A Rainbow over Amman

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.

Images from the Gaza Protest in Amman 9th Jan

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

28mm moments from downtown Amman.

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.

Yazan Al-Rousan

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

In the Music Room

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

Amman on slide film

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