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Lumen Dei Trophies: Examples of SoundSlides by our Students

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:01:15 +0000

You still have till the end of the day here in Malaysia to enter the SoundSlides Plus giveaway. I will stop taking entries at midnight my time (GMT +8). It’s been fun. Honestly, I’m humbled and somewhat amazed by all the selfless and creative ideas that have been submitted. I guess with my background in humanitarian photography, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are so many of my readers that have humanitarian interests and connections with NGOs.

In yesterday’s post, someone noted in the comments that they would like to see more examples. What a perfect lead in, I had already planned on showing you some of the student’s worked from our last Lumen Dei workshop in India and at the Kumbh Mela. Most of the participants as well as Gavin Gough and myself produced a slide show. All the student’s work was all produced using the demo version of SoundSlides. You will see at the beginning of each show a brief splash screen that states it was made on the demo version. Another thing you will notice is the template that each student used was different. Some have a gray background while others a black. All but Paula have titles on their show. Paula’s has simply “headline here…”. This because she didn’t enter the name of her show, yet chose to show the title in the options. I am telling you all this to give you a peek into how the software works and what you can do even with the demo software.

Gavin and I decided that we should each do a show to demo for the students and to show what could be done using SoundSlides. You’ve already seen my essay, Wasim the Sari Maker. Below is the show that Gavin made for the students, I think you’ll get a little a chuckle watching it.

The next example is from our only male participant on the workshop, Kevin Dowie. Kev, (I can call him Kev because he’s from Australia, and that’s the way they talk in Australia) started the trip off concerned about how to approach his subjects . He was amazed at how physically close Gavin and I got to our subjects when we were photographing them. I think you’ll see from his essay that Kevin was able to get over his inhibitions and produce a fantastic piece of work.

The next student’s essay is from Ursula Wall. Ursula focused on one of the four elements, that is; earth, air, water and fire. She focused on fire and did so very creatively. This is a wonderful example how a simple music bed can add so much depth to a photo essay.

Lesley (not spelled with an ie) Fisher took the “every day” of India and made it special. She covered the ubiquitous chai shop. Usually just a hole in the wall that is so unremarkable, you can walk by and never see it. Yet Lesley not only saw it, but made a wonderful essay to show to the world.

Finally, our last essay was created by Paula Bulancea. Paula decided to step out of the box and shoot everything in a vertical or portrait format. For slide show like these it is often best to have everything in a horizontal format. This gives continuity to show. It’s visually jarring to see a slide show proceed from several horizontal images, to a vertical, then back to horizontal images. Yet, by creating the whole show in a vertical format, Paula was able to pull it off. She’d heard that many older people come to Varanasi to live out the remainder of their days and die on the banks of the Ganges. In her research she actually didn’t find this to be the case, but she did uncover an interesting segment of the society, that of the aging residents of Varanasi.

Remember, you have an opportunity to own the software that these people used to create these shows. Just go to the comments of the post found HERE and tell me what story you would create an slide show on if you owned SoundSlides Plus. Check back tomorrow announcing the winner on this blog.

Multimedia: Wasim The Varanasi Sari Maker

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:35:39 +0000

One of the assignments we gave our last Lumen Dei workshop participants was to create a short, two minute multimedia photo essay on anything or anyone as long as it was in Varanasi. They were to use Soundslides, but we would provide the audio bed for them. The assignment was to be shot the two days we spent in Varanasi. Gavin and I will be posting some of the participant’s shows in the future. All of them did very well.

This show was the one I made. I found it interesting that though Varanasi is known as a holy Hindu city, it has a Muslim population of over 665,000. The Muslims of the city are often over looked by the throngs of tourist that visit every day. Yet they contribute richly to the culture of this great city. I hope you enjoy.

Sadhu Portrait #2

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:07:35 +0000

Sadhu Portrait #2. Kumbh Mela, Hardiwar, India.

This was shot with my favorite 85mm f1.2. I was talking the other day with someone about the 85mm f1.2 and the 50mm f1.2 (that I recently bought). We were joking why they even have a focal length over f2.8 on those lenses? If you buy a super fast lens chances are you’ll never use it at a speed higher than that. At least I don’t.

Sadhu Portrait #1

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:09:40 +0000

While walking around Haridwar exploring the Kumbh Mela last week, Gavin Gough and I walked into a rather non-discript ashram. An ashram, for lack of a better description, is kind of like a Jewish Kibbutz. Travelers or “seekers of truth or enlightenment” might come and stay at an ashram while on their journey. They might give the visitors work or responsibilities to share in while they live there. It can also be just a glorified guest house. This place we had stepped into was more like the latter than the former. There where dozens, if not hundreds of Sadhus house for their time at the Mela. As we walked around several asked for us to take their photos. The light was nice and the subjects colorful. This emerged.

Back Home… for 48 hours

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:00:01 +0000

The team left for our respective homes on April 17th. Alou and I returned to Penang and to our daughter Jessie. But almost as quick as I got back I will leave again for America and some meetings. Alou will stay home and spend time with Jessie; I envy her. I always get little side comments in emails from people that say how exciting the travel must be. It is – but not without it’s toll. Like this past week when Alou and I were in Varanasi and Peanut, our family cat for the past two years, was killed in the road in front of our house. We were not home to comfort Jessie at this loss. Travel is exciting, but comes with a cost. This is the part that few people ever write about. The fun part about this trip was I was able to minimize this “distance”, at least to a point, by traveling with my wife. Alou handled the logistics, finances and also acted as a translator for the team. This team was made up of primarily women and so it was especially nice for the women to feel they were being heard by leadership. Alou proved invaluable, I would work with her again in a heartbeat.

