Amman: Ramadan Captures

Ramadan marks one of my favorite times to walk the streets of Amman with my camera. Over the past week I headed downtown  a couple of times before and after Iftar and captured some images that i’m sharing on the blog today. I spotted a bakery that makes Tanoor bread and spent sometime there. I got to say I don’t know how I resisted tasting the bread while fasting. The baker turned out to have worked in Karak for a number of years and knew a couple of my relatives, i guess that made it easier for me to hang out and shoot. Anyways, enough with the writing, enjoy these moments.

In Solidarity with Syria : Taraweeh Prayer in Amman

Last night after iftar I headed to the Syrian Embassy in Amman, where Taraweeh prayer was being held in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Syria. There was a big crowd and a makeshift prayer area was created across the street from the embassy. It was beautiful and moving to see such a number of people out in times like these. After the prayers a number of speeches were given, poetry was read and of course the requisite chanting against all the killing that was taking place in Syria. I leave you with some of the frames I captured.

Bangkok in Color

A couple of months ago I got the chance to visit Bangkok for a week to photograph and attend a friend’s four day Palestinian-Indian wedding. As usual I had a bunch of film cameras with me and shot tons of film with the Leica, the Rolleiflex and I even pulled out my Widelux Panoramic camera and ran some film through it. But before sharing those photos on the blog I thought i’d post some of my favorite color frames captured with the Canon 5D. So here we go…

While visiting the Jim Thompson House I spotted this clock made by James.

The waterways in Bangkok make for some beautiful photos…many people live on the water banks and also use it for transportation.

Long live the Queen…and the King too. Their photos are everywhere including the locker room at the Jim Thompson house.

This guy was having fun screaming at people passing by with this big orange cone…

…and of course I couldn’t let the opportunity of making a portrait of this brother be missed.

Tuk Tuk’s are the way to traverse the city, and every driver is a character.

Street food is everywhere, and although I usually am a big fan but since i got sick eating at a 5 Star hotel i decided i’d leave it to my next visit.

Tourists are all over the city and it seems that phone cameras are the way to preserve memories these days.

Even the monks are hip to cellphones….wonder what kind of photos he has on his.

Captured some monks walking through the temple grounds…I really like how the orange pops.

The golden Buddhas.

I really enjoy finding reflections to photograph…can you see what is through the glass?

A portrait of a police office on the temple grounds…shot many portraits on this trip…i guess that’s what happens when you walk around with Eric Coleman.

Some students heading to class on the temple grounds.

I wonder what this boy was looking for up in the trees.

Break time in between classes.

His missing teeth made me want to shoot a portrait of this kid…his smile is killer too.

As the tourists walked around the temple and took photos for their memoirs…Thai people were there for prayers.

Apparently white people run pickpocket gangs in Bangkok…also note that the police are white too.

I really like where all the eyes are looking in this photograph.

Tourists always like to bring their humor with them…even inside a temple.

Motorbikes are a staple of this city and you have no clue where they will be coming at you from.

One of my favorite captures from my trek down to China town.

Dee Dee Ann brings all kinds of people to shop there.

The way the cigarette dangles from this guy’s mouth is just priceless.

The motor bikes always rush to the front of any traffic light…you better watch out.

A moment of self reflection.

If i’m not mistaken this lady had chickenpox…why else would she have that white stuff on her face and arms.

Mr Eric is about to get some serious flowers.

Shot this from inside a record store…got to love that big colorful bag.

On the way back from school with pops.

Public transportation lends to sometime spent alone thinking…

…or observing the world through the window. I think this is my favorite frame from this bunch.

It was quite hard to communicate with this record store owner to try and explain the type of Thai music we were looking for…but we managed to find an Arabic record.

Graffiti catches my eye anywhere I am around the world. The textures in Bangkok are amazing.

Seems like this dog had a case of diarrhea…never thought i’d see a dog with pampers.

Can’t wait to make a big print out of this one..the covers, the records, the cracks in the wood.

Seeing this poster made me wish I was there a year ago to check out what Far Eastern Psyche is all about.

A girl kills sometime inside her mom’s record shop.

For some odd reason this reminded me of Cairo.

Again…the textures in the city are incredible.

Caught another girl going back home after school…you never know what photo you can find in alleyways.

That street food again…i promise myself to try it next time.

Pink taxis and lines.

Took this one while i was waiting at a metro station

As the sun sets…a different palette of colors emerges in Bangkok.

