Sunflower

"Where ever life plants you, bloom with grace".

Hi.

Yessss, I'm back again so soon. 

Today's post is all about my sunflower prop. After binge watching a ton of MangoStreetLab and Jessica (thanks for reigniting the spark), I closed my laptop and went shopping for props. I've always wanted to use sunflowers for portraits and I've finally done it!!! 

This quick session was inspired by an IG competition where participants are meant to interpret the word "twin" through their visuals. I wanted to use the literal meaning of twin in my photos but theres obviously only one of me, hence the double exposure. With double exposure, I can create the illusion of duality. So I fired up my fuji xt20 because it has an inbuilt feature that allows you to create double exposure. 

(I'm all for using the easy way to create my vision)

 It was a little bit challenging maintaining the same pose but with a lot of trial and error, I finally got some decent results. I shot indoors with a 16-50mm lens at f4.0 1/50 and ISO3200.

 Naturally like the natural light chaser I am, I ended up moving outside to get the last bit of sunlight for the day and some clear blue sky. While outside I played around with a mirror and did a couple more shots. My settings were around f4.5 1/250 and ISO250.

Sunglass ad?

This took waaaay to many trials but I finally achieved what I want.

That's all for today (I need a better closing line). 

Thank you! Like comment or share. 

Aisha

xx

pink Wednesday

Hiii,

In the spirit of my new found purpose, I've started taking baby steps towards creating more and complaining less. My niece turned 6 recently and I was given a pink balloon. Halfway through an episode of LHHH I decided to chase the last bit of sunlight for some self portraits. 

Usually when I do self portraits, I use my canon 600D with a 50mm 1.8 but I opted for my fuji xt20 with a 16-50mm f3.5 lens. I've been trying to get used to my fujifilm and at first it was challenging for me because change is hard. I went as far as panicking for wasting money on it. After much breathing and playing around with it, I started getting used to it and enjoying the camera. I love that it is light compared to my canon and it has power for such a small camera. One advantage I can say my canon has over the fuji is the movable LCD screen. It allows me view myself live and frame my shots better whereas the fuji LCD screen can only be slightly tilted to face up. It was very challenging for me cause I was pretty much blind and guessing the frame.

This image I love so much but its a clear example of how I struggled to get the frame right. My body is chopped off in all the wrong places and it would have looked a lot better with more arms and a little neck. 

Another problem I had was having to rely on the in built timer of the fuji. It's not so bad cause I used to that a lot before I got a trigger. I haven't tried it yet but I think my canon trigger isn't compatible with the fuji. It was definitely time consuming constantly checking after every shot to make sure the framing was right. The first few tries was very off putting but after a while I got used to it and started getting into the shoot. 

With these set of images, I wanted to have the clear blue sky and a pop of pink. My main prop was the balloon. I shot for about 20 minutes give or take. I used my 16-50mm and had the camera setting at 1/125 with aperture f20.

I look so big but I love it.

I forgot to add that you'll need a tripod or something stable to mount your camera on. Even though this was a spontaneous shoot, always always plan so you know exactly what you want to do. Chances are you'll encounter some challenges but trust me, challenges are good.

Your thoughts are welcome. 

Thank you!

Aisha.

A September to remember

I've been trying to figure out what direction to take my blog for a while now. I feel like my reason for starting this blog has long expired and is currently transforming into something else. The blog pretty much is a reflection of what's going on with me. If I'm on here that means I'm out there taking pictures but my silence usually means I'm working on personal things and chances are my camera is covered in dust. How do you create without getting too personal? 

For a while I tried doing everything at once and it just wasn't flowing the way I wanted it to. I feel like a lot of the time unconsciously I am affected by what I see others putting out. I'm constantly comparing my work to others and criticizing my work and my ability to create. Now "people" like to just say Aisha and her oyinbo problems but it is what it is. I guess for me I was trying a little too hard to have a perfect IG feed. I was also way too focused on the numbers rather than the content I was putting out. So I took a step back to breathe and refocus. 

Sooooo with that said, hiiiii what's good? 

If you follow me on instagram then you'd know I've been around and just breathing. I'm back to taking self portraits, adding color to my life and working on a project which I've decided to call "home". Inspired by a recent body of work I saw. I'm going to be taking a series of photographs of what home means to me. I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you all in due time. 

What else have I done this year?  

I've taken an interest in leatherwork and I'm very excited for what is coming up next for me. If you don't already follow me on my IG, you can follow me here ARclicks to keep up with my photography and here Aicha to keep up with my leatherwork.

I made it to hajj this year and WOW, Alhamdulillah. One of the hardest things I've had to do mentally and physically but whatever it took from me it gave back spiritually and I'm so grateful for it. I obviously wanted to document it but it is hajj and I knew I wouldn't even have the time nor the energy to do so. I've shared a couple of images I took with my phone on my instagram page and if you haven't seen them already, Check it out.

That's all I have to say for now. I'll see you soon.

With love,

Aisha.

2018... yay!

Here we are, about 2 years later with the same problem.
I was hyped and listening to Beyonce typing out my blog post. I was enjoying myself and I decided to open with "sat here noding to yonce as I type this blog post. I should start every blog post with Beyonce in the background".

2 days later and I'm sat here not listening to Beyonce because my laptop doesn't let me enjoy myself. If I had a choice I'd throw it across the room and watch it shatter. FYI it froze about 10 times while I typed this very short paragraph. But like my dad would say "Allah ya so ba ke kike freezing ba" (translation, Thank God you are not the one freezing).

It's so bad that I try as much as possible to avoid using lightroom. All the patience and tolerance I learnt during NYSC has gone down the drain and therefore I rely on my phone, the only device that matters.

Let me add that apple has concluded that the only way they can help me is if I purchase one of their many expensive newer laptops. Yeah... of course, why oh why didn't I even think of that solution?

Anyway enough of my angry rant lol.

Hiiiiiiii

Happy New Year! Safe to say the first 2 months were somewhat of a blur. Happy to be back! I've basically been living my best life, Alhamdulillah. Started the year surrounded by family which of course was amazing.
I was at an island off the coast of Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago and if we are being honest, I was kinda hoping the boat would leave me behind. 

Lunch time

I've resorted back to my old ways of procrastinating and I've been putting off making a post or even thinking of what next to capture and share. I mean my slow laptop contributed to my hiatus but that's just me making excuses. If anyone has a way out for me, I'll appreciate the help (only if you've tried it and it worked).
This post basically highlights what I've been capturing since the year started. Some are already on my Instagram page. Follow me if you don't already arclicks_. I have been working with my fujifilm xt20 this year and I'm liking it so far. I’m still trying to get the hang of it but the truth is I may need another intensive course on photography. Truth is, you never actually stop learning.

Sheikh Zayed mosque

Sheikh Zayed mosque

Global village

I attended index and sikka art fair the other day. Even though index was fun, I unfortunately couldn’t make it to sikka before sunset. Now sure I got to experience sikka but I have a fear of shooting at night. I tend to panic when I can't find natural light but I managed to make it work for some pictures.

At tikka art fair

At sikka art fair

Anyway enjoy the pictures. I wasn't joking about the suggestions to overcome procrastination. Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.
APPRECIATE IT!

P.S If you live in the UAE and you've read all the way to this part, please hit me up. I'm down for shoots and collaborations.

Thank youuuuu!

Aisha
xx