factory19.art&photography

Digital art - endless possibilities

2012-02-28T00:24:00.000-08:00

It was a week ago, I was searching for interesting artists to network as well as discover. I was looking for art with a spiritual element and came across the deviantart website. Here I saw some amazing and unusual artwork and it got me thinking how these pieces of art were created.

Then as I was browsing through I saw a mention of "Apophysis 7x" a software that creates fractals.

I started noodling around and within three days created a few interesting pieces. Below are the 3 best so far, but I know with much more concentration I could create some more interesting pieces of work.

With this software (FREE by the way) there are endless possibilities to what can be created.

Romance

Colour power

Phoenix flower

Hard, hectic, hot and heated: interview with a Trinidadian mithai maker.

2012-02-12T03:44:00.000-08:00

While on vacation in Trinidad, the southernmost Island in the Caribbean I had the opportunity to partake in some delectable Indian sweets. They were not just great tasting, but good to photograph. I share with you some questions I presented to the owner of “NKs Indian Delicacies”, Bobby Maharaj.

For those who are not aware, Mithai is the hindi word given to Indian sweetmeats. No function, be it birthdays, weddings, cultural and religious festivities would be complete without a variety of these tantalizing treats. They are made using milk (fresh, dried and condensed forms), sugar, spices (e.g. cardamom), nuts and clarified butter (ghee).

- Where did NKs Indian Delicacies begin? Tell me a little bit of history. How did you become a confectioner of Indian sweets.

The art of Indian sweet making was brought to Trinidad by my fore parents; originally from India. I became a confectioner of Indian Delicacies, as part of the family trade. It is something I knew from birth. I grew up helping out at home, from washing wares and helping out in the mithai making process.

During the early stages of my adult life I had a 9-5 job in an office based environment. Over time I realised that I did not like to work under a boss; so I decided to shift to the family trade.

NKs Indian Delicacies began about 20+ years ago; it was started by my wife Neela and I. It is named after our wonderful sons Neil and Kaveeir.

- I know there are a variety of different Indian sweets in the UK and India, but striking difference here is there is a smaller selection. Is there any particular reason why the sweets you produce are different in Trinidad to those seen in India or perhaps UK? Can you tell me the names of those on offer?

I was told that there are 36 different types of sweets globally according to where Indian Immigrants live.

You have to understand that Indians came to this country under indentureship after slavery ended. Both India and Trinidad were colonies of Great Britain. The first arrival of Indenture labourers was on the 30^th May 1845 aboard the Fath Al Razak (Victory of Allah the Provider). Their contract entailed working in the plantations (sugar, coconut, coffee and cocoa) for a period of 5 years with a return passage back to India. However some of the labourers were given the option of land in exchange for their return passage.

The indenture labourers brought with them, their food, culture and religion. The sweets that are found in Trinidad differ because they were dependent on what was readily available as such they adapted the recipes accordingly.

One such example is the Trinidad version of gulab jamoon. The Indian version of this sweet is soaked in sugary syrup, while the Trinidadian version is tossed in boiling sugar syrup and allowed to cool; thus giving a crystallized sugar effect.

What you have sampled and photographed are the popular varieties that are made here at NKs. These include (left to right); milk barfi (with sprinkles), jelebi, laddoo, gulab jamoon and the house speciality, cherry coconut barfi.

All photos are copyrighted and are not to be re-produced in any way whatsoever.

There are of more varieties, and are made to order.

- Is the process of making sweets very labour intensive? What is the day like for you when making sweets?

I’ll sum it up in four words. Hard, hectic, hot and heated. That is how it is. It is very gratifying to know that our customers are satisfied and happy with the quality of our products. The secret of good Indian sweets is the art of making and having a special sweet hand.

- I'm sure there are those interested in tasting your creations. How does the business work? Do you work on a retail or wholesale basis?

Here at NKs, we sell at both retail and wholesale locally and internationally.

Warp speed to the stars

2012-01-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

After attempting some light trails with moving vehicles, I thought I'd apply what I learnt to the sky above. I saw some amazing photos on Flickr of star trails and thought of attempting to create my own.

Here's one I did. The shot on the top has an aeroplane in it, while the one at the bottom has this anomoly removed.

This was achieved with 65 exposure at 30sec, f4. The photographs were then stacked using the startrails software.

Many Thanks toAjay, my brother in law for helping out with this shot.

Aeroplane streak in shot

Aeroplane streak removed

All photos are copyrighted and are not to be re-produced in any way whatsoever.

By chance!

2012-01-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

We were on a drive to Mayaro, in Trinidad and happen to pass through a little village road. I had heard so much about the hawk of Trinidad, but really had not seen one up close. With some luck I caught this magnificent bird resting on a pommecythere tree (species Spondias dulcis).


