BandeleZuberi's Xanga

Monday, August 24, 2009

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:51:33 GMT

I've Moved!

The transition from old to new was intended to be short and sweet but throw into the mix the ups and downs life brings and a busy schedule as a professional photographer and here I am a few months later with a brand new blog and a back log of stuff to show off to you! It was time to say a fond farewell to Xanga, times have moved on and the benefits of switching to the wordpress platform were to hard to resist. The Xanga community have been a source of much encouragement and support and I hope you will join me on my new blog in the same vein.

My new blog is still a works-in-progess so don’t be surprised to see regular changes over the coming weeks, it’s the perfectionist in me! Along with new imagery I will also be unveiling details of new products and services I’ll be launching soon, telling you about new avenues of opportunity that have opened up for me and filling in any missing blanks since I last blogged for you. I’m looking forward to it and hope you are too!

So what are you waiting for check out my latest works at: www.bandelezuberi.com/blog

See you there!

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New Portrait Brochure

Sun, 24 May 2009 14:38:38 GMT

New Portrait Brochure!

Open publication - Free publishing - More bandele

This is my new portrait brochure, the result of way too much time trawling through fashion magazines and even jewellery brochures for design cues. Even more time deciding which images to include and then selecting appropriate captions to suit. I put it altogether in photoshop, exported as a pdf, and uploaded the file onto Issuu.com for them to do their magic, and hey presto, I now have a stylish and professional looking brochure that I can instantly email out to prospective clients. Hopefully they'll fall in love with my imagery and book me, at least that's the theory anyway! Of course it's also environmentally friendly as there is no chopping down of trees involved in the process. This is my first attempt but as time goes on there will be revisions and updates to the format. I'm currently working on a wedding brochure so watch this space!

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Merrisha Pt.2

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:30:20 GMT

Spent yesterday finishing of my shoot with Merrisha in Bermondsey Village, London. This is one of my favourite places to shoot because of the variety locations, architecture and colours in a relatively small area and it's so quiet too. Here's just a few from the shoot.

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A Joy to See

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 21:01:40 GMT

Introducing Benaiyah, Keymn and Jay's first born. I've rarely seen a couple so happy and adjusting to family life so well, it's a joy to see. This was my first attempt at this type of shoot so I kept it very simple and relied on a window for my main source of light. I loved the warmth between them when I was shooting so I tried to infuse this in the way I've been post-processing their images. These are three I finished so far.

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Merrisha.

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:49:31 GMT

Merrisha is an old friend from college and when she phoned up asking to book a shoot I jumped at the chance. We started the session shooting outside but when it got too cold we quickly made our way to the comfort of a local bar to grab a bite to eat and warmed up with some hot chocolates. Not one to miss an opportunity I took some shots while we were there as the decor was so cool. Anne-Marie, Merrisha's close friend who joined us on the day was a huge help and ended up being a fantastic lighting assistant, thank you! Here's a small selection of some of my favourites.

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A beautiful way to shoot.

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:31:37 GMT

Sit back and enjoy! This is a wonderfully engaging romantic story that follows a girl who misses her train to Milan and is set to wait overnight in Rome until Dawn. Whats extraordinary about this short film is that it was made with 4500+ still photographs shot on a Canon 30D! (who needs a 5D MkII, eh? Lol!) I'm always looking for new ideas, inspiration and avenues to explore and this little gem of a film provided it today in bucket loads. There's a certain purity about it. I'm not sure what spurred the makers to use a still camera (as opposed to a video camera) but I think what they produced is an example of how we as creatives can always innovate from within the confines of restraint and that we should never limit ourselves.

Notte Sento! A Beautiful way to shoot. (If you can find the time!)

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Next Level - Spain

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:18:34 GMT

Ok this is long overdue! My last workshop of 2008 was in the beautiful Spanish city of Seville and the final leg of my Next Level World Tour. I was actually travelling around Spain for a whole week before the workshop photographing many of the spectacular Moorish historical sites for a secret project I'll be working on this year. I was so worn out by the time I arrived in Seville for the workshop I adopted a relaxed approach to compensate for the gruelling schedule of the week before so my usual shooting frenzy was somewhat tamed which might have come as a relief to the models and the other attendees, lol! I've still have a few images I need to finish from this amazing week but here are some of my favourites in the meantime!

Many of you already know that these workshops have been the cornerstone of my development over the past year and a half. They have provided me with the necessary tools and skills to elevate my craft to a level I thought would take me many more years to reach! I've had the privilege of meeting so many great photographers along the way many of which have become good friends and find myself part of a fantastic growing community and network that offers the kind of support that will help you through those tough times and nourish you through the good. I won't be attending as many workshops this year, although Venice is a must (hey it's on my doorstep, well kind of!) but for those of you who have the time and are willing to make one of the best investments in your photography career then look no further than Scott's series of Next Level workshops which this year as well as Venice will include the destinations Hawaii and China!!!

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Viva Las Vegas!

