leica M6, 50mm f/2 Summicron, Fuji Neopan 1600.

More pictures from Nawazen concert

2006-12-23T03:16:00.000+02:00

More pictures from the Nawazen concert last week. This time in black and white on film. I love how these have a different feel from the color ones.

Shot on a leica m6, 50mm f/2 summicron. Fuji Neopan 1600

Picture in the office

2006-12-22T02:26:00.000+02:00

Had some time to kill at the office the other day, so i set up a light, bounced it off a foam board and made this frame.

I usually dont like using photoshop much, but this image called for some manipulation.