There is a visual trick in this shot. It’s all in the perspective.

You couldn’t ask for better street wet downs…in Hollywood you got to pay big money for this.

I’m not even going to start talking about ladyboys and prostitution on the streets there…it made me feel uneasy.

Time to cook some late night chicken…

…but me and Coleman ended up at a pizza joint owned by an Englishman. He was playing solitaire…the live version.

One of my biggest surprises was the Arabic area next to where we were staying…who would have thought i’d find a Yemeni restaurant in the middle of Bangkok.

Pictures that cater to our brothers from the UAE…and what’s up with “The Doom”

She had converted an old VW van into a food truck.

Vibrant colors, motorbikes, tuk tuks and wet streets.

Till next time…where i’ll be posting some of what i’ve captured on those films…and yeah you got the Bible and What Buddah taught in the hotel room’s drawer.

Peace.

Operation Lost Art – New Music video for Dj Lethal Skillz & Arabian Knightz

On a visit to Cairo last summer, I had the chance to shoot and direct a music video for Arabian Knightz, Egypt’s premier hip hop crew.

The track is off Dj Lethal Skillz’s upcoming album “Karmageddon” which is one album i’ve been anticipating and looking forward to. Having heard a number of the tracks on it, all I can say is that you are in for a surprise…Arab Hip Hop is maturing and the talent featured on the album is just ridiculous.

The video was shot on location in Cairo and Lebanon. Cinematography and editing by yours truly, video produced by Immortal Entertainment.

Stay on the look out for a second video I directed for Arabian Knightz’s “Sisters” which I shot on the same trip and we will be releasing very soon.

Peace.

Taking the Leica M9 for a Stroll in Downtown Amman

I’ve been on a hiatus from the blog for a while, I’ve been traveling all around as usual, working on a number of exciting projects. Thousands of photos have been taken since my last post and i’m slowly going through a bunch of different edits that I hope to publish on the blog soon.  As you can see I have also changed the theme for the blog and this will allow me to display my photos larger than anytime before. Looking to get a new website up too, so keep an eye out.

I’d like to dedicate this post to Emad (pictured above) ,  a long time collaborator of mine, who for the past 5 years or so scanned my negatives and developed my color and medium format film in Amman. I just found out today that he passed away 3 weeks ago, he was one of the few people that understood what I was doing with my photos and has helped me share my film photos on this blog. I needed to clear my mind for a minute so I headed downtown to shoot some photos.

Thanks to the good people at Leica, I have a M9 on loan for a couple of days, and it was time to put it to the tests on the streets of Amman. All I can say is that I can’t wait to own this camera one day.

So here is a selection of what caught my attention this evening.

Omar Offendum’s “Destiny”

This video really started as me testing the canon 5d mark II under some kino flo lighting i had my hands on while in L.A last year, and i was so happy with the results, that i went ahead and  shot some more footage of Omar with the hopes of putting some kinda video together. We ended up also shooting in Beirut to signify the East and West story in the lyrics…it’s my first dabble in music videos, and I got two more in the pipeline featuring Arabian Knightz an Egyptian hip hop crew and with every video i’m learning more. I’ve kinda been adopting a more gorilla documentary street style or whatever they call it , but it’s fun and I’m happy to be back doing work in video. Keeps the creativity going.

Offendum just dropped his first solo album, SyrianamericanA, really solid album, with lots of good songs and a mix of Arabic and English lyrics. I’ve been privileged to have listened to this album as it was being made and i still enjoy it every time.  I also photographed the album art work. The front cover was shot in a old house in Damascus, in January of 2008. The back was shot in Washington D.C  last year. I’ve put three years so far into this Arab hip hop project, it’s nice to see that the artists appreciate the work. So thanks Mr. Offendum.

Omar will be in Beirut and Amman soon, so watch out for him and pick up his album here….show an artist some support, and listen to what he has to say.

Here is one of my favorite shot’s i’ve taken of Offendum, this is in Beirut with graffiti in the background by Siska and Fish.

Leica M9: Give me a beautiful camera and let’s see what I can do.

