Mannat today and the Taichi ladies at Benjasiri Park in Bangkok where we go often in the evenings so Mannat can roller-blade and play. The park is full of kids and people working-out, jogging and then there are two groups of people who are there just around sun-set to Taichi. Their movements and grace are a pleasure to watch, every time.

Borrowed a friends' D300 to test drive. At first impression I like it quite a lot. The 12+ mega-pixel sensor gives clean detailed images, it balances well in the hand especially with 50mm and 85mm primes thought a  bit wobbly with larger and heavier lenses like the 17-55DX and the 300EDIF is quite difficult to handhold on the D300 where as I can comfortably handhold the 300 on the D2Hs. Focusing is fast, though I did not quite like the viewfinder nor the default focusing indicators - I found the viewfinder bit small and cramped, and not easy to get my eye 'into it' after having gotten used to the rubber eyecup and bright viewfinders of the F3HP, F5 and D2Hs. The LCD is nice though! large and bright. But I could not figure how to get the display to give me the same info as I get on the D2HS [warning blinkies and RGB histograms]... it probably has the options right there somewhere and I'd need to dig it out from the owners manual. Ah, one major major gripe: lack of a vertical grip with vertical AF and shutter-release buttons. Guess one could spend the additional $350 or so and fit one optionally.... I felt like my right elbow was a bird-perch when shooting vertically..... these Images were taken with the D300, a Nikkor 85 f/1.8 and an low off-camera SB800. Sunlight was coming in from slightly behind and over Mannat's left shoulder. I overpowered the SB800 a stop or two but the shots were off-the-cuff sort of and I did not spend much time setting-up. Mannat had demanded a massive sitting-fee of 10 Taka a shot as it is! So I had to be quick and fast. LOL! So, will I sell the trusty D2Hs and get a spanking-new D300? Maybe, maybe not. The D3 still is number-one on my wish-list.

Tried many variations while photographing - different angles and focal lengths - needed to get a high contrast image to bring out the detail. Exposed this one by a stop over the meter and it looks good to me in B&W. The color version does not show the detail as much because of the low contrast between adjoining color tones.... interesting.

BTW, I changed the WB in ACR to tungsten and let everything go pretty much blue in the NEF file - and then convert the image to B&W in PSCS3 using a combo of Channel Mixer, Color Balance and Selective Color adjustment layers. Because of changing WB to tungsten, somehow the whites and blacks separate better...

3/30/08 Update on SoFoBoMo
Reading Paul Lester's post on his warm-up-book test for SoFoBoMo, I tried out Scribus this morning. Hey! This is better than simply exporting JPGs from PSCS to a PDF.  Thanks Paul! I now just need to figure out the book size, layout and final image sizes so I do not have to fiddle with the settings at the last moment.

For the past many weeks the WIP photo project for «The Jungle Book» production at AIS/D Elementary School had taken up all of my shooting time. Am not complaining! in case that is what it sounded like. It was a great experience, both photographically and to witness the progression of the learning process the kids went through... and to then finally watch the fantastic performance where each one of them shone like stars! The Work In Progress photo record/essay runs into 100's of [final] images and these are grouped in separate PDF files [full resolution JPG's] for each session. 5 sessions + 1 from the Dress Rehearsal + 1 lot of backstage photos + 1 lot of group photos of the cast + 1 lot from the final performance night. I probably shot around 2000 frames and culled these down to a manageable number. I might post some sample images from these sessions a bit later once the photo-CD is done and produced.  You can take a peek at The Jungle Book CD-Cover if you like. This image is a conversion from one of the photos.

I've not shot much in the last many days as the post-processing job took [a total] around 80 hours... and so those itchy fingers have been missing the familiar feel of the ridged focusing-ring and shutter-release button.

I've been observing the Starlings [Sturnus contra] and Crows starting to build their nests high in the Mahogany tress.... and this one particular crow is extremely alarmed every-time I take a peek out the window at the nest being built. The Starlings are building a nest much higher in the other tree but are very watchful and can notice me even if I am behind a window screen. Today I was able to get a few images before the Starlings flew off to watch me from another tree.
 

Updated [a few hours after posting the above]:

I decided to post a few assorted ones from the work-in-progress photos of The  Jungle Book rehearsals in no particular order.....

Images from the «Work-In-Progress» during rehearsals and also some images from the performance day of The  Jungle Book - by the AISD Elementary section. The main performances were on the 13th and 14th March 2008.

More to be added soon....

American International School, Dhaka.
1st Feb 2008 ~ Jazz Choir ~ Jazz Band ~ Selected Soloists and Ensembles.

The SIASA Music Festival 2008 was a treat! great music from very talented young people.
Participants are several schools -

American Intl School Chennai ~ American School Mumbai ~ American Embassy School New Delhi ~ Lincoln School Kathmandu ~ Karachi American School ~ Intl School of Islamabad ~ Murree Christian School ~ American Intl School Dhaka.

2nd Feb 2008, Grand Finale