Yesterday saw the last outdoor event for Level 1 of our photography class. It coincided with the final exam for the basic class and was held at Mamzar Beach Park in Dubai.

It was strange and quite fun to see the next generation of Lightform photographers contemplate their status in the group as they prepare for their final exam. Their number yesterday seemed like some students have already dropped out of the course but it was still a fairly large group.

While they segregated into groups to complete the 3 levels of exams, our group walked around the park to look for subjects for our topic: Street Photography. This is a trial run which is meant to be valuated next week except we are required to submit both the photo for evaluation as well as our competition piece. Go figure. It seems that next Friday is the last meeting date and the 19th is the graduation day, which I will miss if my plans to travel happen.

It’s true what I’ve heard that the higher you climb on the Lightform ladder, the less supervision they give you. This is probably just as well, but if someone is ever going to hone their skills and discover for themselves which type of photography to master, they would need closer supervision right? Case in point, in Flash Photography the instructors admitted that they have not covered the topic of Pilots and Slaves, so I feel like they have shortchanged us, again. And no, do not tell me that I can read about it in the flash manual because the manual and real life do not match. I want my money back! Erm…I better shut up in case Big Brother or Sister is watching/reading or being told about what I’ve written.

Let’s just look at the photos then, shall we?

Street photography is supposed to be candid, unposed, unplanned.

It’s everyday life, regular folks going about their regular routine, although I doubt if Pauline looks up at the sky contemplatively all the time.

It could be your surroundings. Like this tree whose leaves refused to stay still. Could have been the wind factor though.

All the elements of basic composition still play a part in this. Never forget your ISO, aperture and shutter speed.

It’s supposed to tell a story, nothing too obvious but something your viewers could interpret in their own way.

Stained-glass toe nails, anyone? Thanks to the kind Russian lady who allowed to take a photograph of her toes, and to her male companion who did the translation for me.

It could even be streets, literally! It was a hazy, sandstormy day so never mind the grey skies.

Action! Action! Action! Street photography is about action too. Thanks guys for letting me take photographs.

Did I say it should tell a story?

Or something random for when you cannot find any other suitable subject, or have found one but said subject refuses to sign a model release form. Hmpf!

So I did the next best thing: exclude their faces from the frame! Still a viable subject.

My groupmates enjoying lunch after a hard day’s job – I had my packed lunch before our photowalk started. Well not quite a hard day but the sandstorm and the lack of interesting subjects made it not-so-fun.

I will be prowling the streets of Dubai this entire week as I choose my project piece. If you happen to see a woman with a camera stuck to her face, do come up and say hi.