A new blog post, this time coming from the Eastern hills of Los Angeles, as always a couple months go before i post anything here, but i have continued to post some work on www.immortal-ent.com , so check it out if you haven’t. I’m gonna try and post some updates and some exciting things that have happened in the past couple of months, i’ve just been on the road and editing a new documentary in addition to all the photography work. So since we’ve buddied up with the good people at Leica a couple of months ago i finally got my hand on an M9 for a couple of days and got to test it in LA. ( I’f you haven’t checked out my interviews on the leica blog here are the links. Part 1 – Part 2 I also won a small competition they held on facebook. )

First impression, i think this is one of the most beautiful cameras i have worked with, it gives me the experience of shooting a rangefinder, amazing details and sharpness in the files and the ability to use Leica lenses and trust me, there is a difference. The digital aspect is really weird, the fact that i can review images i just took with a M camera, i had to get used to it, but in the 5 days i shot a total of about 1000 or so frames including a test assignment i created for myself, which turned out to be one of my best shoots. Some interest has been expressed in it so i’m going to hold on posting those images. So simple math would  have meant me shooting about 27 rolls of film, costing me about $500 in development and scanning. All i can say is that this camera would fit really nicely into my workflow, and I can’t wait for it to be in my hands permanently.

So for all those who always come by and show support, here is a photo heavy post.

Highland park graffiti

Got to meet up with my cousin who is studying out here in Cali

he actually came with me to pick up the M9, so I decided to give him the silhouette treatment. So L.A with the palm trees

I couldn’t wait to hit the streets so took a quick run down the street and captured some night shots.

The local movie theatre $3 tuesdays and wednesdays, now that’s a deal considering you pay $16 at the Archlight. Did i mention the colors are killer on the M9? Usually i’d be running black  and white at night but loved what the camera was giving me.

See what i mean. Now i didn’t have the quickest of lenses with me, so i had to deal with working in higher ISO.

Night time bottle feeding.

Can’t remember the last time I used a pay phone, and why are there carts everywhere on the streets?

The east side of L.A is full of interesting street art.

The hello kitty sign caught my attention first, then i saw the guy with the bike.

Chase that paper.

this one is crazy, eyes and creatures.

Classic Ford…one of my favorite shots of my first run with the camera.

Later on we headed out to the local taco truck, La Esterella, currently my favorite source of food. Taco trucks have played a big role this summer.

In the neighborhood even the vegetable and fruit shop has art on it.

My morning view…far in the distance is downtown L.A, and half way to the right of the image, MCs kills the landscape, with ugly golden arches.

The backyard of where i’ve been staying, all the trees are from lebanon, came here a long time ago.

back at the taco truck, this fella has been spotted around a couple of times in my trips down York, crazy haircut, he should try walking in downtown cairo like that.

too many taco trucks, but this time the famous Alvarado one.

Tested the black and white option on the camera, and i was really happy to see how it rendered the files.

Then i switched back to color, if i wanted to do this with another Leica would have either to switch films, or have another camera. What really annoyed me at the start was that the review screen wasn’t what i was used to with dslr cameras. You don’t get a clear image right away, so i slowly started moving away from looking at the screen after every shot, which was already weird for me, to review images i just took with a M camera.

A couple more from the Alvarado taco truck

Beautiful photograph and print by Mochilla’s Eric Coleman.

Vinyl played a big role in my summer in L.A

Mr Coleman, brilliant photographer and DJ, a big influence of mine. I’ve been really blessed to have spent many hours around him this summer and learned a lot. Plus Eric made sure i got to attend my share of shows and performances this summer.  Beirut and Amman peeps, be on the look out, eric will be DJ’ing at the end of July in a place near you.

Two people i got to see perform live. Arthur Verocai, one of Brazil’s finest composers, and DAM Funk, truly funky i must say. DAM’s photo is by Coleman.

Shot this from the balcony, that wall should be familiar.

Penny’s burgers, had breakfast there today, big portions and great prices.

Shot while driving.

The other half of Mochilla, Brian Cross. Every visit to B+ is a lesson in music, history, Ireland and always sharing beautiful photos. Plus i got to watch many world cup games here, 6am for a football game is tough.

You ever seen this doll? If not…click here.

Kinda like this shot.

One of my favorite images I made with the M9.

Brazilian vinyl art.

My flip on the famous abbey road shot, but with super long shadows and what seems to be a girl from texas…

Our friend Walter shooting in downtown L.A

Hollywood Blvd, and fresh orange Metro busses.

The famous Roosevelt Hotel

Hotel Phone

Joanna poses for a quick candid portrait

Many limos around Hollywood, might as well use dead time to clean them up.

