My life in iphone photos...

There are times when I don't want to forget the small details of life or the simple moments that can sometimes slip from memory, so I'm posting a capsule of my Life, In These Moments...

Stay Fabulous,
ShahnazM

My life in iphone photos

And these are the moments that made the drama, stress, and "will-you-please-just-smile" worth it all. These moments when we're together, happy, and whole. These moments? Well, it's priceless.

Stay Fabulous,
ShahnazM

Good reads : Eat Pray Love................

During my last one and more than half year JOBLESS time one common thing I have heard from my Family..friends and loved ones was YOU ARE FEELING “BAD” COS YOU ARE DOING “NOTHING”…being jobless doesn’t mean im doing NOTHING..not at all…cos so far I know that I am doing the 3 most important thing one can do…EAT…PRAY...LOVE……

Few months back when I went to the book shop to look out for something NEW to read..i come across this book luckily which I was looking for looong..to be exact from the moment I saw the trailer of the movie..YES I haven’t seen that movie yet..cos I didn’t wanted to..i wanted to READ the original book..which I always do…READ…

I could write pages about this book I guess…but im not in the writing mood now...all I'm going to say about it is that it's wonderful, honest and beautiful. I won’t say that It has changed my life..Rather it changed my perception of many things and I'm so glad I've read it…

Here I want to share some of the quotes from the book with some lame pictures I have taken throughout the soulful reading session…

“We search for happiness everywhere, but we are like Tolstoy’s fabled beggar who spent his life sitting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure–your perfection–is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the buy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart.”

 “There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.”

“I think I deserve something beautiful.”

“I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. There’s nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than Depression and I am braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.”

“There’s a crack (or cracks) in everyone…that’s how the light of God gets in.” 

 “In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” 

Stay Fabulous,
ShahnazM

Learning How to Photograph a Water Splash

Water splashes create some very cool pictures, but capturing them can be a lot harder than it looks. You have to ensure that your ISO is correct, that you’re set to the right shutter speed and that you are focused on the correct thing. And, that’s just part of the entire picture.

So, to help you capture amazing water splash pictures, here are some tips on how to photograph water splash.

Setting up the Scene & SHOOT..SHOOT..SHOOT...

For today's shot i used a Mandarin orange. The set-up is toooo simple. I just kept the half-cut Mandarin under the Kitchen sink tap. When i was done with all the setting (For camera n Safety precautions) i opened the tap and Voilà!!!! (oh i also placed a black cake tin behind the mandarin so the water splash can be seen properly).

As i was feeling too "LAZY" and my additional lights (continuous lights) cheated on me, i had to take this picture with my flash (YN565EX). but for this kind of hi-speed freezing motion shots its best to play with the shutter-speed (which with flash is not possible/or may be possible..i have to check more on FLASHES :-/)..but the bottom line was i simply HAD to take splash shoot today (hmmm i do have some snapping madness like this..some composition n ideas pops-up in my mind n I HAD TO DO IT:-/ )..Dont worry i will definitely show you some more PROPER techniques later ;-)

Avoid Getting the Camera Wet

Whatever you do, test the area to ensure that you are far enough away so that the camera doesn’t’ get wet from any high splashes. You may try tightly pulling a piece of clear plastic across the lens of the camera. Or, use a filter that can take a little bit of wear and tear.

Important things to keep in mind

• Set your camera to a pretty high ISO setting. You can’t use flash since it will just reflect either off the bowl or the water. If a high ISO still doesn’t provide enough light, try adding additional lighting. Lamps or photography lights will work. Or, invest in a strobe that will add a lot of light for a number of seconds allowing you to take a bunch of pictures before the strobe flicks off.

• You may even have to move around your lighting until it’s in the right position. And, try experimenting with your aperture. While you generally want to allow as much light in as possible in low-light situations, you may actually want to make a smaller aperture for water splashes since they will be reflecting a lot of the ambient lighting.

Finally, you need to take a lot of shots. Set your camera to the continuous shooting mode, and be prepared for a number of bad shots. You need a lot of practice to get this right. As you learn, however, you’ll eventually land a number of wonderful water splash pictures.


Stay Fabulous,
ShahnazM

Easy Photoshop HDR manipulation (Tutorial)

What is HDR?
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. In other words, HDR photos cover a large exposure range, allowing for deeper contrast in both shadows and highlights. HDR photos are striking to look at, but the effect can easily be overdone.

There are two basic types of HDR photos. The first are true HDR composite photos, created by taking multiple shots of a subject at different exposures and combining them. The second technique involves using Photoshop effects and adjusting the shadows, highlights, and other settings.


Easy Photoshop manipulation to create a HDR photo without the actual (time-taking) HDR process.

