Saturday, 29 December 2012

Saylani welfare and CHIPA food shelters at SITE area


A few weeks ago I got the chance to visit the food shelters at SITE area by Saylani Welfare and CHIPA. It was a heartwarming experience to see such great humanitarian work. The shelters provide a dish mutton based dish to anyone visiting them. Most of the people are laborers working in the factories at SITE.
When I inquired from the charity centre staff they told me that an average meal which they give will cost around Rs. 80, thus it is impossible for a laborer earning a daily wage to afford such a meal for himself.

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Tuesday, 25 December 2012

Shooting Mutahir Mahmood – founder of O'shoot photography


*Tring* the alarm bells ring in my heart. These are not the school bells which in my childhood I would joyously wait for to ring, so I could head home; these are the calls of my sub conscious. It is only when the depth of the soul is searched, that discovery of one’s true calling is made. A famous couplet by Iqbal is apt to explain the situation:
Dil say jo baat nikalti hai asar rakhti hai
(When passion streaming from the heart turns human lips to lyres)
Par nahi Taqat e parvaaz magar rakhti hai
(Some magic wings man’s music then, his song with soul inspires)
These were my feelings which prompted me to start pi studio with Hussain. Belonging to a family of accountants and other similar “acceptable” professions, I still chose the route to follow my yearning. Since then we always try to photograph people who listen to their true calling, in short people who are alive from within.

One such rare individual is Mutahir Mahmood, the founder of Original Shoots Photography or more popularly known as O'shoot photography (they have a no watermark policy). He is also a business school grad who found his true calling in photography. Selling cigarettes by day and shooting pictures at night, we truly appreciate his grit and dedication,. We invited Mutahir for a quick strobist session at Frere Hall (like a true Karachiite he loved the great yellow stoned building). The excerpts from our interview with him are:

Q. What prompted you to start O'shoot photography?

A. It was never a plan to start a photography firm. Though I was intrigued by the idea of being an entrepreneur, the discovery itself of finding my passion in photography was definitely more important. In retrospect, its never too late to find your passion, and its never to late to know what to do with it. Hence, O'Shoot was born :-)

Q. Who are your inspirations?

A. Various! From the local photographers, I really admire Ali Khurshid, Mobeen Ansari and Amean J’s work especially the way his photo agency is being run. From international photographers, I really admire Indian photographers such as Prabuddha Dasgupta. Natasha Jehangirs dreamy like work is always fresh and inspirational. Others include Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann and Henri Cartier to name a few. 

Q. What is your basic style of shooting?

A. I shoot primarily weddings in addition to fashion (back-stage), travel, photo stories and product shots. The style and principles are usually the same (that is, to get the most natural shot possible) but a lot depends on my mood as well. For instance, the back-stage coverage of this years Fashion Week was in stark contrast to my earlier work and the idea was to show the back-stage as a chaotic, steamy and a larger than life environment. 

Q. What gear that do you use?

A. I use a Nikon D7000 and three lenses Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX, Nikon 85mmf/ 1,8 D and Sigma 10-20 mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM. Most of my work is done with the two prime lenses at weddings and I use the Sigma for wedding groups. I usually shoot weddings in ambient light at high ISO as the D7000 gives me clean images up to ISO 2000. For lighting I use continuous light (tungsten) and a softbox.

Q.  Tell us about your workflow.

A. I generally shoot JPEG while RAW is reserved for work with studio lights. For post-processing, I use Adobe Lightroom and the good old reliable Picasa :-)

Q. Are you studying photography and what are your aspirations regarding photography?

A. Yes I am currently studying PGD photography in Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in order to know the possibilities of the equipment and medium that I use. Plus I've always been interested in the history of photography and this program at Indus has really helped me with it. There are very few educated photographers in Pakistan and I would want to consider myself among the few who have actually invested in educating themselves. Moreover, my marketing background has really helped me in understanding my clients and establishing firm client relationships.

The absence of light


This experimental shoot was undertaken by Pi Studio to depict the historic argument between darkness and light. Man is a juxtaposition of contradictions and this shoot was an attempt to highlight that. Our models worked extremely hard and the result turned out to be brilliant. Moreover, we also wanted to concentrate on the beauty of men, a lot of work is directed towards women, however, being men ourselves we wanted to highlight the beauty of physique and fitness.
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Conceptual


Pi studio also does conceptual photography to propagate progressive ideas and to awaken the people of our nation through art.
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Weddings


Pi studio has covered a lot of weddings and in fact has grown its client base over the past year. From candid to bridals to true event photography we have done it all!
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Phegency’s concert


Phegency organized the event titled Isloorachi, featuring Syed Tipu Yorguc Sharif and Suhana Baloch from Karachi and Usman Shakeel and Ali Hamdani from Islamabad. The performance was mind blowing and it was a treat for all of the people who were there.
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Wednesday, 19 December 2012

Sabz Shoot


This was our first fashion shoot for a designer line. Sabeen’s clothes were being exported to Canada and we pulled the shoot off in a day! There were sixteen dresses and five looks and the entire team did a great job. This shoot was also done with Phegency’s collaboration. Laila Jafri was the model and Sobiya Aaqil Haroon was the makeup artist.
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Monday, 17 December 2012

Color Studio makeup tutorial


We were hired by Color Studio in collaboration with Phegency regarding the shoot of makeup tutorials. The videos were delivered to the client and all in all it was a fun day of shooting video. Our model was Sana Jahangir, makeup artist was Anum Farooq Khan of Tariq Amin, Catherine was our coordinator for color studio and the lovely Pheby Haroon was with us from Phegency.
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Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar


