Miss Sakina's lovely message :)

Miss Sakina sent us this lovely message yesterday:

Sakina Karimi 
Assalam-o-alikum Pi People,

I just wanted to say thanks to you guys for showing the different shades of Pakistan through your camera's eyes. I don't think so, I will ever be able to visit these places in my life. I haven't seen all the photos, but how much I have seen, its very nice. Bless you guys. And keep on doing this great job. I know its not easy, but when there is a will there is a way.
May Allah keep this passion and love for Pakistan alive in you guys, forever! Ameen.
Take care.
Allah Hafiz.
SK



Thank you so much for the kind words :) They mean a lot to us :) We will continue to try harder for our nation :)

Baba and Bhit Islands and Manora

We set off for Baba and Bhit islands and manora by boat from Keemari port. Upon reaching Baba and bhit islands we realized how people live in conditions of severe sanitation problems, as the island is littered with sewerage. It was horrifying to note little kids in those pools of dirt roaming around. Incidentally a photo in this trip also won Oosman Sadiq a nomination in British Council’s photography competition top 15, which was dedicated to Charles Dickens.
Manora was reasonably better owing to the presence of Pakistan Navy and its base. However, this trip was very depressing and made us realize the importance of photojournalism in Pakistan. I have subsequently made another trip to Manora and it is my favorite place to go since my days in the audit firm (yeah i crunch numbers for a living!).

For pictures please check:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.224488790964874.56485.186819258065161&type=3http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.204282936318793.52466.186819258065161&type=3

Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pistudio1/sets/72157631751139713/

For the nominated picture please check:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=287326061347813&set=a.224488790964874.56485.186819258065161&type=3&src=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash3%2F578207_287326061347813_222474181_n.jpg&size=960%2C643 

Bhambhore

Pi studio’s next trip was to Bhambhore. The Deebal port was famous was being the entry point of Muslims into the subcontinent. Mohammad bin Qasim, the great Muslim warrior entered through this port. Once again, we were taken aback at the level of degradation and neglect that has caused this archeological marvel to deteriorate. The government must take measures to preserve this historic place. It even has the first mosque in South East Asia and is a joyful trip barely an hour’s drive from Karachi.

For pictures please check:

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.202091803204573.52130.186819258065161&type=3

Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pistudio1/sets/72157630632370766/

Chowkandi tombs

After having our basic gear ready we decided to do something that has been pivotal in our existence for a long time, our nation Pakistan. We wanted to portray our country in a positive light. To this day most of Pi studio’s photo-journalistic work is done with this intent, as the images we share will become part of the conscience of tomorrow.

We set off for Chowkandi tombs in the early morning. After reaching there, we realized what neglect has done to this once beautiful graveyard. Now the graves whose stones were stolen due to their high value or broken graves destroyed by various extremist groups. An even more idiotic even was the presence of the signboard which prohibited photography. However, we decided to pursue and photograph the tombs.

For pictures please check:

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.220342698046150.55427.186819258065161&type=3

Karachi – the musical:

Photography was growing upon both of us, to the extent that we stopped hanging out. All we did was sit at tea shops and talk endlessly about our inspirations and the beauty of the art of photography. The transformation was underway but we were unaware at that time that happiness was approaching in the form of us pursuing our dreams.

However, we knew practically very few people in the media. As most of our lives were spent in front of spreadsheets and corporate meetings (BORING!), we had no clue where to start. One day after class, Oosman asked one of his students if he knew anyone who would be willing to have their pictures taken in the theater business. He referred us to Adil Mufti, who was Karachi the Musical’s official photographer. Adil is one of our dear friends now and we still work on assignments together. We became volunteers in the Karachi play and got to shoot rehearsals and the red carpet event.

For pictures please check:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.195224107224676.50929.186819258065161&type=3

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.195838917163195.51048.186819258065161&type=3

Asma weds Shahbaz

Pi Studio was still in its infancy when our friend Asma Sarwar’s wedding was around the corner. Not knowing what to give her as a wedding gift we decided to give her a wedding album. However, we had never covered a wedding before and with a manual old canon gun, my Nikon d3000 and the new Konica Minolta Alpha Sweet Digital we set forth to shoot her wedding. When we gifted the album to Asma she was all praise about our work and told us that her family loved it. Those words were our primary motivation to start wedding photography and to seriously think of photography as a viable career in the long run. Those wedding pictures are still a part of our portfolio and were instrumental in helping us build an initial client base.

For pictures please check:

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.205080669572353.52583.186819258065161&type=3

Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pistudio1/sets/72157630632857226/ 

Band photo shoot - Slaves Awakening

The first official assignment of Pi studio was taken under the banner of SHAZ the photo taker. This assignment was the photo shoot of the underground metal outfit Slaves Awakening. The shoot was a challenge as it was shot using a Nikon D3000 and a manual focus Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G zoom lens (as the auto focus motor is not present in the D3000). All in all this shoot was a great learning experience for our photographer Syed Hussain Abbas Zaidi and to this day people do not believe that it was his first photo shoot. Hussain’s eye for detail and meticulous planning over the outfits and style made the shoot a great one and effectively laid the foundations for Pi Studio.

For pictures please check:

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.188033784610375.49235.186819258065161&type=3

Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pistudio1/sets/72157628001700104/