ShutterBlog

2010-04-09T07:58:00.001-07:00

, originally uploaded by _Faraz.

Storm

2010-04-08T06:02:00.001-07:00

Storm, originally uploaded by _Faraz.

2010-03-30T07:16:00.003-07:00

, originally uploaded by _Faraz.

Don't Stop

2010-03-30T07:16:00.001-07:00

Don't Stop, originally uploaded by _Faraz.

M&M movie poster: Super M

2009-11-10T22:38:00.001-08:00

M&M movie poster: Super M
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

The two doors

2009-11-07T23:08:00.001-08:00

, originally uploaded by _Faraz.

Afsanay hazaroon hein

2009-11-07T23:07:00.001-08:00

Afsanay hazaroon hein
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

M&M

2009-11-07T23:06:00.001-08:00

M&M
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

Little M & M

2009-11-07T23:05:00.003-08:00

Little M & M
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

Green M & M

2009-11-07T23:05:00.001-08:00

Red M & M
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

Blue M & M

2009-11-07T23:04:00.003-08:00

Blue M & M
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

Yellow M & M

2009-11-07T23:04:00.001-08:00

Yellow M & M
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

Green M & M

2009-11-07T23:03:00.001-08:00

Green M & M
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

Welcome to Las Vegas

2009-11-07T23:00:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Las Vegas
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

2009-11-04T09:28:00.001-08:00

[Even] the Flash breaks for Tea

Bubbles

2009-10-01T05:52:00.001-07:00

Bubbles
Originally uploaded by _Faraz

Visitors Welcome

2008-09-22T10:04:00.001-07:00

Carmel, California

I left my heart in Carmel

2008-09-19T11:53:00.001-07:00

Doll Shop

2008-09-17T22:01:00.001-07:00

Lady in the alley

2008-08-27T03:57:00.001-07:00

Carmel-by-the-sea
California

2008-08-25T22:21:00.001-07:00

Saw nailed to the roof inside a restaurant.
Carmel-by-the-sea, California

2008-08-19T16:40:00.001-07:00

Footsteps
Cypress Inn
Carmel-by-the-sea
California

Jashn-e-Azadi Mubarak

2008-08-14T10:39:00.001-07:00

Silicon valley was the last stop for the American Olympics team before China. The Fairmont hotel in downtown San Jose decorated their lobby with the flags of all the nations participating in the Olympics.

2008-08-13T06:46:00.001-07:00

I can still hear the Christmas canon playing in my head when I look at this photo. Another one from Carmel Mission Basilica.

Dreams to reality

2008-08-10T13:20:00.001-07:00

I took this photograph at the Carmel Mission Basilica, just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

There was wedding scheduled on Saturday, the church was reserved for the wedding but the courtyard and the museum were open for visitors.

The wedding felt out of this world, with Andrea Bocelli's "Con te Partiro" playing in the background and two beautiful little angels wearing white gowns pretending to be the flower girls. The brides maids were cued on "Christmas canon" (absolutely magical) and then the wedding coordinator closed the doors to cue the Bride. By that time there was a crowd of visitors that gathered outside to get a glimpse of the bride and she was a vision in white, elegant, and mesmerizing.

This whole experience felt like a dream, I had an all manual lensbabies 3G in my hand with the F2.8 aperture disk inserted and about 5-10 seconds to take a shot with the wedding coordinator out of the way.

How to: Correct the White balance

2008-04-24T09:58:00.001-07:00

Photo credit: Samiad40
(link to the original photo)

NED Alumni Convention 2007

2007-09-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Update: If you can't see the embedded slide show above, click here

The 3rd annul N.E.D University Alumni Convention took place in my home town. Being a proud alumnus, I volunteered to cover the event by taking photographs.

The slide show above will grow, as I go through the 654 photos that I took on that day, so stay tuned :)

The photos in this slide show include:

Keynote speech: Return to Glory

Panel 1: From NED to NASDAQ

Happy Labor Day!

