This is another shot from Istanbul, taken from a roof bar which I think was quite close to the Galata Tower. What amused me about this scene was the restaurant across the way, which looks like a gazebo perched on the top of a five storey building. I'm sure it was safe enough, but it did look rather precarious.

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2.31pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 90mm f/11.0 1/30 aperture priority +2/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 2x1

This was taken from the roof bar of the Four Points Sheraton hotel on Sheik Zayed Road in Dubai, the location from which I shot one of my favourite night shots in Dubai. Unlike that shot though, which was all about capturing as much detail as possible, this one was an attempt to create a slightly different impression: shallow depth of field, the reflections in the glass, and so on. I don't think it's anywhere near as successful as the previous image but, as an alternative way of capturing the location, I am pleased with how it turned out.

Let me know what you think.

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7.47pm on 15/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 24mm f/2.8 1s aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 1x1

Of all the flags I've photographed, and I confess that isn't a huge amount, I think the Turkish flag is probably the one I like best. There's just something about its simplicity that really appeals to me.

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10.55pm on 9/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 130mm f/4.0 1/400 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 200 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none no

This was taken on our recent Faces and Places Photo Tour to Istanbul, near to the Galata Tower.

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3.14pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 200mm f/4.0 1/40 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 1x1

Here's another iPhone/HIpstamatic shot taken during my recent trip to Istanbul, taken with the Chunky lens and Ina's 1935 film.

And in case you're wondering, it's a canvas, leaning outwards onto the window of a shop.

This was taken down at the souqs in Dubai, and while I have no idea what the guy on the left was thinking, I do like his expression.

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10.20am on 14/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 35mm f/4.0 1/80 aperture priority +2/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none minor

This was taken during a photo walk around Istanbul, and there were two things that caught my eye. The first, and most obvious, is the textures, shapes and colours of the building. The second was the mother and daughter looking out through the window. If I'd taken this shot in the UK one of two things would probably have happened – either I'd have been shouted out for invading their privacy, or I'd have been threatened by the police. In Istanbul though, the 'my home is my castle' mentality doesn't seem to apply insofar as nearly everyone we saw would wave from their houses, or smile, or otherwise indicate that they were more than happy to be photographed, as I also mentioned when I posted this shot.

Anyway, it's not an especially striking shot, but it is one that I like. Let me know what you think.

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11.41am on 11/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 43mm f/4.6 1/60 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none none

This is a shot of the Jumeirah Beach Residences taken from the lowest frond of the Palm in Dubai while I was running my Shoot The City, Day & Night workshop that I ran at the GPP Fotoweekend training event in November. It's also the image that GPP are using to advertise the next occurrence of this workshop at GPP 2012. If you think you might be interested in attending, take a look at all the workshops that will be running this year. It's always a great event, but this year's line-up is truly fantastic.

In other news, if you haven't had a chance yet, head on over and take a look at my new photography and post-production blog. There's only one post so far, detailing what I'm going to be including, but I've also asked for some feedback from you, particularly in terms of what you'd like me to include. So have a look at my first post and let me know what you think.

And finally, I have a few one-to-one training dates coming up – February 24th, May 17th and May 21st–24th. If you're interested, take a look at our events page and one-to-one training page for further details.

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6.00pm on 15/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 35mm f/9.0 30s manual n/a evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 16x9

This is my second iPhone shot of the weekend, and probably one of my favourite Hipstamatic shots from our recent Faces and Places Photo Tour to Istanbul. There are two main reasons I like it. First, because I like the end result, but secondly, because it typifies why I like shooting with Hipstamatic.

As I've mentioned before, when shooting with Hipstamatic you choose a lens and film combination, each of which has specific characteristics, before you take the shot, and in this case I used the oddly named Roboto Glitter lens and the Pistil film (which added the cross-processed look).

Personally, I find this great way of shooting as all the decisions regarding framing, appearance, mood, and so on need to be taken in advance, freeing you to concentrate on simply getting the shot. And I know I've said this before, but if you have an iPhone, get hold of a copy of Hipstamatic, it's a great little app.

On a different matter, I've just launched our new photography and post-production blog and would be really grateful for some feedback on my first entry. Head on over and take a look.

This was taken during our recent trip to the Shipka Memorial, about 150 steps down from the monument (see this shot). As you'll see, the processing was quite extensive, particularly in terms of bringing out the detail in the wall, but this was definitely a scene that needed a bit of help given the dull, flat lighting.

On a different matter, our latest Critique Slot Screencast is now live, featuring an image supplied by Doug Stroud. If you're unfamiliar with the screencasts, the basic idea is that one of our subscribers submits an image (as both a layered PSD file and the original RAW) and I offer a critique in the first section, then reprocess it using the original RAW file in the second section.

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3.09pm on 28/12/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 34mm f/8.0 1/60 aperture priority +2/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 1x1

This is a shot of the western edge of the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, shot a couple of hours before the one I posted yesterday, and while it's definitely an image that would work better as a print (you'd be able to see more detail of the people and their expressions) I did think it was worth posting.

Let me know what you think.