Magnificent Hawk (species TBC)

A little further down the road I came across some vultures and I spotted this great moment. It was almost as if these birds were in a nightclub, limin' (partying). Just picture a line of corbeau on a coconut trees climbing up..now transfer the thought to a humans on a weekend at the mall going up an escalator. I entitled the photo below "walk this way".

Walk this way

Now here's a beauty - it's a panorama of seawater coming to meet fresh water. The mix of the two make an ideal environment for the mangroves.

Where two fronts collide

All photos are copyrighted and are not to be re-produced in any way whatsoever.

Nature in domestic settings: birds

2012-01-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to the sound of drops of rain. The rain started clearing slowly and I saw some birds around the yard. Here are some that I managed to photograph.

All photos are copyrighted and are not to be re-produced in any way whatsoever.

A species of dove (I'm guessing!)

Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris)

Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)

More from the nature trail.

2012-01-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

I spent the last couple of days on the east coast and south coast of Trinidad. It was definitely a fun experience. I'm definitely enjoying the outdoor photographic experience.

All photos are copyrighted and are not to be re-produced in any way whatsoever.

Corbeaus congregate (Black vulture, sp. Coragyps atratus)

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

Corbeau (species type TBC)

Toco Seaside by the moonlight

Toco sea (overlooking the lighthouse)

On the nature trail

2012-01-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

Today I visited the Asa Wright Nature Centure in Trindad.

It was a wonderful experience; furthermore the photography was challenging as the subject matter was tropical birds.

This is my first attempt, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I only hope over time I will improve.

Enjoy!

All photos are copyrighted and are not to be re-produced in any way whatsoever.

An Agouti

Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza)

Mot lizard (awaiting confirmation)

White Lined Tanager

Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus)

Green Honeycreeper

Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus)

Starting 2012 with lights!

2012-01-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to all!
I started the photographic journey of 2012 with light...light painting to be specific.
Found a couple of LED lights and decide to experiment.
Here's something that came about as an abstract piece, though it has a hidden image.

LEDatron lives!

Below is another experiment - my first attempt at getting star trails.

La luce stellata

This is only just the start..I will be practising so I can get a few great photographs.
Enjoy!

More festive droplets

2011-12-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a marathon session of droplet photography, and have spent the last 2-3 hours snapping away.
Here are the good ones!
These will be the last ones for the year of 2011!
Enjoy!

Droplets with a festive touch

2011-12-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

As I'm here still in Trinidad, I decided to set up a temporary rig for droplet photography. Since X'mas is nearby, I thought I'd use the festive colours.

I was assisted by Devan Maharaj, he's my temporary assistant while in Trinidad. The first two shots are by me and the other two are by him.

Thanks Devan.

Moon photography

2011-12-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

It's a full moon tonight here in Trinidad.
I thought I'd try photographing the moon using my Sigma 70-300 mm APO DG lens.
Here are five shots with changing shutter speed, constant ISO and aperture.
Enjoy!

ISO 100, 300 mm focal length, f5.6, 1/160s

ISO 100, 300 mm focal length, f5.6, 1/200s

ISO 100, 300 mm focal length, f5.6, 1/320s

ISO 100, 300 mm focal length, f5.6, 1/500s

ISO 100, 300 mm focal length, f5.6, 1/640s

Nature in domestic settings: reptiles

2011-12-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

I'm currently in Trinidad and Tobago on holiday. I woke up to discover this green Iguana walking around the pool.
I thought I'd get a little bit closer with my telephoto zoom lens to capture it up close. It wasn't too phased by my presence, however I did approach it very quietly as not to scare it away.
Here are a couple of the good shots that I managed to take.

Background
The green Iguana is usually found in the mangroves of Trinidad and Tobago, however they are also found lounging in thick green vegetation, rocky crevices and coconut trees. They are active at day time and sleep at night. The adults tend to be herbivorous however juvenile reptiles tend to be insectivorous.

Commercial photography

2011-10-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from a commercial photography shoot I undertook the weekend just gone (22/10/2011).

It was for the Woodnut Cafe, Eltham, London. I used my 28 mm (f2.8) and 50 mm (f1.8) Canon prime lenses.

Ready, steady, pan....and action

2011-10-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to capture movement in photography for a while. A day trip to cambridge was a good opportunity to try this, especially with all the cyclists in the city.

This was the best out of a five shots. I think it was a good success rate, for a first time attempt.

Birds and bees: Ink illustration

2011-09-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here's an illustration done with black ink, Staedtler pens of varying nib size. It started off as something very random, but evolved into something unique, with a story within the illustration.