2007-09-03T11:19:00.001-07:00

A sign posted in the window of a theater on Addison Street in Berkeley, California

The Ruling Ring

2007-08-19T15:58:00.001-07:00

Happy feet

2007-08-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

Downtown Buffalo

2007-07-18T05:10:00.001-07:00

As seen from my room window at Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

Mohib at Pakwan restaurant

2007-07-15T20:14:00.001-07:00

Mohib and I had the notorious Sunday brunch at Pakwan restaurant in Hayward today. The place was crowded and we had to sit in the "family room", this was the closest I could get to a clean shot without including any other patrons.

Url: Mohib Ahmed
Location: Pakwan restaurant

$5 shirt

2007-02-22T10:33:00.001-08:00

I was bored at work, sue me ;-)

If you want to learn how to make your own shirts, here's a very nice tutorial

Thank you card

2006-12-24T23:47:00.001-08:00

Howling Monkey

2006-12-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

Shot outside a 7-Eleven store in Santa Clara (N Winchester and Newhall st.)

I have seen some funky names of energy drinks out there, but COME ON! I am not so sure about the message here. To me, a 'caffeine charged' monkey running around howlin' in a 'monkey suit' might be something I'd laugh at but certainly not something I'd want to drink

What I find interesting is the 'Multi-Vitamin' claim, because from what I read here the caffeine and sugar in these drinks make you pee away calcium, magnesium and zinc from your body.

Learning to CUSS

2006-11-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

One of the things that really annoy me in my line of work is reading technical specification documents, real thick ones at that too and what's worse is that some of them are out of date but none of the technical support/sales staff would tell you that until you it out on your own.

My current ordeal is to go through a 300 page technical specification document (plus certification document) for a type of computer Kiosk used at the airports.

At least the abbreviation they used makes me giggle every time :)

Maserati love

2006-10-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

Someone in the adjacent office space drives a Maserati and parks it outside in the common parking lot. I am so fascinated by that emblem on the car's grill that I sneaked a photo :)

The technique is simple, use a slow shutter speed and manually zoom a little while taking the shot.

Business portrait: Saeed Kazmi

2006-09-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Click here for the complete photo
This was the first time I shot a business portrait, and I realize some of the mistakes I made in this photo. Like the shadow on the shirt collar should have been balanced out with a reflector and the shadow is a bit too dark (the ideal ratio is 1:2 stops)

Nevertheless, I got to shoot a photo again after such a long time that I am just happy to be shooting again :)

Click here for bigger version

Dry leaf

2006-08-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Dry leaf,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

A dry leaf photographed against a table lamp.

To me, it kind of looks like the roots of a plant

Bigger version

Happy Pirate

2006-08-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Pirate,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Only 46 days to go for the International Talk like a Pirate day.

Don't forget to watch the videos:
- Five A's of Pirate lingo
- The Pirate song

(McDonald's Happy Meal Pirate sitting on an empty visiting card holder)

Downtown reflections

2006-07-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Downtown reflections (color),
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Financial district, downtown San Francisco.

Bigger version: Downtown reflections (color)

Downtown reflections,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Bigger version: 'Downtown reflections (black & white)

A(skewed) view

2006-07-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Askew(ed) view,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

These are the Hyatt Regency guest room balconies overlooking the Bay and Piers.
I took this shot outside 4 Embarcadero center (right next to Hyatt).

Check out the Bigger version here (on Black)

The Modern Pyramid

2006-07-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

The TransAmerica Pyramid,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest and most recognizable skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline.
Check out the Bigger version here (On Black)

Took this photo around 6:30 pm on California Street infront of the US Bank building

All you need is love

2006-07-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

All you need is Love,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Two words explain it all: Newly weds :)

(I also saw "I love my wife" written in bright red chalk on the rear cabin window of a Ford truck about a month ago but didn't have a camera handy at that time.)

Millard Fillmore

2006-07-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Millard Fillmore,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of United States and a resident of Buffalo, Newyork. Buffalo has the unique honor of being home to two presidentst of United States.

Millard Fillmore was also the first chancellor of the University of Buffalo, now known as SUNY University at Buffalo.

