The Spaza Life

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 8

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:30:00 GMT

Day 8:

Our last day started a bit slower than some of the others. With no real agenda left, but getting back to Muscat, our departure from Sur was not too rushed. We started making our way north up the coast, passing a few small villages and a large refinery. Stopping at another wadi, we walked up into a village. Taking our time, I sauntered around looking for a few more interesting frames to end the expedition with. After making our way up to the top of the village, Jason and I plopped down in some shade to take a break. It was nice to just sit and talk. The journey was almost over, but I knew its rewards were just beginning.

Upon reaching Muscat, we dumped our bags and tried to see if we could get back to the Grand Mosque, this time in the much more forgiving late afternoon light. With the help of our guides, we were allowed into the outer gardens. The difference between photographing it at this hour and when the sun was high was huge. A warm glow radiated off the white marble, replacing the harsh glare of the midday sun. The gardens were quiet and serene without the overcrowding of tourists. The center dome of the mosque glowed a warm golden yellow. It seemed more like an oasis than ever at this hour. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, I sat down in the green grass and admired the structure for what it was, a truly stunning house of God.

The crew is leaving tomorrow, and Simon and Jason are departing the day after that. But I’ve decided to stick around Muscat for a few more days, to see what I can come up with on my own. I am going to miss Jason’s tutelage immensely but I feel confident I have grown as a photographer over these past 8 days. I only wish that the trip was 16 days long, not 8. Jason really raised the bar for what I should expect from myself and I feel very blessed to have been able to witness firsthand what hard work and dedication can result in. Working with a National Geographic photographer was a life changing experience and has inspired me to only work harder at my dream of becoming a professional photographer. I believe that when one journey ends, another begins and I could not have imagined a better experience for preparing me for that next journey, to achieve my dream.

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 7

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:29:00 GMT

Day 7:

Waking up the before the sunrise has been the norm on this trip. This time it was to get to an early morning camel race, the one we’d heard about the day before. As we arrived, the sheer scale of the race became apparent. Toyota Hilux after Toyota Hilux flew in through the sand to the track. Men dressed in the best, with daggers (Khanjars), guns, and bullet belts were everywhere. As the sun rose, the morning light illuminated the excited faces of the race goers. The track was a straight mile and created two points of interest. First was the race start. Camels were tied to the fences and men and boys huddled around them in large packs, judging and preparing their bets. Jason and I waded through the thick crowds looking to get close to the action. Maybe it was because they were distracted by the race about to start, or perhaps it was the pomp and circumstance, but people were much more receptive to photos and didn’t seem to object as they often did in other instances. As the races got closer to starting, Jason and I positioned ourselves right at the gate, ready to capture that first instant. Setting my camera to drive mode, I tried to capture as many frames of the beginning of the race as I could. The twist was, Jason had duct tapped the back of my camera again, so I had no clue if I was getting results. But the tape was good for me, as there was to much action going on around me to be stopping to check my results. So much so, even working two cameras, I was starting to worry that I should have brought extra memory cards out into the fray with me.

Working the starting line was a challenge, there was no way of knowing when the race was going to begin and the best vantage point was low, very low. Laying on our bellies in the sand and dried camel poop, I kept my eye glued to the viewfinder waiting for the gate to raise and react. Using my super wide-angle lens, it was also hard to tell how close how close the camels were actually coming to me. And looking at the images now, I was probably inches from getting stepped on by a charging camel. After we had finished with the races, I checked my camera to find that I had taken over 1000 frames, and it wasn’t even before 9am. A great morning, but note to self, stay on Jason’s Left shoulder when he’s working fast otherwise I end-up in his images! Again he grabbed a fucking awesome frame of the start of the race. The man knows how to make Nat Geo pics. Kept thinking about it after I saw it. Almost a lil discouraging. I have a ways to go.

Making our way over to Sur, we headed to an old dhow building factory. However, when we arrived, we did not find the warm reception that we expected. The owner, who had recently taken over the company from his father, was not happy about us coming in with our cameras and for a while it seemed like he would not let us shoot. But with a little sweet-talking, Jason got us in and we had an hour to walk around the boats. After seven days of pre-dawn wake ups, I was exhausted and as Jason described it, I had a bit of Shutter Fatigue. But I wandered around the boats, looking for candid shots of the workers. It was nice to be near the water, cooler. I stayed and watched a man fiberglass the hull of a bright red boat for a while. Though my photo taking had slowed down, it was a pleasant way to end our penultimate day.