Alou looking at images with participant Paula Bulancea in Old Delhi.

This was also the first time Gavin Gough and I worked together on an extended workshop. Not only is Gavin a great photographer, as you all ready know, he is also a really talented instructor and very easy to work with as a co-leader. Hopefully this will not be the last time we work together.

Gavin Gough and Lesley Fisher in the busy streets of Haridwar.

Lumen Dei: Haridwar – The Kumbh Mela

admin — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 03:28:15 +0000

The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival that rotates between four different regions in India every three years, thus, only returning to each region every 12 years. Haridwar sits in the foothills of the Himalaya. Many years ago we lived a few miles north of here and used to take the train through this sleepy little town. Haridwar is anything but sleepy these days. As I write this there is an estimated 8 million pilgrims here, all gathering to wash in the Ganges on these holy days when the stars align. From the view point of a non-Hindu and that of an outsider, it seems very much like a convention of saffron clad hindu holy men, known as sadhus. A true sadhu is said to be an ascetic, they give up the things of the world for the holy pursuit of Nirvana and along the way are often revered and worshiped by their followers. Millions of Hindus haven been arriving here since this Kumbh Mela started earlier this year. But, April 14th was the climax, the day when the stars aligned and created the most auspicious day of the Kumbh.

The workshop went great with people working on small key projects and assignments. Just enough direction to give some direction and structure to their shooting and challenge them to get more than a “mug shot” portrait of a sadhu. I think the group felt they enjoyed their time and shot some amazing images. In the days to come I hope to post some of the participants images here for you to view. They each created an amazing multimedia project that Gavin and I want to showcase for you on our sites. So be checking back for those.

Lumen Dei: Varanasi

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:23:57 +0000

All my dreams of posting daily are proven to be just that; dreams. The net was intolerably slow in New Delhi, non-exsitant in Varanasi and once we arrived to Haridwar and the Kumbh Mela we found that the government internet connection at the hotel has been blocked for security reasons. I am now posting this after my return to New Delhi (at that intolerably slow connection). For me, the days in Varanasi were a paradox. The colors I found in Delhi where amplified many times over in Varanasi. The city is, of course considered a holy city by Hindus. Many elderly people come to the city to live out their last days and be cremated on the banks of the once beautiful Ganga or Ganges. The faces of the masses are as diverse as India herself. It is a photographers dream. But it is not what I expected.

The placid, but mighty Ganges is now blackish brown and it’s banks are littered with plastic bags and the bones of the devoted. The ghats are painted with hoardings that advertise places like the Elvis Guest House. Hippies graffiti the ancient walls with advertisements for local eats and yoga classes. But don’t get me wrong, in all of this, you can find the authentic. Like any place that attracts millions of tourist a year, you have two choices. The first is to focus. Put “blinders” on. Look past the graffitied walls and see what is below or beside it. The other option is to get off the beaten path and go look for “real” life, away from the plastic pin wheels and postcards. Go into the back alleys and you will be rewarded with people living their life away from the chaos of tourism. But to be honest, either way Varanasi if full of images and will never fail to reward the photographer with rich colorful photographs.

Lumen Dei: Kumbh Mela Day 3

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:44:03 +0000

Well, it has been really frustrating trying to post just a few words and a fewer images. The net at the hotel we are staying at is almost non-existent. It has taken me two days of fighting with the net to post just three images. At the moment the broadband is actually a working for once, so I am hoping to post this before it go down again. So I will be brief.

Yesterday seemed to be about color. We had a wounderful day of shooting at the Qtub Minar and Nizamuddin Shrine today. The team is a fun mix of personalities. Today we visit Old Delhi in the morning and then in the evening take an overnight train to Varanasi. Here are a few sample shot from today’s outing.

OK – that is the day in brief. Now lets see if there is a working internet connection. Remember, you can click on the images to view them larger.

Lumen Dei: Kumbh Mela Day 2

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:17:31 +0000

Today was a little harder than yesterday. The new or shall I say, renewed experience was gone and it just seemed like I was hunting for images. Don’t let anyone fool you. Getting great images everyday is next to impossible. Sure, good images can be found…most of the time; but great? Why do you think assignment photographers spend weeks shooting a story? Good images abound, but not the great. The great ones are waited for, teased out, prayed for, even planned out at times. Most days you go looking for good images and you find them. Sometimes even stunning images. But you return with a lot of shots you asked your self, “Why did I take that picture? What was I thinking?” This is par for the course. Ease up on yourself and enjoy the time with the people and the culture you are in.

Lumen Dei: Kumbh Mela Day 1

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 05:50:10 +0000

The group is all arriving today from all over India and abroad. Yesterday, Alou, Gavin, Lesley (one of the participants) and I went to the Nizamuddin Shrine and spent a few hours shooting images there. It seems we timed it right for this group. Because, this week is the “Urst” or the commemoration of the death of Hazrat Nizamuddin. Nizamuddin was a Muslim saint who died some 700 years back, give or tale a few years. He was highly revered when was alive and maybe even more now after his passing. He is believed to grant the wished and prayers of the faithful who come to his grave. So the crowds are thick with rich and poor alike and the environment is rich with images.

My goal for this trip is to post every day if I can. I am sure there will be days I miss due to travel or lack of internet connection. But, that’s the goal. So keep checking back in and fell free to leave comments and links. In fact, you will see the images are large (click on one, so feel free to download the images and do what you like, as long as you do not change it or use it for commercial use. I will post at a later date why I am allowing this crazy act of generosity. For now, have fun. But remember to link this site.

The Digital Trekker Blog » Lumen Dei

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