This statue is placed outside the Buffalo City Hall.

New resources

2006-06-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Michael F. Cohen has a very interesting set of slides online on:

- Capturing the Moment in photography.
- Visualization of Everyday things
- Research paper Photographing Long Scenes with Multi-Viewpoint Panoramas (Aseem Agarwala, Maneesh Agrawala, Michael Cohen, David Salesin, Rick Szeliski, ACM Transactions on Graphics (Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 2006), July 2006)

There is also an interesting new software from Microsoft Research called Group Shot

Buffalo downtown

2006-06-27T02:43:00.000-07:00

Buffalo downtown,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

The sky finally cleared towards the evening after the thunderstorm in the afternoon.

This was the view from my room's window on the 14th floor of Hyatt Regency Buffalo (notice that there is not a single vehicle on the street)

A "hmmm..." moment

2006-06-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

A "hmmm..." moment,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Buffalo city hall is HUGE! and is covered with stone carved figures.

The man-made airconditioner seemed pretty interesting in this mythical Gods 'lost in thought' composition :)

Welcome to Buffalo

2006-06-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Buffalo,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

I stopped by Buffalo, New york for a day. The downtown area wass pretty deserted for a Sunday and there were really old (supposedly abandoned) building structures everywhere.

This building is converted into a parking lot (atleast thats what the sign said) and the board in the window caught my eye. The location is at the intersection of W Huron & Delaware Ave. in Downtown Buffalo, NY

I couldn't spend time exploring the city that much so only have a few photographs that I'll post here.

BlogWord of the week: Together

2006-06-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

BlogWord3: Together,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

This is an old photograph (Dec 18th, 2004) but that's all I could come up with right now :)

For BlogWord of the week related posts, also check out:
- Zaheer Alam Kidvai
- Omer Alvie

Strings concert in Oakland

2006-06-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Strings concert in Oakland,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Strings played at the Scottish Rite center in Oakland last night.

Thanks to Farhan, I got a chance to sit square in the middle of the first row (best seats I have ever had at any concert). I'll upload a couple more photographs later.

I have uploaded a small video clip of the concert to YouTube.com

(Dedication: To the starting alphabet of my life)

Farhan Shahid Khan

2006-06-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Farhan and I went out last night, when we returned late at night I asked Farhan if he doesnt mind helping me test the light setup and he was generous enough to even smile in the second shot :)

Bridal dresses

2006-05-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

The door to a bridal shop at night in downtown Los Gatos, California.

Lunch with Gohar

2006-05-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

I learnt that people are more conscious of you taking their photos in public if you have a big camera in your hands. Nothing beats a pocket camera that you can sneak in.

Sharing a meal with someone is considered very respectful in some cultures. Friends move to different cities, countries at times and go through different physical changes. I thought it would be really interesting to keep track of those changes. I am trying to take photos of my friends in similar settings (for now, sitting across the table from me in a resturant - waiting for food to arrive -). I have made a photo-set at Flickr for this which I will keep updating, its called Meals with friends

There was a big glass window on the right side which provided excellent lighting, and the orange color on the walls made the face stand out.

By the way, the lomo effect (color saturation, over exposed look) is intentional. I think the photo looks better this way :)

Imperfect world

2006-05-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

I like the old man who sets tables at a resturant I go to, he is very good at his job. Notice how aligned even the salt & pepper shakers are at the edge of the table.

Someone tripped and knocked the alignment of the first table out. May be perfection is overrated for an imperfect world.

Bohri cookbook: Haleem

2006-04-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Part of the photographs for the Bohra traditional cookbook.

I know I know, this is what happens when you post a photo on an empty stomach :)

Bohra traditions: Lota

2006-04-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

The Lota (watering can) is used to wash hands before the meal. The white sheet below is called a Safra (Safro in Gujrati).

Bohra traditions: Salt

2006-04-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Bohra traditions,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

I took a series of photographs for a Bohri cookbook. This particular photo was taken with the intention of putting it on the book's cover.