• We'll call the original layer "ORIGINAL", now duplicate ORIGINAL and place it above that layer. (We'll call this "BLACKWHITE")

• Change the Blending option of BLACKWHITE to "Overlay"

• Go to Image > Adjustements > Desaturate (SHIFT + CTRL + U)

• Now invert BLACKWHITE: Image > Adjustements > Invert (CTRL + I)

• And add a gaussian Blur to it (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) around 40 pixels (This causes the so called 'bleeding' of the edges, tweak the amount to personal likings)

• Now duplicate ORIGINAL and place it above BLACKWHITE, name this layer "LINEAR_LAYER"

• Change the blending type of LINEAR_LAYER to "Linear Light"

• Give LINEAR_LAYER an opacity around 62%. And you're done (For better results, tweak this percentage)

Stay Fabulous,
ShahnazM

How to Zoom Burst

The technique is called zoom burst technique. For this, you’ll need a zoom lens, i.e. lenses where you can change the focal length. Lenses like 18-55mm, 70-300mm suit this requirement (i used my very own Not-so-good kit lens 18-105mm). A fixed focal length lens like 50mm F/1.8 is not a suitable candidate to apply the zoom burst technique.

In this technique, you will change the focal length of your photograph as you shoot. In other words, during the time your camera is taking the photograph i.e. your shutter is open, you will rotate the focal length dial of your zoom lens. You can either zoom-in or zoom-out. Rotating the focal length dial is dependent on how fast you can move your hand, so you will need to shoot in shutter priority or full manual mode so that you can set the exposure to a value that is suitable for your hand speed. Setup your exposure compensation or aperture accordingly.

This sudden change in focal length while the shutter is open is going to capture blurred streaks emanating from every pixel of your photograph. Now comes the second part which is to keep one object in the photograph in sharp focus. Ideally, you would want to keep this object in the center of your frame or you can manually setup your focus point too. Once you have set up the focus point, it’s very important that you can hold you camera (really) steady with one hand and use the other to rotate the focal length dial. Although I will strongly recommend using a tripod (which i haven't done for my shot).

To conclude, zoom-in or zoom-out by rotating the focal length dial of your zoom lens as the shutter is open to capture photographs using the zoom burst technique. Use manual or shutter priority mode to set exposure value that matches to how fast you can move your hand. And importantly, have fun experimenting!..cos that's the FUN PART of photography ;-).

Stay Fabulous,
ShahnazM

LOVE STORY....

Like any other SIMPLE "LOVE STORY"..today i am going to present you A VERY NORMAL LOVE STORY...a story that was never destined to have a BEGINNING..and always clear to come to an END..with leaving behind all the memories that will always break a heart each day every day...over n over again...FOREVER....

Before i start my story..i want to give you all the link of the song of my LIFE..a song i WAS holding on to for the last 13 years of my life.....hope it will work as a good Background score..

http://youtu.be/TnrqmVW9bMc

Starring My very own Salt & Pepper shaker..n my CRAZY MIND...here goes the Story...of LOVE....

I'm lost and confused,miss-treated and miss-used,Raped and abused,Unloved and refused.I was always being excused,I started doing drugs,Dating some thugs.I was being a tease,and getting pleased.I love that life..now I’m stuck,in this rock.restrained from the one I love.screaming inside my mind,even though everyone thinks I’m fine.crying myself to sleep every night,wishing the next day SOMEONE might be in sight.I was dropped in this town,to never be found.I was beaten...I was raped...I was unloved...I was refused...and most of all I was confused

I didn’t know what trust was, before we met.I didn’t know I could feel like this, before we met.I find myself missing the times we never had before we met.I don t know how I ever lived without knowing you.And I’m happy I do. I’m happy I have you.

Maybe I am just a fool for you..Maybe you're no angel too..But all that talk is cheap..When I'm alone with you...If love is blind..I'll find my way with you Cause I can't see myself..Not in love with you..If love is blind...I'll find my way with you....

You make me feel like an important person..that I know I'm not.I'm not worthy of your attention and your kindness.I don't even deserve the every breath that I'm given..while I'm in your arms.When you look at me and tell me that you love me, I can't help but cry.I'm not worthy of your love or of anything else that you're willing to give me.

Hold my hand and I'm yours,And your heart will stay close to mine,For I know the sun must rise with the dawn,And at night the stars must shine.....

Let tonight be the night that I hold you,who knows what tomorrow may bring?Let tonight be the night that I shower my love on you and change your low, gloomy winter mood to spring...

There was a time when I almost left you behind.I was high on the totem pole and didn't think to go back for you.I remembered you, I looked for you, and came back with you.And now you are ahead of me.Long ago, when our world was new, I'd beg to you-"Please, oh please don't leave me--"and when you returned, I wasn't alone,I had you to be by me.Don't leave me behind..Don't let me fall back;Where the trees are tall and the road is black.I beg of you, come back for me,It feels so cold and i can hardly see.Come back,come back for me.

Forget his name, forget his face..Forget his kiss, his warm embrace..Forget the love that you once knew..Remember he has someone new..Forget him as they play your song..Remember how you cried all night long..Forget how close you two once were..Remember he has chosen her..Forget you memorized his walk..Forget the way he used to talk..Forget the things he used to say..Remember he has gone away..Forget his laugh,..forget his grin..Forget the dimples on his chin..Forget the way he held you tight..Remember he's with her tonight..Forget the time that went so fast..Forget the love that moved, it's past..Forget he said he'd leave you never..Remember that he's gone forever..Forget him!!

I dont wish you to come back to me anymore..i know you never will..but still there are something my broken heart want to tell you..Some Day You’ll Cry For Me…Like I Cried For You, Some Day You’ll Miss Me…Like I Missed You, Some Day You’ll Need Me…Like I Needed You, Some Day You’ll Love Me…But I Won’t Love You.....................