February 21, 2009
I know that the world is caught up in a recession and that every penny counts but there is one thing that a bride should not scrimp on after all the money she has paid out on venue, food, dresses, jewellery and flowers and that is - the photographer whose important task it is to turn today's moments into tomorrow's memories. Going cheap on a photographer is a really big mistake as you are not likely to get the quality of memories on disc and paper that you hope for. Recently I was asked to quote on a wedding here in Dubai - one that would last ten hours in duration - so I met with the bride and took into consideration her likes and dislikes and sent her a quote very similar to the packages I have listed on this site... and spent precious time on my weekend in London searching for a particular colour photo album to meet her request. I did not find the album and the bride did not accept my quote as it was too expensive for her and not 'customised' enough even though I gave her four options taking into account all her criteria and found a place where I could get a beautiful handmade leather bound photo album which was included in the quote as well as the printing of the photos by a professional company. Also a 10 hour wedding means almost 40 hours of editing over 600 plus images so when the cost prices of album, photos and printing have been deducted the pay for 50 hours of really hard work was ridiculously low. The industry standard in Dubai is 1000 dhms an hour for weddings before paying separately for prints of photos etc and I quoted her a fully inclusive package below the industry standard and guaranteed a high degree of exclusivity and importantly confidentiality. And those of you whose photographs I have taken will know that I pride myself in a high standard of work and aim at 100% customer satisfaction. Ah well ... I have seen so many brides in my time who are disappointed by their wedding photos ... and going cheap is not the answer when you want your moments of today turned into memories of tomorrow that truly capture the essence and spirit of the celebration. I sincerely hope this bride has chosen a photographer who will deliver and not disappoint, and I wish her well on her big day.
Maybe next time I should ask the bride to give me her budget first especially in such difficult financial times and work a package for her accordingly ... that way then I know whether to make the effort to search for that elusive photo album or not. Precious time I could have spent throwing more snowballs at my family. Two lessons learned from this experience in Dubai.
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 20, 2009
My new 50D camera sits in its box and never have I felt so demotivated to use it . It has been there almost a week and I have not felt inclined to tame the beastie. Why ... well having got back from England at 4.00am on Tuesday morning after a delayed flight, delayed release of luggage and having to open suitcases at customs because they thought some loose Swarovski crystals given to me by my sister-in-law were loose diamonds, I was simply exhausted. Having been diagnosed with hypothyroidism ... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 15, 2009
 On the spur of the moment we decided to make a quick trip to the UK over the Dubai half-term break to see my elderly mother and my brother, his wife and my niece so we could spend our seventeenth wedding anniversary together with our family . We left Dubai early on Thursday morning with a 52% percent chance of snow in Brentwood ... and snow it did. It was wonderful not only giving my mother a total surprise as my brother had managed to keep the secret, but seeing my boys playing late that nig...
Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 7, 2009
Yes, you may wonder what Turkish coffee and strawberry tarts has to do with BEHIND THE CAMERA ... well it pretty much summarizes my day - the photographer. As you probably know , the airline which my husband works for, has still failed to provide us with our permanent villa even though it stated on his contract that we would be moved to one after a week of arriving in the country. Well that was last April (2008) and we are currently living in a villa due for demolition, on bare concrete floo... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 6, 2009
Welcome to my blog ...From Behind the Camera... which currently just happens to be a Canon 40D. I am hoping that this will not only give you insight into what inspires me as a photographer but also that which also drives my soul. Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale. Posted In : Welcome
February 21, 2009
I know that the world is caught up in a recession and that every penny counts but there is one thing that a bride should not scrimp on after all the money she has paid out on venue, food, dresses, jewellery and flowers and that is - the photographer whose important task it is to turn today's moments into tomorrow's memories. Going cheap on a photographer is a really big mistake as you are not likely to get the quality of memories on disc and paper that you hope for. Recently I was asked to quote on a wedding here in Dubai - one that would last ten hours in duration - so I met with the bride and took into consideration her likes and dislikes and sent her a quote very similar to the packages I have listed on this site... and spent precious time on my weekend in London searching for a particular colour photo album to meet her request. I did not find the album and the bride did not accept my quote as it was too expensive for her and not 'customised' enough even though I gave her four options taking into account all her criteria and found a place where I could get a beautiful handmade leather bound photo album which was included in the quote as well as the printing of the photos by a professional company. Also a 10 hour wedding means almost 40 hours of editing over 600 plus images so when the cost prices of album, photos and printing have been deducted the pay for 50 hours of really hard work was ridiculously low. The industry standard in Dubai is 1000 dhms an hour for weddings before paying separately for prints of photos etc and I quoted her a fully inclusive package below the industry standard and guaranteed a high degree of exclusivity and importantly confidentiality. And those of you whose photographs I have taken will know that I pride myself in a high standard of work and aim at 100% customer satisfaction. Ah well ... I have seen so many brides in my time who are disappointed by their wedding photos ... and going cheap is not the answer when you want your moments of today turned into memories of tomorrow that truly capture the essence and spirit of the celebration. I sincerely hope this bride has chosen a photographer who will deliver and not disappoint, and I wish her well on her big day.
