Travel and Adventure

December 31, 2015

As 2015 is quickly coming to an end I thought it would be a good time to look back over an amazing year of travel and adventure. I have been lucky enough to visit some truly amazing countries this year and meet some inspiring people ... from the strong tribesmen and women of Ethiopia to the kindhearted people of Nepal.

I would like to share my favourite 10 photographs of this year and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

So here's to another great year! I hope you all have truly wonderful 2016 filled with love, excitement and travel!

Safe adventures!

LDx

Thakur & Guru - A Tribute to Nepal

May 9, 2015

In honour of our amazing two Nepalese guides Thakur and Guru; Gulf Photo Plus and the 27 photographers opened the tribute photography exhibition on Wednesday 6th May supported by Raw Coffee and the Red Crescent.

The opening evening was an amazing success and the photographs displayed were absolutely stunning.

For those who didn't make it along, here is a sneak peak!

And the below two are my exhibits!

I hope you enjoy! There is still time to catch the exhibition until 11th May 2015, GPP is open from 10am - 7pm.

Thanks,

LD x

Pray for Nepal

April 28, 2015

On 14th of April I travelled to Nepal to begin a long awaited photo tour with Gulf Photo Plus. I had an amazing week capturing the wonderful characters of Kathmandu. As the tour neared to an end I decided to extend by one week to join group two of the tour and assist my dear friend Tonya with the organisation.

Over the two weeks we visited many registered historic sites, the beautiful mountains at Nagracot and the wonderful streets around Kathmandu itself.

Image Credit: Celine Suiter - Our amazing group that stuck together like a family when times were terrifying. — Image Credit: Celine Suiter - Our amazing group that stuck together like a family when times were terrifying.

The last day of the trip, Saturday April 25th, the group had some free time before airport pick ups to relax, gather their thoughts and say good bye to their new found photography friends.

A few minutes before noon a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Our lives and the lives of the local people I had met, would never be the same again.

At first we thought it was a simple power cut as the lights and power went out with a bang, seconds later the ground below our feet started to shake. In a matter of seconds we realised what was under way and I remember the piercing cry from someone in the group "Earthquake"... As we were located in the sunken outdoor restaurant to the side of the 6 storey hotel my instinct told me to run to open ground. The violent movement of the earthquake prevented us from getting out and instead we had to make do with the shelter of the restaurant tables. For over a minute the ground below us violently moved left and right. I cannot remember the sound of what was happening but only my voice saying over and over 'what do we do, what do we do... please stop, please stop...'

As soon as the worst of it was over we ran for safety... up the steps of the restaurant and out into the street... get to somewhere open... we will be safe in the open. At the time we only knew that 6 or so of the 14 in our group was safe... terrified and shocked we made it to an open space where there were hundreds of people gathering.

As we stood in the open ground next to the collapsed wall there was a feeling of terror. People gathered and looked at each other not knowing what to say. The shock hit me in an instant and the tears flowed uncontrollably. Several aftershocks came, people dropped to the ground, the earth moved but less violently. More screams, more cries, power lines swayed, buildings shook. The tremors continued, with decreasing magnitude, but with the same terrifying effect.

The aftermath at the closest open space.

In the next few hours we had to focus on getting everyone out of Thamel and get to the airport where we hoped to get a flight home. I had to get my hands on my passport which was still in the hotel... as we made the trip back inside to the fourth floor, passing by structural damage and in danger of further tremors, my heart was in my mouth... short of breath and completely terrified we managed to get in and out safely.

Our group were extremely lucky to have the most dedicated local guides, who at this point had already completed their service and had every reason to turn their full attention to their families safety, but what they did goes beyond explanation. The two of them appeared from nowhere in the crowd and found us, then they went off in search of the others, whilst the tremors and uncertainty continued. They managed to locate each member and group us back together. They got us all safely to the airport despite the chaos that surrounded us and stayed with us for the next 48 hours to ensure we had everything we needed and that we got on our flights out of Nepal and back to safety.

Their courage, kindness and complete dedication to us was utterly astounding and I will never forget them. A little part of me will remain with them in Nepal. Hats off to our heroes Thakur and Guru.

In the coming week we are hoping to hold a number of fundraising event in collaboration with Gulf Photo Plus and other local UAE businesses. I'll post the details of this as soon as they are confirmed and I ask you all to dig deep for a beautiful, kind hearted and amazing nation of people who are now in desperate need of help.

PRAY FOR NEPAL

Thanks,

LD x

Istockalypse & getting over the fear of presenting!

April 11, 2015

So I decided that 2015 was going to be the year that I would focus more on my photography and push myself to get involved in more workshops, classes and seminars.

Prior to this I signed up to be an image contributor for Istock, which is an online image database for stock photography downloads, often used by designers, advertisers or for editorial purposes. I haven't really done much with my gallery since joining as I was always unsure of what types of images were really in demand and the upload process is quite lengthy .... and to be honest I quickly got bored of the time it took (thankfully this is being updated!).

Recently I received an email to say that there was going to be an Istock convention in Dubai! I jumped at the chance so signed up immediately and I am so glad that I did as it was a superb weekend where I learned loads and met some great people to boot!

The convention ran from Thursday 26th to Saturday 28th March and was organized in conjunction with Gulf Photo Plus. The schedule was quite intense but it was invaluable! Here is what it involved:

DAY 1 Thursday March 26:

Evening Welcome & Registration
Welcome to the iStockalypse Dubai! Meet up, get registered, pick up your goodies and find out more about the next few days.

