Steffi

Steffi is the youngest of the Falzon sisters. I mention the sisters Liz and Claire fondly because I know them very well not only socially but from the numerous occasions I have shot their family. When Steffi contacted me to shoot her special day I was more than honoured. And here she is pictured for my 'Brides on Beds' Project. Steffi was looking stunning in her dress but I wanted that last picture before she crosses the border from single hood to married woman.

Wishing you years of happiness and love and to growing old together with Steve! 

See the whole series here: Brides on Beds

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A Bientot!

Sometimes I do something different, especially when friends from abroad come for a visit. I have know Lauren for about 7 years now and I photograph her every time she comes to Malta or when I go up to Bordeaux in France. I have seen her with dark hair and also with blond hair like this time round. We had no time to shoot in the evening, however we made the best we could of the noon sun.

Pictured here at San Anton Gardens, Attard Malta. Shot on Canon Mk3 with Sigma art 85mm f/1.4 lens.

Merci Lolo pour votre patience! Bisous! 

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Sacristy Interior

This weekend I had a wedding to shoot, and mass was at St Agatha Church in Rabat. The sacristy at this church is very well kept, as you can see in the image above.

Once again religious icons rule, but then again this is a sacristy after all.

How I shot it: Smiles in the street

So I was walking along the street in Burmarrad, Malta,  when from the other side of the street, I noticed these kids at the door of this house. I knew they would give me a good photo however I only had the wide angle 24mm lens on my camera body. In order not to disturb them I did not want to cross the street, or else they would have been too conscious. So I shot wide.

The cropping tool in Lightroom and Photoshop is a powerful tool. You can create a new and better composition out of the original photo. So I cropped the photo by putting the kids in the right third of the image by following the rule of thirds

Below is the original shot. Above is the crop. One of them still caught me shooting them. And the girl looks kinda self conscious whereas the other kid had no clue...I love these spontaneous shots!

Interiors from this weekend

I had a wedding in M'Scala this weekend, and the bride's parents had this interesting painting in their living room. The bride's brother Stef (who is also a great friend of mine) exclaimed...."Oh just a casual beheading painting in the living room!'. This painting however is important to the Maltese. It is a remake of the beheading of Saint John by Caravaggio, which he painted whilst he was imprisoned by the Pope.

So typically Maltese! Add religion to interiors just as much Indians add curry to anything...

Meanwhile below you can find the decorations in the groom's mother's bedroom. Typically religious like most Maltese bedrooms.

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Walking on clouds...

When I contacted Shushana, we clicked immediately. Iraqi lady living in Detroit, with fond memories of Malta during her years on the island as a refugee, she was excited to get married with Joel in Malta....21 years after leaving the island. 

Their wedding was a dream, and today's shoot was like walking on clouds. Talking to these two was so easy, and they way they flowed with the poses was effortless. All I had to do was snap, because these two were really in the moment. Add in the magic of Mdina early in the morning (to beat the crowds and heat), we ended up not only enjoying the shoot, but connecting even more.

Love is magic.

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Over Development

A new development in Gzira is way higher than the surrounding urban area and in my opinion it is quite an eyesore. Our landscapes are being manipulated drastically without much thought for the loss which we will be suffering from a cultural heritage point of view. It might just be a vista, but that vista has been changing throughout the years, and now this drastic change will have its repercussions.

The following image was an entry submitted for FAA's (Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar) recent photography competition titled 'Scenes of a City', where the focus was on sustainable development. The photo made it amongst the top 20. 

Details: Multiple Exposure in camera shot on Canon 5D MkIII with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Shop Sign, Valletta

Apart from it being one of the oldest remaining shop signs in Valletta, I am always puzzled what the whole name should be! Any guesses?

Shot on Kodak Portra 160 with a Canon F1.

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Valletta on Film

This part of Valletta is known as the Ta'Giesu area, due to a church dedicated to Ta'Giesu in the vicinity. Some others find it as the Bridge Bar area because there is a bar on the bridge which is called Bridge Bar. Whatever the area, it is one of the most beautiful areas in the city, due to its old buildings, and the light in the late afternoon is just stunning. These images have been shot in the morning at 9am thus the strong shadows, which I find still create interest in the buildings. This place can't be just anywhere. This place is Valetta. Images shot on Kodak Portra 160 with a Canon F1.

Pieta on Film

I took to Pieta coastline to test out my new Canon F1 with the beautiful yet haunting effect of the Kodak Portra 160 film...

Some buildings along this coastline are in need to proper preservation.

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Sagristija

Every since I started my research for my MA tackling sense of place, I just stumble upon places like these, where the sense is clearly evident and the spirit is strongly felt. Silence, quiet places which are full of traces, narrative and meaning..

Shot at St Catherine of Italy Church, Valletta on a digital camera with a 35mm prime lens, f/1.4.

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Re-framing Mdina

This is how infrastructure is interacting with our landscapes. It might seem like a neat selective shot done on purpose by the photographer to instigate a discussion, and well yes it is. However I can't help but notice the steep increase of cranes all around the island. Cranes mean one thing, high risers. But we need high risers, don't we? Oh yes for office spaces...right...But what about our vistas? Soon enough within a year we won't be able to see Mdina from this side of Mosta....but who cares ey...as long as we have our office spaces and nice residences...who cares about the rest of the nation...

What we take for granted, that is vistas for e.g, is actually part of our Cultural Heritage, which is fast decreasing due to the increase of high rise buildings. Somehow we choose to shrug our shoulders, because maybe it is not our problem. What we fail to realise is that our diminishing landscape is our problem. What will we have instead of landscapes? Buildings....and buildings do not produce oxygen. 

Cooling

Ways of cooling a room.

Shot on Kodak Ektar 100 with Canon AV-1

Curiosities

Curiosities found during a photo walk with my BFA students. A gentleman was kind enough to invite my students up into his workshop full of knick knacks which tell his story.

Shot on Kodak TriX with Canon AV-1

Gzira Garage

Another landmark close to the bus stop is this door with graffiti. I always stop and look at it. You can imagine how slow traffic is then....

Shot on Kodak Ektar 100

Gzira Bus Stop

This bus stop is one of the many landmarks I pass everyday. The fact that I shot a photo of it from my car shows that the traffic was so slow, that I managed to focus and compose an exposure.

Shot on Kodak Ektar 100