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4.36pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 85mm f/8.0 1/40 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none no

Admittedly, this isn't the most attractive of signs, but I did like the way it was lit. I found it at the western end of the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, close to where I took the shot of the floating fish and chip shop :)

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6.37pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 73mm f/2.8 1/25 aperture priority -1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none no

I found this chair in the Old Bazaar on the last day of our recent Faces and Places Photo Tour to Istanbul.

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11.25am on 12/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 46mm f/3.5 1/80 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none minor

This was taken from the roof of the Executive Tower B in the Business Bay area of Dubai when I was shooting with Catalin Marin back in November. It's not as striking as the other two shots I posted from this location (see here and here), but I am pleased with it, not least because it's a different take on a familiar location.

Let me know if you think it works.

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5.15pm on 14/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM 16mm f/8.0 1/60 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 Topaz Detail minor rotation

While yesterday's image was a straight shot (well, straight out of Hipstamatic at least), today's was edited to add a mild increase to the saturation and contrast.

What is also worth mentioning, and this goes back to what I was saying yesterday about the way in which the lens and film combo you choose in Hipstamatic affects the appearance of the final image, is that the original scene was pretty much black and white. In other words, the colours (red, green and yellow) and the apparent lens flare around the top left corner of the gibbet, are artefacts added by Hipstamatic.

On a related note: it's a while since I attempted to post an image a day (2006 or thereabouts), but I thought I'd give it another go this year. I'll be mostly posting stuff from 2011 for the rest of this month and new material thereafter. I also thought I'd reserve the weekend for iPhone images.

Anyway, all that aside, let me know what you think of this image and/or Hipstamatic. I'm a big fan of the app (and other lo-fi camera apps on the iPhone), but you may well have a different view.

Oh, and this one was shot using the Chunky lens and Ina's 1935 film.

This was taken using my current favourite camera app on the iPhone, Hipstamatic. If you're not familiar with Hipstamatic, it allows you to choose a lens and film, both of which have specific characteristics. For example, the 'Chunky' lens (one of my favourites) simulates the light leakage you might get with a 'toy' camera, while the different films all have their own peculiarities. Ina's 1935, for example, adds a range of red, yellow and green tones depending on the tonal range and balance of the original scene.

The thing I really like about Hipstamatic though, and this is what sets it apart from a lot of the other 'toy' camera apps, is that you need to decide which lens and film you're going to use BEFORE you take the shot. In other words, you need to have some understanding of the different lens and films in order to work out approximately how the shot will appear. For me this is a much better / more creative way of working than simply clicking a whole heap of filter or preset buttons once the shot has been taken.

If you're interested, this shot of a traffic cone was taken using the John S lens and the Pistil film.

As always, let me know what you think.

While I don't think this is quite as strong as yesterday's image I was drawn to take this follow-up shot for two reasons. First, I was intrigued by the fact that the guy on the left seemed to be sending messages (or similar) on two phones at the same time, entering data on both phones at much the same time. Second, and less obviously: for the few minutes we were photographing the four men (see yesterday's image for the whole group) this guy concentrated on his phones, resolutely ignoring me, Bobbi, Khaled and Syl ... well, right up until this point, when he glanced up and smiled at Bobbi before getting back to his phones.

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10.16am on 14/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 70mm f/5.0 1/40 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none none

New Year's resolution #2: shoot more people!

One of the things that Bobbi and I invariably do when we're in Dubai for a GPP event is head down to the souqs for some shopping, food and photography. Bobbi normally buys enough pashminas to clothe the entire eastern seaboard of the US, a pile of safron and spices the size of a small shipping container, while simultaneously managing to charm photographs from even the most recalcitrant of the people we come across.

While she's doing all this I tend to wander around shooting random bits and pieces, but I do make the effort to shoot people too. I don't find it as easy as Bobbi, and my hit-rate of people who are willing to be snapped is quite a bit lower, but I didn't have any trouble with this group of guys. Well, other than the guy on the right who was watching Bobbi :)

As always, let me know what you think.

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10.15am on 14/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 38mm f/5.6 1/40 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none none

I spotted these two labels on a shop window just round the corner from the Creative Live studio in Seattle when I was over there in October presenting my Dramatic Post-production workshop. I'm not quite sure what the message refers to, so please let me know if you've come across the OMG label elsewhere.

Update: this label is for sale here, but I'm none the wiser about exactly what it refers to ... if anything.

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2.15pm on 4/10/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 45mm f/8.0 1/60 aperture priority +2/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 1x1

This is a shot of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, taken during our recent Faces and Places Photo Tour. It was dedicated in 360, became a cathedral in 562, a mosque in 1453 and then a museum in 1931. As you can see, it's a fabulous building.

As for the image: it was constructed from a three shot hand-held sequence (take a look at the original to see all three exposures) then merged in Photoshop. I did try producing an HDR image (using Photomatix Pro) but couldn't produce anything I was especially happy with so reverted to manually blending the three exposures then applying a rather large range of selective adjustments to different areas of the image. It's still not ideal – I could have done with at least one more image to capture the very brightest highlights – but I am reasonably pleased with how it turned out.

Let me know what you think.

On a different matter: today's your last chance to get a 20% discount on our online photography and post-production tutorials, so grab yourself a bargain while you can :)

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12.55pm on 9/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM 16mm f/5.6 1/8, 1/13, & 1/25 manual n/a evaluative 200 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 Topaz Detail minor transformation