Toronto Center Island nature

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

For anyone wondering where this blog’s header image originates from, well here is the entire non-cropped colour picture. This image was taken back in 2008 on Center Island in Toronto. I am fairly fond of this picture, particularly because it was one of the very first (yet decent) pictures I took when I started experimenting with HDR photography. I am usually good at archiving my pictures, but for the life of me I can’t seem to find the original RAW files, so sadly the EXIF data is pretty much gone.

On another note, it seems that I am heading back to Myanmar in a couple of weeks, only this time I am making an effort to do some sightseeing both on the weekend before, and on the weekend after my work week. More specifically, I am planning on visiting Bagan (an ancient city in the Mandalay region of Burma), and Bangkok (on a 2 day layover on my way back home) to take a train tour on the famous bridge of the river Kwai. Admittedly I am pretty excited about the photo opportunities of both these destinations, especially given the fact that my camera has not gotten much use over the last 5-6 weeks. Stay tuned!

Limes in Soda

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

This post is a tribute to the end of summer. For some of my friends in Canada, summer is long gone, but for us lucky people living in the Mediterranean, the bit of mild Winter that we get to experience is just around the corner. No more cold refreshing drinks, and onto hot cups of coffee and tea.

This is my first attempt at a still life picture of a couple of limes in soda. The idea came from an article I read in the Digital SLR Photography magazine that I religiously subscribe to on a monthly basis. For anyone who wants to get more seriously into photography, this is a great magazine to read as it gives dozens of tutorials every month aimed at improving your skills.

For this shot I would have really liked to show the motion of lime splashing into the soda. Unfortunately I don’t really have the equipment for something like that, so I had to settle for something more static.

Taken with my tripod mounted Canon 60D and Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro, at F5.6, 1/15 sec.

Face painting

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

A few people asked me why the kids in my previous post had paint applied all over their face. In fact the vast majority of Myanmar people and particularly the women that I saw while I was there, had that yellowish-white paste on their face. Apparently, this paste is called “Thanaka”, and is extracted from a specific tree which grows abundantly in that region. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia, which explains it in a bit more detail:

“Thanaka cream has been used by Burmese women for over 2000 years. It has a fragrant scent somewhat similar to sandalwood. The creamy paste is applied to the face in attractive designs, the most common form being a circular patch on each cheek, sometimes made stripey with the fingers known as thanaka bè gya, or patterned in the shape of a leaf, often also highlighting the bridge of the nose with it at the same time. It may be applied from head to toe (thanaka chi zoun gaung zoun). Apart from cosmetic beauty, thanaka also gives a cooling sensation and provides protection from sunburn.It is believed to help remove acne and promote smooth skin.It is also an anti-fungal.”

I took the picture below at a local tea shop towards the end of our day tour in Yangon. In fact, this girl was our waitress there, who after serving the tea (which incidentally no one touched), she thought wise to pour the entire tea pot into a plastic bag and hand it to us to take home! Gives a whole new meaning to “doggy bag” I suppose!

Taken with my Canon 60D, and Canon 24-70mm F2.8L lens at ISO 400, at F4.5, 1/250 sec with a +1/3 EV exposure bias.

Ferris Wheel

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

Continuing with the series of posts from my recent trip to Myanmar, this is a photograph taken at sunset at Inya Lake near the center of Yangon. Luckily I had taken my tripod with me on the tour bus, on the odd occasion I would need to take a landscape picture in low lighting conditions (very nerdy I know). I guess lugging it around with me sort of paid off with this HDR picture I took of a young couple watching the Ferris Wheel at sunset.

Shot with my Canon 60D and Sigma 18-200 F3.5-6.3 OS lens at ISO 400, F4.0 at 1/40 sec, exposed at -2/0/+2.

Faces and smiles of Myanmar

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

Poverty, malnutrition and bad hygiene are very apparent as your walk through the streets of Yangon – the result of the country’s mismanagement and years in isolation. The words of a Myanmar university professor who we met during our trip, described it perfectly – “In the past, Myanmar people were scared to dream of the future. They would close their eyes and all they saw was nightmares. For the first time in years, they are now able to dream of change – a better tomorrow for themselves and their children”. Simply looking at the smiles on the childrens faces this is indeed very apparent.

Part of our tour included a boat ride across the Yangon river, so just before noon we arrived at the ferry terminal. The picture above is of 3 out of many children that greeted us outside the terminal, who were really eager to be photographed. Clearly their motive was money but admittedly their emotions seemed genuine. After posing for what seemed like 100 photographs, they each revealed a set of 10 postcards that they were selling for 2000 kyats (about 2 euros). One must admire the business sense of these kids, as there was no way for me to deny giving up that money; not just for the postcards, but in return for all the pictures I managed to take of them.

Shot with my Canon 60D and my Canon 24-70mm F2.8L lens at F2.8, 1/1000 sec at ISO 200.