The food is served in a big metal plate called a thaal, and this little thing is for holding salt. According to Bohra tradition, a meal starts with a pinch of salt, hence the idea of using this photograph for the cover.

I need a woman

2006-04-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

I discovered a message etched on one of the wooden pillars inside our Engineering lab at work. It was etched before we rented the building many years ago.

The funny thing is, the message still applies. All of the current engineering staff is single and in the typical Silicon valley startup spirit, we spend countless frustrating hours in the lab :-P

Gohar

2006-04-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Portrait using the Rembrandt Lighting technique.
I used a 10" garage light fixture with an ECA bulb as the main light and a 2x3 ft white posterboard reflector to control the light ratio between the highlights and shadows. For digital cameras, this difference between highlights and shadows should not exceed 1 and half stop.

No Joke :)

2006-03-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

Is it a good idea to have refreshments served with Contraceptive Exhibits? :P

Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero, San Francisco

2006-03-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

I have not been posting any new photographs on this blog lately, part of the reason is that I have had another surgery on the 7th of March and I was on bed rest for a week but mostly the reason is that I am still trying to return to my 'normal' routine and take care of my pending professional commitments (you have to make a living too).

I appreciate your patience with my slacking in the past and I would really appreciate it if you could just give me a little more time right now.

Best regards,
Faraz :)

Earrings

2006-02-26T00:21:00.000-08:00

I tried photographing jewelry for the first time.

Update: What I learnt from this experiment:

Auto-focus: The sparkle from the jewelry throws off the focusing system in your camera, so you have to be really careful that you get everything focused and try to shoot for F8-F11 aperture

Lighting: One light source with two white reflectors on the side is not enough (setup used for this shot), you need atleast three focused light sources to make the jewelry twinkle

Metering: I went for spot metering because it makes the jewelry glow infront of a dark backdrop

Michaels: The arts and crafts store sells $0.20 cloth pieces that you can use for backdrop or the base

Tripod: It comes in very handy when your camera's autofocus starts misbehaving due to the sparkling jewelry

Very Important: Try not to borrow jewelry from someone else, so you wont keep them waiting impatiently while you tweak your setup :)

Boys & their Toys

2006-02-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

A sign painted on a building near China town, San Francisco.

More sightings: Embarcadero BART station, and Powell Station

Roses are red

2006-02-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth, a colleague got flowers from her parents on Valentines day. She asked me to take some photos so that she can show her parents how beautiful they were.

(Click here to see it on black background)

The Store with Beautiful things

2006-02-12T00:29:00.001-08:00

Side wall of The Store with Beautiful things in China town, San Francisco :)

(Click on the thumbnail to see the complete photograph)

Ahmed Arsalan

2006-01-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

Trying out the new tubelight setup I made over the weekend

(Click on the thumbnail to see the complete photograph)

Couch Potatoe

2006-01-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

With the American football season and the Indo-Pak cricket season at hand, this is every man's fantasy :)

(Click on the thumbnail to see the complete photograph)

Beauty Center

2006-01-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

(No, this is not a spelling mistake) ;-)

Ahhhhh-chooo!!!

2006-01-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

The weather is so cold that even birds have started sneezing now :)

Click on the thumbnail to see the complete photograph

Snow White

2006-01-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

This bird is called Snowy Egret, I was lucky enough to get close to it without scaring it away. I like the calm reflection on water in this photo :)

Click on the thumbnail to see the full photograph

Update

2006-01-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

I'm still under the weather (~~flu~~, ~~heavy cough~~, bad-cold), but shall start shooting again soon.

I ordered a couple of umbrella light stands, a background stand and muslin arctic white backdrop for work and I am really excited about it. I was getting so sick of taking product shots with a poster stand and conference room lighting. Can't wait to try out the new setup once I receive it :)

Samuel Sharaf

2006-01-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Azhar and I had lunch with an old friend Samuel today. I took the liberty to practice my portrait skills :)

Wild Weather

2006-01-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

It's been raining for almost a week now, several creeks and rivers in the North bay have overflown.