We set off to explore Mirpur khas via Tando Allahyar (birthplace of Oosman’s favorite boss Mr. Waqasuddin). We were surprised by the new highways being constructed there. All in all Mirpurkhas was a delightful experience and we even had the legendary drink called “Thadal” on the way. Images were shot with the Nikon F801 film camera and scanned with a macro lens and DSLR.
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Friday, 14 December 2012

Sehwan, Ulta Qila and Sann


We set off to sehwan by bus. We took the A-3 bus to Sohrab Goth. Sohrab Goth is a legendary bus stand on the outskirts of Karachi at Super Highway where one can find any bus to reach any place in Pakistan. For travelers like us Sohrab Goth is a perfect solution as it enables us to travel on a budget. We then took a bus for Sehwan Shareef. The fare varies from 350 to 500 rupees, depending on the type of bus and passenger traffic (the fares increase during the holiday season such as Eid).
Sehwan Shareef is a beautiful rustic city. It is famous mainly because it has the tomb of the great Sufi Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The atmosphere at the tomb is full of reverence and tolerance. Throngs of people come throughout the year to pay homage to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
When we reached there we were taken aback by the sheer spirituality of the place and started taking pictures right away. As far as photography is concerned, Sehwan Shareef was a bit tricky as it required some low light shots which can cause noise issues. We realized the meaning of the word serenity when we went inside the tomb.
Moreover, the age old concept of not dying even after death suddenly became evident to us. We were forced to contemplate the greatness of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar that even after so much time people still visit his tomb. The tomb also has a beautiful gate constructed by the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
We then walked to the Bazaar in Sehwan, which is a ten minute walk from the Mazaar of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The Bazaar seems like a shot from some old movie. Beautifully lined old streets where vendors sell various items is a lovely experience. It is an excellent place to stop over and enjoy tea and other refreshments.
After stopping over for tea we set out to Ulta Qila also known as the inverted city. One can either reach the inverted city by foot or take a rickshaw up to its top. Legend has it that Ulta Qila was a city which was inverted by Lal Shehbaz Qalandar himself. It was an overwhelming experience as I saw an inverted fort with its foundations in the air. The rest is then a matter of faith i.e. whether one wishes to dispel this is a matter of his faith and choice.
We then left Ulta Qila by Rickshaw and took a bus back to our next destination. However, travelling remains a heartwarming experience as we realize the sensational culture of Pakistan and the beauty it holds.
After Sehwan on our way back we set off for Sann which has the last resting place for G M Syed. On the way back after much difficulty of taxis, getting stranded on the highway and finding a bus for Quaidabad did we reach Karachi.
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Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Street Photography in Karachi

We love Karachi, everything about it. Even though it is suffering through turbulent times yet we love it to the core. To pay homage to this great city we have covered various places of Karachi in various street photography segments.
Emaho magazine organized a photo walk from Atrium Mall till Zainab Market and it was a great experience to meet other street photographers from Karachi. Photography has the ability to bind disparate people together. Our greatest honor was to meet and photograph the great Paksitani photographer and explorer, Mr .Danial Shah. A multiple award winning photographer, Danial is known for his travels and landscape shots and also his immensely popular blog.

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Street Photography - Nikon F801 (35 mm Film Scan with DSLR)

Street Photography - Ibrahim Market, Soldier Bazar, Jamshed Town

Street Photography - Babar Market, Landhi

Emaho Magazine's Photo Walk

Street Photography - Bolton Market, Kohri Garden and Jodia Bazaar

Street Photography - Sandspit Beach, Karachi

Street Photography - Lighthouse, Karachi

Assorted places: University Road, Kharadar, Merewether Clock Tower, Memon Masjid, Hassan Apartment Extension Gulshan e Iqbal, National Coaching Centre Opposite National Stadium, Masjid Kanzul Iman Guru Mandir, SITE, Port Grand, Shara e Faisal, Jehangir Kothari Parade, Liaquatabad

Street Photography - Sea View, Karachi

Street Photography - Zamzama, Karachi

Street Photography - Urdu Bazaar, Karachi

Karachi during rain

For Danial Shah's work please visit:

www.iexplorepakistan.com

www.danialshah.com

 

 

Street Photography - Hyderabad

Our trip to Hyderabad turned out to be a great one. Everyone was saying that what is there in Hyderabad to see. However, a photojournalist’s eyes see things very differently. We visited Resham Gali, Pakka Qila, Eid Gah and other areas. We found the famous Gufa in Pakka Qila and the sad place where a lot of people were massacred by the government in Pakka Qila. Oosman was even attacked by an eagle in the Gufa.
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Thatta trip


We set off for Thatta one day without any specific target in mind other than shooting places. The trip turned out to be a great one as we covered Makli, Shahjahan Mosque, Keenchar Lake and Mola Qadam. Shahjahan mosque built by the emperor Shah Jahan is a great architectural marvel and we lamented the current state of the Muslim world by seeing the grandeur of the mosque.
Makli graveyard is the largest necropolis in Asia and was astounding to visit. We even shot a snake charmer’s snake which tried to attack us, despite knowing that it had no venom it still was scary. We also visited a Mazaar inside Makli.
Keenchar Lake was another great treat and we visited the tomb of Noori Jam Tamachi in the middle of the Lake. We were overawed by the power of true love.
We also visited Mola Qadam which is regarded to be a place where Hazrat Ali (R.A)’s footsteps are preserved in stone.
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Keenchar Lake:

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Makli:

Shah Jahan Mosque Thatta:

Snog launch by Voila PR


Snog by Voila PR was a great event for the launch of Snog frozen yoghurts. It was perhaps the best event we have covered with notable personality the late Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee was the chief guest. The event was a smash hit and cemented Voila’s reputation as a great PR agency.
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to photograph Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee, who passed away recently. One of the greatest citizens of Pakistan, Mr. Cowasjee will forever be remembered for his wit, passion for truth and contribution to Pakistan.
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