Maybe next time I should ask the bride to give me her budget first especially in such difficult financial times and work a package for her accordingly ... that way then I know whether to make the effort to search for that elusive photo album or not. Precious time I could have spent throwing more snowballs at my family. Two lessons learned from this experience in Dubai.
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 20, 2009
My new 50D camera sits in its box and never have I felt so demotivated to use it . It has been there almost a week and I have not felt inclined to tame the beastie. Why ... well having got back from England at 4.00am on Tuesday morning after a delayed flight, delayed release of luggage and having to open suitcases at customs because they thought some loose Swarovski crystals given to me by my sister-in-law were loose diamonds, I was simply exhausted. Having been diagnosed with hypothyroidism in November ( on my birthday too!) and giving up full-time teaching at a good school in Dubai I have not exactly been the happiest butterfly on the planet. The doctors have tried to sort it out and I am currently in the hands of a specialist who I will be seeing on Sunday. Coupled with this my kidneys are playing badly up too - so I am currently find my self at war with my health and at war with our lack of accommodation ... and there does not seem to be a solution to either. Yet despite it all I have managed to do some editing of the pics I took in England prior to the camera being damaged ( my 40D) and editing the pics which I took for Jacky Mehennet in a shoot the day before I left. What a lady ... and her model Minnie was simply divine. I could not have asked for a more beautiful, co-operative subject in front of the camera. Wow ... and some of those pics are quite breathtaking. And not because of my ability behind the camera but rather that Minnie has the ability to speak to the camera and she is very photogenic and spontaneous without my having to coax her too much. It was such fun and Jacky is an incredibly creative highly talented bead artist who has a very generous spirit and a warm heart. I am blessed to have met her and to be able to call her a friend.
 For those of you who know me well, I have many acquaintances but a only few who I regard as close friends so leaving my family and friends behind in SA has left a huge hole in my heart . But in Dubai you do become very selective about who you cultivate as friends ... and society in Dubai because of the recession is so very transient. I have made another good friend - Dominic who shares my passion for photography and who lightens my spirit on a daily basis with numerous emails invariably about photography and people that we have come across together in our photographic jaunts. He has just been to Yemen and took some incredible images and yes, I did miss his quirky emails whilst he was away. But we managed to grab a quick meal last night and to catch on each others adventures of the past fortnight. Yes, and thanks Dominic, for giving me Photoshop ... much appreciated so now when editing I can use layers to make the snow whiter than white !!! And retain the texture... which will please another photographer immensely namely Henk Bos who has been in his own way most encouraging/challenging of my photographic adventures here in Dubai. So all it leaves is the forum Expatwoman... which I think for many women in Dubai is a lifeline . There is someone on that forum who I would like to thank in this Blog and that is a lady known as Sandfly. Your call on Friday really touched me and I am so very grateful for your support. And that is the wonderful thing here in Dubai that total strangers are prepared to stretch out a hand and offer unconditional help ... and it is that which keeps you going . Today's moments are tomorrow's memories - let's not forget to acknowledge those who make an effort to make a difference to our lives. Click!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 15, 2009
On the spur of the moment we decided to make a quick trip to the UK over the Dubai half-term break to see my elderly mother and my brother, his wife and my niece so we could spend our seventeenth wedding anniversary together with our family . We left Dubai early on Thursday morning with a 52% percent chance of snow in Brentwood ... and snow it did. It was wonderful not only giving my mother a total surprise as my brother had managed to keep the secret, but seeing my boys playing late that night in the snow with their dad and uncle having a snowball fight. The next morning we woke up in the local hotel to the grounds covered in snow and it was a truly magical experience to be the first human to walk across 