Portfolio Reviews & Feedback from Art Directors
An opportunity to sit with Art Directors and staff to review your existing body of work or upcoming shoots.

Educational Seminars for New Contributors
Workshops at Home Base specifically designed for new contributors and those who could use a brush up on the basics. Join us for an Introduction to the stock industry, Uploading Images, Keywording your Content, and ask questions during our Q&A period

DAY 2 Friday March 27:

Seminars & Sessions:
Workshops at Home Base (the central iStockalypse meeting place) are designed to elevate your success. Some topics covered at these sessions include:
• State of the Market & Visual Trends in the Industry
• Legal Aspects of Dubai & Surrounding Areas
• Video Needs & Shooting Video
Even if you’ve attended an iStockalypse before, you’ll want to be here for this. The presentations are new and fresh, designed specifically for your success in the region and at iStockalypse Dubai.

Practical Application/ Shooting Workshops
• Guided Walking Tour of Dubai and our Needed Content locations

DAY 3 Saturday March 28:

Practical Application/ Shooting Workshops
• Mobile Walkabout group shoots
• Guided Walking Tour of Dubai and our Needed Content locations

Final Wrap Party
Kick up your heels and party! Toast to a fabulous time in UAE.

As a local photographer I was asked to take part in the Pecha Kucha presentation segment of the workshop on the Friday. This both terrified and excited me as I have never taken part in a seminar presentation or really shown my work in public!!!

So the idea of the Pecha Kucha is 20 images... 20 seconds to describe each... so approximately 6 and a half terrifying minutes in total!

I decided to focus on my travel photography and in particular the progression of my portraiture from my trip to Cambodia in November 2013 to my trip to Ethiopia in February 2015. I made notes for the presentation the evening before but in the end I didn't even get the chance to use them... I just went for it... and although it was a total blur from my side, I received some lovely feedback and apparently it went well!

Pecha Kucha Gallery - The Progression of Portraiture

01. The Buddhist Monk

I love this photo even though its not 100% technically correct... I just love the beautiful colours.

He was a very shy subject but then I was a very shy photographer.

02. When you just can't choose!

Sometimes I find it difficult to choose between photos because there are elements that I like in both ... I think it just takes practice to get it right!

03. The Tea Ladies of Sri Lanka

I really love the character and expressions of the two ladies here.

04. School Kids in South Africa

During the trip to South Africa we visited a local school which was full of eager subjects who weren't in the least bit shy in front of the lens.

05. School Kids in South Africa

No fear of the camera... such a delight... until they realized I had a touch screen camera... then i got mobbed by lots of little hands trying to play back their photos! Very amusing!

06. The Weaver

So even though this lady spoke not a word of English, I still managed to engage with her and I love the result. She had such a kind face and the light from the doorway was perfect.

07. Fleeting Moments

So we terrified this little girl on arrival to her village; her mum did a great job of comforting her and I managed to catch this sweet moment... if you look close enough you can still see the tears in her eyes!

08. The Animal Portrait

And then there's that one monkey who just loves to pose! I think he was just after treats... I just find his little teeth hilarious!

09. Little Ava

So then you get your friends asking to take photos of their little ones... This is Ava... we spent all day running around after Ava and she finally sat still when we got her some ice cream and I managed to capture this one!

10. Dubai Fish Market Characters

I recently visited the Dubai Old Fish Market with GPP on the trial for their Market to Market and it is is wonderful mixing pot of characters!

11. Dubai Fish Market Characters

And even if they look really grumpy, its is still worth asking for a photo as most people are willing to oblige!

12. Ethiopia; The Omo Valley

My latest trip to Ethiopia gave me hundreds of opportunities to capture wonderful characters!

13. The Karo Tribe

I visited 6 different tribes whilst in Ethiopia and it was wonderful learning about each of their cultures and customs.

14. The Karo Tribe

This guy was a pretty cool subject... he just positioned himself in the best spot and waited for me to notice... of course... I took the opportunity and got this great shot!

15. The Dassanech Tribe

This was a rainy day in Ethiopia and the dark gloomy clouds gave a wonderful back drop and these two friends had beautiful strong moody faces... they suited the setting perfectly!

16. Hamer Tribe

This little girl was from the Hamer tribe and she should be a model! She knew exactly how to work the camera and she just looked amazing in the natural sunlight.

17. The Mursi Tribe

The warrior of the tribe with his kalashnikov and war paint ... he was a perfect model!

18. The Mursi Tribe

This tribe is probably most famous for their clay lip plates; you can't really visit Ethiopia without paying them a visit!

19. Stormy Skies

Again the weather was dramatic and i love the contrast of the dark clouds and the girls beaded goat skins... one of my favourite shots!

20. Stay Inspired

The key to being a good photographer is to stay inspired, always strive to be better and just keep going! There is a whole world to explore!

And here is me in action talking about my work... I am so glad I did it even though I was a nervous wreck!

Istockalypse Photoshoot and The Photowalk in Old Dubai

On Day two of the convention, Istock arranged a photoshoot for us to take part in. It was great experience as it allowed us to work to a set brief, work with models and try and get some local content images which can be added to our Istock Galleries.

This was followed by a photo walk around Old Dubai; the Creek, the Textile & Spice Souk. This also gave the perfect opportunity to explore and take some interesting photos.

Istockalypse Photoshoot - Family

Trend - Father as Care giver.