The emotional element of photography

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

They say that there is an emotional element to photography, and that photographs can sometimes instill deep emotions to both photographer and viewers alike. The picture in my post today definitely falls into that category – at least for the way I felt while capturing this scene on the ferry across the Yangon river.

For someone looking at this photograph, the first feelings would be those of sadness, hopelessness and desperation for both mother and child. For me as the photographer however, there was also another feeling – that of guilt. On the back of my mind I felt that I was taking advantage of the situation for my own selfish benefit of taking a “good” picture. Then again hundreds of pictures are posted each day of children starving in Africa, war amputees, survivors of natural disasters. It was definitely the first time I have ever felt that way taking a picture, but looking back, my feelings of guilt are somewhat relieved by the fact that I can share this picture with the few readers of my blog and help raise awareness of the poverty and misfortune that people in less developed countries have to endure. Pictures like these should make us all appreciate being who we are and being content for what we have.

Shot with my Canon 60D and Canon 24-70 F2.8L at ISO 100, F2.8, 1/60 sec.

Myanmar – A country at a crossroad

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

I consider myself very fortunate in my lifetime so far, as I’ve had the opportunity to visit a number of countries around the world and experience cultures, history and ways of life much different than those of my home country. Although I had recently visited other Asian countries, nothing could have prepared me for the last 10 days I spent in Myanmar (Burma).

Myanmar – a country of 60 million people – is in the midst of a remarkable transformation. Since 2010 it has started loosening its protectionist measures, moving from a command to a market driven economy and commencing the long journey from a military dictatorship to a democracy. Its people for the first time can look forward to a better quality of life, filled with the simple things that we in developed countries take for granted.

From a timing perspective, my visit could not have been planned any better, as I got to witness a country at a crossroad – slowly taking baby steps to opening up, while foreign mega-giant companies are waiting impatiently to jump in and enjoy the spoils. I am certain that in the next 5 years, this country will undergo a radical transformation of the magnitude witnessed by China and India in the past few decades.

I was fortunate to join a team of consultants to travel to Myanmar to assist a company in better preparing itself to face the challenges of what is about to come. During the weekend, our client arranged a tour of Yangon as well as the outskirts of the city. I can say without a doubt, that this was the first time I ever had the chance to take a genuine behind-the-scenes look of a country’s culture and way of life. Needless to say that my camera got more use in the last two weeks than it did in the last year! Everywhere I looked, there was a picture ready to be taken. Some of these pictures I want to share through this blog, so there will definitely be a couple more postings to come!

This first picture was taken on the Yangon Circular Railway, which as the name implies, loops around the city and its suburbs. We got the chance to ride the train for a whole hour on our way from the city center to the statue of the Reclining Buddha. The ride itself was an experience, with people carrying eveything with them on board – from sacks of food to even their own mattress!

Taken with my Canon 60D and Sigma 18-200 F3.5-6.3 IS lens at F5.6, 1/400 sec at ISO 400.

Rusty Truck

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

Another rusty truck left abandoned in a field near Kalopanayiotis. Cars in such an advanced state of decomposition make great subjects for photography , and especially HDR photography. What is mind boggling in Cyprus however, is the sheer number of such cars that are simply dumped by their owners wherever they feel like, rather than being taken in for recycling.

Shot with my Canon 60D and Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 IS lens, at ISO 100, F5.0 and bracketed at -2/0/+2.

PS: I will be away on a business trip for the next two weeks and most likely unable to post on my blog. What I can say however, is that I have really high expectations from this trip photography-wise…stay tuned!

Gazing into the water

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

Back from what seemed like a short vacation, where I had a great time catching up with old friends and enjoying large quantities of Asian food. My biggest confession from this trip is that I did exactly the opposite of what I said I would in my previous post. I did go overboard with my spending on camera accessories, and didn’t spend enough time walking out and about with my camera. I did manage to capture a couple of decent shots (stay tuned), but my camera didn’t get anywhere near the amount of use it usually gets on my vacation trips. In hindsight, I fell into the trap of believing that my creativity would be hindered due to the fact that my surroundings were so familiar to me – a struggle which I constantly and wrongfully face in Cyprus as well.

Today I decided to post another old time favourite. This is a picture of a young boy gazing into the water at Niagara on the Lake in Canada, taken back in August 2008.

Shot with my Canon Rebel XTi and Sigma F3.5-6.3 18-200mm lens, at ISO 200, F10, 1/125sec. B&W conversion processed in Photoshop.

Sunday breakfast

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Alexis Thomas

Nothing like waking up on a Sunday morning, reading the newspaper over coffee and solving a puzzle or two.

This is my last post at least for the next couple of weeks, as I am heading to Toronto and NYC for my summer vacations. I was never good at packing, but one thing that is definitely in my carry-on is my camera. Definitely looking forward to taking some shots while I am there, and hopefully I can restrain myself from spending a lot of money on new camera accessories! See you all in September!

Shot using my tripod mounted Canon 60D and my Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro lens.

Light Paintings

My journey into photography

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