I call it "Birds and bees". This is a photograph of the original. It is available for sale. All inquiries welcome.

More jewellery photography

2011-09-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here's more from my photography shoot.

Thanks goes to Gary and my wife Anita.

Venturing into product photography: jewellery

2011-08-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

After doing the commercial photography for Rosie Glass, I caught the bug! I decided to play around with product photography. Here's an example of something I did.
Thanks goes out to Gary and my wife Anita.

Venturing into commercial photography

2011-08-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a photograph I did for the Flautist Rosie Glass (https://twitter.com/rosieglass) for promotion purposes.
Did this over a period of 4 hours. I thought this was a decent effort considering it was my first time! This was a collaboration with Gary Clarke from spotonart.

Down at the farm

2011-08-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some highlights from my visit to the Mudchute farm, situated in the Isle of Dogs, East London.

It definitely was a wonderful experience, as I had never photographed animals this close before! Some of these were shot with the 18-55mm and 50mm Canon lenses.

I hope to do it again sometime in the near future. Enjoy.

Ever evolving: liquid magic series

2011-08-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

I know I tweeted about a colloborative effort with Spotonart artist/photographer, Gary Clarke.

Well I decided to give a bit of taster of things to come in the next few days. Enjoy.

Glow

2011-07-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

A shot I took around 3am, with the idea of creating something abstract.
Wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but the outcome was pretty sweet.
I'll leave you to decided what you make of it!

Sunset photography with a silhouette.

2011-07-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at getting a sunset with a silhouette. I'm quite pleased with the outcome. Can't wait to try a beach sunset. Oh well got to wait until I go a holiday!

High Dynamic Range (HDR) in colour and black & white

2011-07-24T04:24:00.000-07:00

This is an HDR shot just over the river Thames from Woolwich side.

The image was created using Photomatix Pro, with 3 bracket exposures.

I've done two version. One in colour and the other in black & white. This is using v.4.0.2 of the software.


Photomatix Pro v.4.0.2

Photomatix Pro v.4.0.2

ISO: 200
Focal length: 60mm
Aperture: f/22
Shutter sp: 4.0, 6.0 and 10.0 seconds

Using HDR as a technique can be a hit and miss. Some photographers go for the really psychedelic effect, while others go for a more realistic look with slight enhancement.

When I process images into HDR, I tend to keep things as real as possible.

Now in the new v.4.1.1. there is this "preset buttons" for lighting adjustments.

These iclude, "Natural, Natural+, Medium, Surreal and Surreal+".

I chose Natural first.

Photomatix Pro v.4.1.1. Natural lighting preset

Then decide to include the results with the other preset lighting adjustments.

Photomatix Pro v.4.1.1. Natural+ lighting preset

Photomatix Pro v.4.1.1. Medium lighting preset

Photomatix Pro v.4.1.1. Surreal+ lighting preset

Personally I'm not that impressed with the surreal+ or medium lighting presets, but the natural and natural+ are a definite winner for what I want.

Definitely like this new feature in Photomatix Pro v.4.1.1.

Liquid magic: a few more colourful droplets

2011-07-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

All the droplet stuff was captured using a 100mm Macro lens attached to my EOS 500D. The external lightsources were a Canon Speedlight 270EX along with studio lights/strobes.

Liquid magic: capturing the beauty of liquids

2011-07-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

I find photographs of liquids quite mesmerising, especially when they are caught in the form of droplets. There is something really amazing about the shapes that are formed. They can vary according to the liquid medium used. Here a combination of milk and single cream was used in addition to food colouring.

Thanks to my photography tutor at the Greenwich community college, I was introduced to one of her students who shared my same enthusiasm for liquid photography.

The selected shots are a second attempt after an initial day (4 hours) just getting the lighting right.

This was a collaborative effort and thanks goes out to Ingrida Sokolovaite. www.girliciousjewellery.co.uk

Highlights: Evgeny Samoyloff at the Tudor Barn

2011-07-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Acclaimed pianist Evgeny Samoyloff warming up before the recital at the Tudor barn on the 26/06/2011.

Highlights: Greenwich Community College Fashion Show

2011-07-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a collection of photographs from the fashion show held at the Greenwich Community College on 07/07/2011.

Events from the weekend 24-26 June 2011

2011-06-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Tudor Barn, Eltham.
Art Festival.

Greenwich Community College fashion show and Piano Recital by Evgeny Samoyloff.

Strange flowers

2011-06-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

A network of vessels intertwine in a mesh to give birth to these "strange flowers".

Original Ink illustration.

2011.

For Sale £65.

The bloomin' marvel

2011-06-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

The bloomin' marvel.
Original ink illustration.
2010.
For Sale £65.