7 nights in Luxor

[lucasdigital]

Just got back from a fantastic holiday in Egypt, travelling on my lonesome meant I could indulge my photographic urges without restriction. :)

http://www.lucas-digital.com/egypt/people/index.html

All taken with my EOS D350 with 50mm prime lens

[Darryl Baptista]

Good candid shots Darryl

[lucasdigital]

Good candid shots Darryl

Thanks for your comment Darryl

Actually you couldn't really count any of them as "candid" - everyone I photographed - I payed. You can see the clutched bank notes in some of the shots. In fact you can tell which people were rewarded with "backsheesh" after the shot (they are the grumpy ones), and the people who got payed before (grinning like loons).

I strongly recommend anyone with a camera to put the Nile Valley on their travel list, it's an amazing place, with very friendly people.

[Carzee]

The girls look good in the thumbnail:

http://www.lucas-digital.com/egypt/people/tn_sisters_jpg.jpg

...but in the larger image you have the same problem as I have with my twins, the DOF. And its hard getting them to do anything candid, especially keeping both of them at 90 deg to the camera.

Oh, and that donkey obviously didn't eat any "bakeesh" bribery. What a shame you have to act like father Christmas before you get a smile from a local.

[felix21685]

nice pictures...but u meant 350D..not D350 right :D ?

[crusher420]

Those are beautiful. Nice work. My wife was in Egypt/Israel last year on a tour. It is such an interesting place to shoot!

[lucasdigital]

The girls look good in the thumbnail:

http://www.lucas-digital.com/egypt/people/tn_sisters_jpg.jpg

...but in the larger image you have the same problem as I have with my twins, the DOF. And its hard getting them to do anything candid, especially keeping both of them at 90 deg to the camera.

Oh, and that donkey obviously didn't eat any "bakeesh" bribery. What a shame you have to act like father Christmas before you get a smile from a local.

Your right about the DOF, I had to be pretty quick, most of the shots were one-offs. I didn't get time to adjust settings. With candid shots I would have remained in the background and snapped away at people going about their business. However I wanted to try more portrait like shots - so appreciated people taking the time to pose and didn't mind paying (only about $0.2).

I felix21685 - ahem 350D! I must confess this wasn't a typo, I just got confused :)

[jaypie77]

How much did you pay these people to pose for you?

This reminds me of my mother's recent trip back to Poland (her birthplace). She was dropping cash left and right for almost no reason - but she was able to get everything she needed when she needed it and people were willing to help all the time. I would think that dollars might go even further with street-merchants in Egypt, but maybe that's my ignorant American understanding of the Middle East - or not.

[Claire]

Those candids and portraits are great!

[lucasdigital]

[QUOTE=jaypie77]How much did you pay these people to pose for you?

In Egypt you really struggle to get small change - nobody wants to pay you change in the first place. Most of the people I photographed were payed between 1 and 3 Egyptian pounds. Currently an Egyptian pound is worth about 20 cents - pin money, but you can survive day on a pound!

Not everybody wanted paying, but I was happy to make Luxor the photographic modelling capital of the world - at least for a few days :)

[jjdgti]

Very nice pictures. A lot of details on the way of living in different parts of the world.
I am new in this forum and so far I like what I see.

John