Hip shot action at In & Out burger

Time for a burger.

Payed a quick visit to Amin, the director of Captain Abu Raed.

There is always someone pushing a cart in L.A

and here is the final image of the post….this time while stopped at the traffic light.

All i can say is that this camera is really beautiful, precise, and it’s a pleasure to shoot with. I can take it with me everywhere, and always count on getting beautiful images. The only thing that really kept on annoying me is the display monitor. Really this is not a review so i’m not gonna get into details, and by the way I am not required by Leica to share images i shot with the camera or write about it, thought i’d just put a disclaimer and with that said, many thanks to Leica for allowing me to use this camera and give it a test run.

More posts to come soon…InshAllah.

A Visit to the Jordan Valley

It’s been two months since the last post but life has been a whirlwind. I’ve traveled  around the region and to the US for the South by South West music festival in Texas along side “The Paranoids”. Next month I head back to the states to deliver the graduation speech for Elon University’s Class of 2010, a humbling and big honor to be honest. I’m really proud that they chose me to speak 5 years into my professional career, thought i’d do it one day, but not this soon.

Anyways, i’ve been a bit more active on Immortal’s blog ( make sure you keep a constant eye on it) , slowly we are shaping what is hopefully going to be one of the freshest cultural/entertainment companies, focusing on film, photography and music in the region. Recently we got involved in a documentary film currently in progress focusing on the Jordan Valley and the efforts of two female radio hosts from the Jordan Valley to create change and improve the conditions there.  So i’ll be editing “Voice of the Valley” this summer, should be fun editing a documentary again. It’s been a while since i cut “No Shoof Camera” directed by Jon Steele and produced by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan.

A couple of days ago I headed down to the Jordan Valley with Leila & Elspeth the co-directors of the film and followed them as they documented the work of Muneera, one of the radio hosts. I have to say it has been a while since i’ve visited this area of the country and it was a heavy visit. We got to meet  two families who have been living in really hard conditions for a long time.

The first family we visited lived under a water canal that irrigates the farms in the area. The canal sometimes floods and last year their sheep drowned. The family consists of Fatima a 50 year old woman and her sick mother. They have been living here for 37 years, they live alone in a small shack and live off a small amount of welfare that is barely enough for the mother’s medication.

The second family we visited lived in a number of tents sheltered by a rocky formation up on one of the hills in the Jordan Valley. They have lived in these quarters for over 20 years now. The father has a heart problem, one of the kids has a disease in the nerves and none of the brothers work. I also got to meet the grandfather, and couldn’t resist asking him for a portrait. We shared a cup of tea and then left, on the road way back i couldn’t resist thinking of how lucky i am to have jumped on a project that will help raise awareness about the issues in the Jordan Valley and the monumental work both radio presenters have been putting into their community.

The Man with the Pigeons

I’ve walked the street of Amman for years now, and for the past 4 years i’ve always had my camera with me. I’ve seen the city change in many ways but there are things that never change. I’ve gone on to capture hundreds of moments in my city, and with every roll of film i shoot i discover and explore.

Seeing a guy or a group of guys with pigeons on the rooftops of Amman’s hills is a common sight and you can see it any day as the sun starts to set. Finally i’ve captured one of those moments on film as i was walking last month with two great photographers who have inspired me for a while now . B+ and Eric Coleman of Mochilla, who were visiting the region for two shows my company organized. Over a period of a week we walked the streets of Beirut and Amman and shot tons of film, it’s not often that i go on shoots with other photographers, i tend to be more in the zone if i’m by myself, but this time it was different, its actually a good change, sometimes it has its advantages, especially when everyone is inspired.

So consider this photo a preview for what is coming soon, expect to see  some beautiful photos from Beirut and Amman in collaboration with our good brothers at Mochilla.

Revolt Radio Interview

A couple of months ago i got an email asking me if i’d like to be interviewed by Revolt Radio, an online radio project that is led by Hass from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He’s been interviewing artists like The Narcisyst, Shadia Mansour and BIG A, and talking about their journey in the world of hip hop and about their craft.

Finally the interview took place last week and now it’s online for people to hear. We got talking about my involvement in the Arab Hip Hop scene and in documenting it through my photography, we also got to talk about my first feature film “Captain Abu Raed” and future projects.

Support independent work and take a listen. Here is the link

http://revoltradio.blogspot.com/2010/02/revolt-interviews-laith-al-majali.html