the virgin snow in the early morning light armed with my camera trying to to capture the wintry wonderland from different angles without getting my knees wet . The interesting thing about photography is the challenge that light in a different environment provides and coupled with snow ... oh boy! You have to up the ISO and exposure compensate ... and remember that a battery has less than half its usual life in the cold. And everything is white... and a polariser does not make much difference either. Snow in my humble opinion is more diffcult to photograph than a white satin wedding dress. So an hour later and some interesting pics I went back inside to have a hot bath while my sons ( 16 and 7 soon to be 8) built a mini-me snowman. So mum comes out to photograph the boys' work of sculptural snow-art and dad drops a huge snowball on her head and all over her camera... forgetting that camera's are electrical devices! So after photographing some snowdrops , the first flowers of spring underneath the tree at my brother's home and witnessing their cats dancing with wet paws across the snowy ground we headed off to Windsor Castle to be delayed enroute on the M25 because of an accident but we did enjoy our walk around the Royal Palace and the quaint town. Yes, the camera was useful but I was not allowed to take any pics inside the buildings... security reasons! Whereas the next day at Leeds Castle dating back to 1280AD you were allowed to take pics inside the building previously lived in by Lady Baillie. This castle has a lovely air of history about it and is surrounded by a moat. I will post some pics when I get back to Dubai.
Today as I write this entry on my blog, I am sitting in West Horndon, Brentwood with the rugby between Ireland and Italy on the television and my youngest son playing with his new Ben 10 omnitrix. Eldest son is visitng a friend in Kent who he has not seen since his early childhood, husband and daughter have gone to visit friends in Hemel Hempstead. This morning I went with my sister-in-law to to local hobby places looking for beads and crafty stuff for myself and my daughter as well as two craft paper punches for my friend Jacky in Dubai.
And what did I learn ... cameras do break on holiday so always bring the back-up and that snow is perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to photograph...
CLICK!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 7, 2009
Yes, you may wonder what Turkish coffee and strawberry tarts has to do with BEHIND THE CAMERA ... well it pretty much summarizes my day - the photographer. As you probably know , the airline which my husband works for, has still failed to provide us with our permanent villa even though it stated on his contract that we would be moved to one after a week of arriving in the country. Well that was last April (2008) and we are currently living in a villa due for demolition, on bare concrete floors that have heavy glue deposits from the previous tenants carpets which a not so bright spark in the Accomodation Dept had ripped up . So we have covered the floors with a tasteful typical South African combination of black plastic garbage bags and cardboard in true SOWETAN fashion :) So, I went off early this morning to Arabian Ranches to look at a villa to rent ( with the paltry allowance offered by the company who hopefully won't change their minds which they seem to do on a daily basis!) - and ended up having breakfast with the landlord (LL)who brewed an exceptionally strong cup of fragrant Turkish coffee Sharjah style, served with ice cold water and apple slices which would have been impolite to refuse . Despite drinking the coffee which even had the estate agent's eyes watering, and having to view the villa in my socks with the LL's family still fast asleep in their beds ( yes , we tiptoed into and around their rooms ) the LL would not drop his price so I drove sadly back to the dump we have to call home, villa-less for yet another night and I realised just how much I miss SA and my friends and my beautiful home in Cowies Hill. But the day improved ... maybe the coffee kicked in but I spent my lunchtime in a wonderful meeting with 3 delightful girls at Pauls at Mercato ... and ate a divine strawberry tart ... a truly seventh heaven culinary work of art of sweet red fruit, syrup and pastry... who could resist? Not me - I did not have the will power. The girls were great company, animatedly discussing their requirements for photography for an upcoming traditional wedding and they certainly succeeded in reminding me why I agreed to come to the UAE - to experience new things, to meet new people and to learn to value and to appreciate the differing cultures of the world which I encounter on a daily basis here in Dubai. New things to capture from behind my camera... a different and enlightened perspective. Click
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 6, 2009
Welcome to my blog ...From Behind the Camera... which currently just happens to be a Canon 40D. I am hoping that this will not only give you insight into what inspires me as a photographer but also that which also drives my soul.
Posted by Pippa McHale. Posted In : Welcome
|
About Me
| White Butterfly aka Pippa McHale |
| Displaced In Dubai |
|