I have not been taking pictures these days, because:

a) I'm sick
b) It's been raining with throttling winds and I don't want to get any sick-er :)

Palace Of Fine Arts

2005-12-29T11:45:00.001-08:00

San Francisco

(Click on the thumbnail to see the complete photograph)

Merry Christmas

2005-12-24T19:58:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve 2005, the Neiman Marcus store at Union square in San Francisco has the biggest indoor Christmas tree I have ever seen!

Romance

2005-12-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Romance,
originally uploaded by imfaraz.

Found a Nora Roberts novel in my books. The filter combination is a circular polarizer combined with a red filter. The single light source is a table lamp perpendicular to the filter

Red rose

2005-10-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Another rose from the Municipal Rose Garden, San Jose

Red rose

Click on the thumbnail to see the complete photograph

Rose by any name

2005-10-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is "King's Ransom (Morey) Hybrid Tea 1962 A.A.R.C". Pretty long name for a rose, huh?

Rose by any name,

Shot at the Municipal Rose Park in San Jose, California.

Click on the thumbnail to see the full photo.

2005-10-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

17, originally uploaded by vengeance.

Margalla towers after the 7.6 magnitude Earthquake in Pakistan.
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

38, originally uploaded by vengeance.

Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

kashmiri boy

2005-10-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

kashmiri boy, originally uploaded by dharmesh thakker.

this kashmiri boy lost his left eye in the earthquake.
image courtesy : www.timesofindia.com
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

Surviving without a shelter

2005-10-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Kashmir earthquake2, originally uploaded by dharmesh thakker.

Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

Desperate in Muzaffarabad

2005-10-13T14:39:00.001-07:00

Desperate in Muzaffarabad, originally uploaded by 603sabre.

Desperate father waiting to take his son to a hospital

Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

Chopper rescue

2005-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Chopper rescue, originally uploaded by 603sabre.

One of the lucky ones to be rescued

Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

Quake evacuees at Chaklala

2005-10-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

Quake evacuees at Chaklala, originally uploaded by 603sabre.

The first evacuees arrive from Muzaffarabad at Chaklala in Pindi. They are given first aid before dispatch to hospitals
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

Quake women desperate for food

2005-10-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Quake women desperate for food, originally uploaded by 603sabre.

Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

Quake blanket fight

2005-10-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

Quake blanket fight, originally uploaded by 603sabre.

Desperation is catching up with the victims.

Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

Safe and sad

2005-10-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Safe and sad, originally uploaded by 603sabre.

Earth quake survivor who made it to Islamabad from Muzaffarabad.

Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

The supplies that have made it to devastated areas have been swamped by people desperate for food, blankets and medical supplies. Looting has also been reported. (Credit: BBC News)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Medical attention for the wounded has also been limited. This child was evacuated out of Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, by US helicopter. (Credit: BBC News)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

Many families spent a third night in the open air, without water, food or shelter from the heavy rains as they awaited relief supplies. (Credit: BBC News)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

Aid is arriving in communities devastated by the earthquake, but many survivors are angry at what they perceive to be the authorities' slow response. (Credit: BBC)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

In Kashmir, winter is fast approaching. Snow dusts the mountain-tops above this village. The people of Balkote don't know what awaits them in the coming months. (Credit: BBC News)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

This used to be a living room. Everyone in this village is asking the same question: "What is next and where is the help?" (Credit: BBC News)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

A woman stands in the ruins of her home and tries to come to terms with the loss of her worldly possessions. (Credit: BBC News)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

After the powerful South Asian earthquake, Matt Brandon, who works as a tour operator in Indian-administered Kashmir, travelled to the village of Balkote and sent these photographs to the BBC News website. He says this is a place neglected by the media and relief teams.
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

And for those still hoping to find survivors in the rubble of homes in Balakot, time is running out fast. (Credit: BBC)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

But others are still vulnerable to the approaching winter in the rubble of their former homes, like 80-year-old Bibi Jaitun.
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!

2005-10-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Some refugees have been lucky, like this child being treated by a Turkish medical team in Muzaffarabad. (Credit: BBC)
Help Earthquake victims! Help Pakistan!