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 6

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:28:00 GMT

Day 6:

After getting to sleep in, got up and ready to go. Today was a day that I was excited for, getting to go into the desert. When I had first learned that I was going to Oman, the desert was one of the first things I thought of. Eager to photograph the dunes and their abstract lines, I could not wait to get there. But we had a long day and relatively unexciting day of driving between us and that destination. Taking what seemed to be a detour, we stopped at a Wadi. on our way. After the Wadi, where we seemed to linger a little to long, we raced the rapidly falling sun to the dunes. However, we did stop for an instant to allow a group of racing camels to cross and decided to get out and shoot them for a moment. They told us there was a big race the next morning near-by.

After deflating our tires for sand driving, we raced into the desert towards our camp. Huge orange dunes rose on either side of us. In a race against the sun, an all to common theme on this trip, we dumped our gear and piled back into the trucks to get up into the dunes.

With a big grin on his face — Saleh loved sand driving — he guided us up into the dunes, revving the engine in low gear. The sand was soft and powdery. After getting out of the cars, Saleh told me to kick off my shoes, as they would only be a hindrance to getting around. Jason told me to focus on lines and shadows. With only a half hour of light left, I took off looking for those things. Before I could get very far, a heard a roar behind me. Looking around, there came one of the trucks, barreling over the dune on top of my footprints. I had to shuffle through the sand out of the way as fast as I could.

When I got some distance again, I felt like I was in a giant adult sandpit designed for photographer’s. When I wanted a low angle, I didn’t kneel down, but just plopped on my butt. The sand was so soft and welcoming, it felt like sitting on a mattress. The viscosity of the sand did make for difficult movement. Any journey up a dune took some fancy footwork and a bit of forward momentum.

Wish we had had more time. Got some really great stuff. But then saw one of Jason’s shots that blew mine outta the water. Pure Lawrence of Arabia shit. Must learn how to do that. No matter what, it was truly an awesome experience.

Camel racing in the morning will be great. Jason seems to like my pics, but

It’s hard to tell. He reacts to some I don’t care for. Need to learn more about training my eye.

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 5

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:26:00 GMT

Day 5:

Our day started at an ancient set of stone tombs, high on a hill. Round piles of rocks, all in a line, the tombs were thousands of years old and showed that wear. Framing was key. Spontaneous travel moments in places like this are hard to fake. When our guides told us about the age of these structures, I was surprised with the lack of pomp. No signage, no protection, this monument to the past existed as it had for thousands of years. This raised several questions, including what wear had been caused by time and what had been caused by unbridled tourist interaction. Or perhaps, what future remained for these unguarded remains. Unlike many of the forts we visited, this site held an authenticity and allowed access not normal.

In an interesting juxtaposition, our next visit was to one of the aforementioned forts, renovated and sterilized for tourist consumption. The history behind the structure held importance but its presentation lacked authenticity. I was glad when we quickly moved on.

With the sun high in the sky now, we made our way back up into the mountains to see the Grand Canyon we had missed yesterday. We encountered a strangle traffic jam when we arrived there. Just after pulling off the road, a long long line of white Toyota SUV’s filed in past us. With identifying numbers on their back window, tourist piled out of them and swamped the fenced edge of the canyon. It seemed like a land cruise ship made up of Land Cruisers and that 5 minute tourist attitude accompanied it. As soon as we could, the guides decided to take us to a more private overlook of the canyon. Greeted by a family of goats, this overlook was much more to my liking. They must have played with people before. One of them keeps smiling. And without the fences and “punters,” our photographic company was much more agreeable.

Realizing our affinity for the authentic, Ali and Saleh had decided to take us to another old village. Immediately upon arriving, we all got excited. Meeting a local for Omani coffee, our path to him was flanked by centuries old walls and tunnels. We sat and enjoyed coffee and lunch for a few minutes, but I was eager to get out and explore the village. With Jason shooting some video for the show, Simon and I rushed off to see what we could find. Sad to see the stay away and no photographers signs all over the place though. Wish I could be a ghost photographer some time, but that would likely be quite unethical.