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:56:31 GMT

WOW! After a gruelling eleven hour flight, a mad dash on the London Underground with two half-ton bags (I kid you not!) and finally a fast train (thank goodness!) to Birmingham followed by a short drive in the car, I was home! What an adventure! I've just spent the last week attending WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International, phew!) convention and trade show in Las Vegas! Not a place I'm particularly fond of, especially the food, but who cares when there are over 12,000 photographers in town along with industry superstars like Jerry Ghionis, Matthew Jordan Smith, Yervant, Jim Garner, the list goes on! I was blown away with what these guys are doing in the industry, they're all at the top of their game and deservedly so! One day B, one day! Close friend and mentor Scott Robert achieved a flurry of high scores in this year's print competition and scooped the prestigious Kodak award at the closing awards ceremony. A proud moment for Scott and for all of us who have been mentored by him. I'm determned to enter next year and see what happens.

I was actually in two minds whether to attend WPPI this year but that would have been a massive error of judgement. Last year was my first time to the conference and it inspired, motivated and energised me for the task in had (becoming a top photographer!). This year's WPPI did all of that and more. Sometimes when you feel your losing direction you need something to snap you back into place and put you on the right track. So thank you WPPI and all the great photographers I had a chance to hang out with, look forward to doing it all over again in 2010!

So I guess you're wondering what the images above have to do with the covention? Nothing really. I flew out to LA a few days prior to WPPI and drove down in convoy to Las Vegas for Scott's three day Next Level workshop. We were fortunate to spend a few hours at the Neon Boneyard a final resting place for many of Vegas's classic signs from the main strip. We could easily have spent a whole day there shooting as the photo oppotunites were endless. Anyway these were my favourite.

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I Love Me Some Snow!

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:39:09 GMT

I Love Me Some Snow!

Over the past week or so large parts of the UK ground to a halt as a result of the heaviest snowfall we've had for years! Across the country scores of schools and businesses were forced to shut, the public transport system struggled to cope, even London, the nation's capital was brought to a standstill. Many people who attempted travel found themselves fighting a losing battle and were left stranded on route to their destinations. The wiser amongst us stayed indoors and only ventured out to play in the snow. My morning commute to work usually involves a 5-10 second walk across the hallway from my bedroom to my office so I avoided all the drama, lol! I did however venture down to one of my local parks to take this snap. There is a certain calmness and serenity about the scene which was in sharp contrast to all the chaos. Like I said "I love me some snow"!

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Missing In Action!

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:17:22 GMT

Missing In Action

WOW! Is it 2009 already? We're in February?! What happened to January?! What did I miss?! Ok, so I'm fooling no one here, I have officially been missing in action caught between the closing chapter of 2008 and the new horizon of 2009. 2008 treated me so well, gave me the opportunity to enter a new chapter in my life, explore the world and connect with so many wonderful people, deep down I think I was reluctant to move into a new year and would have been happy to stay in 2008 for a little bit longer. 2009 has a lot to live up to!

Certainly the challenges that face me, face many of us in 2009 are far greater with the global economic downturn (annoyingly referred to as the 'Credit Crunch' in the UK) now in full swing, the outlook looks bleak. But despite this I choose not to succumb to the feeling of gloom, the depressing rhetoric or the endless scare tactics spreading like wild fire in the media. Instead I choose to employ large doses of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) and keep in the forefront of my mind a quote by Bob Johnson of BET who said:

"Life is a grindstone, whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends on what YOU are made of."

So inline with my positive outlook for 2009 I side stepped the normal list of New Year resolutions and instead promised myself one thing, that I will start each day with the determination, enthusiasm, motivation and thirst for life that consumes most of us at the beginning of a year. Don't get me wrong it's not just about having a positive attitude, this year I realise I will have to work harder than ever and put in endless hours, with failures along the way I'm sure, but if it leads to success and the extraordinary then it will all be worth it. Bring it on!

For the last month I have been busy promoting myself, networking and working on my marketing strategies for the coming year and most importantly booking jobs. I also found the time to finally update my website at www.bandelezuberi.com and finish editing lots of imagery I had lingering around on my hard drives including those from my last Next Level workshop in Seville, Spain. I haven't had much time for myself (affectionately known as B-Time) with the exception of my weekly visits to the gym which are now free visits courtesy of a government initiative to get the nation fit (I can't speak for the nation but it's working wonders for me!). I celebrated three 30th birthdays throwing sharply into focus the fact that I too will be hitting the milestone in a couple of months! Witnessed one of the biggest love story's of the decade courtesy of Sou-Wah (aka Yabo?) and Steve who are set to become the photography world's hottest husband & wife team! Was thrilled to see Serena Williams claim another grand slam at the Australian Open and watch the battle of the giants in the mens final. I saw 'Slumdog Millionaire' on the big screen, one of the best films I've seen in recent memory and highly recommend you go sample it's cinemagraphic delights.

January 2009 though will forever stick in the minds of world and be remembered for one thing, a defining moment in history, a signal of change, of a new discourse, hope and the upliftment millions of people around the globe. Of course I'm referring to the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. It may take me most of 2009 for the reality to sink in in order for me to process my thoughts on the subject, in the meantime I wish Obama, with the love and support of his beautiful wife Michelle and equally beautiful daughters, the best with the difficult task at hand.

Frustratingly I've had very little time to shoot recently however I'm taking a trip next week overseas (surprise, surprise!) and when I get back have a load of stuff lined up for me to work my magic on.

I think is the most I've ever written here so forgive me if I've distracted you for too long, either that or sent you into a deep comer! More importantly I hope these words find you well and in good spirits.

Oh, and of course HAPPY NEW YEAR! (better late then never, right?)

I'll be right back.......

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