Like most of Oman, the locals were wary and weary of photographers, especially women. I was quickly reminded this when I raised my camera, gesturing to an old woman trimming some reeds that I wanted to take her picture. Her reaction was instant and severe. Brandishing her sharp blade at me like a sword, her body language and rapid Arabic retort answered my request. I backed away quickly.

Not all my potential portrait subjects were as unresponsive, but many wanted something in return for my images. Shooting an archway, an old man sauntered past. Without thinking I asked for his picture, and raised my camera in suggestion. He started talking at me, but I had no clue what he was saying. It wasn’t until a young man with some English walked by and translated did I realize that he wanted compensation. Having never paid for an image before, it took me a moment to process, but his toothless grin seemed to good to pass up. Handing over a single Rial, I had a bought a model for 30 seconds. Definitely worth it!

When I met back up with Jason, he seemed frustrated and told me that the filming had taken way to long. So long that he had missed most of the evening light and had barely gotten any frames from the beautiful village. Having been overwhelmed by the focus it took to pack as much photography into our short windows of time in places, I couldn’t even comprehend how he did it while shooting a TV show. For once, it seemed like Jason was jealous of me and not the other way around.

Desperate for sleep after another long day, I went to bed right after dinner. This trip really is a dream.

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 4

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:00 GMT

Day 4:

I was finally getting used to the pattern of this trip. Awake and in the cars well before dawn, followed by a race to catch the sunrise, day 4 began like the others. We climbed high into the hills to reach a beautiful little village in a small rocky canyon. The scramble in the cars was followed by an ascent up a path to the source of the village’s water.

In an unexpected move, Jason pulled out a piece of black tape and asked for my camera. Not knowing what he was planning on doing, I obliged. To my initial horror, he covered my screen with the tape and told me not to take it off on pain of death. The point of this exercise, he explained, was to keep my head up and focused on making the images, not on the results. He continued to tell me that, the viewfinder was only a hindrance and did nothing but distract a young photography like myself. Though I obeyed and left the tape on, it took a while to stop my rote motion of checking the back of the camera.

Looking for interesting angles on our walk up the ridge, Jason and I talked about the history of National Geographic and its evolving brand. Jason explained his own entrée into that very exclusive club, detailing the long struggle it was and the effort it continued to be. I wanted to know what mold a Nat Geo photographer fit in, or if one existed at all. Having “read” the magazine before I could actually read, it is truly a life long dream to have some roll in the magazine and the society.

After our morning hike, the plan for the day began to fall apart. With lost luggage and other stumbling blocks, our agenda for the day began to be a bit of freestyle. Our goal for the evening was to be at the Grand Canyon for the sunset, but there were a few attractions between us and many long miles on unimproved road. First we encountered a beautiful canyon, with a herd of goats drinking in it. The canyon did look cool and Jason wanted to explore, but it seemed kinda like a bad idea to me. I’m prone to dropping lenses and breaking stuff and this was just the local for me to exercise those bad habits.

After our guides dragged us away from that picturesque scene, we encountered beautiful vista after vista as we climbed through the mountains towards our destination. Stopping at a few, we took our time to take landscapes of the vast black mountains and valley in front of us. It seemed like we were looking out over any alien planet.

As we hit the tarmac again, we drove like mad men towards the Grand Canyon. However, another beautiful vista stopped us in our tracks. Rising above the palm trees below, an ancient village was illuminated by the falling sun on a hillside. Jason stopped to look at it and I knew that we weren’t going to see the Grand Canyon that day. Jason and I rushed down to the village to photograph it before we lost the beautiful golden light. After asking a few local old men for permission to enter the village, we started to pick our way through the ruins. Jason told me to focus on the textures of the stone, working to show the age of this abandoned village. We had barely 20 minutes of light but we worked it as waned. Jason even got inspired to do some video and I happily ripped the tape off to shoot it. It was a great chance to demonstrate/practice my other favorite skill set, documentary filmmaking. Only wish I had had the audio and the Canon C300. Jason mentioned that the Nat Geo creative director would be requesting me for the next shoot (jokingly). Still, made me drool inside. Could I do Josh/Luke’s Job while I work on the photography? I wish. It was a TON of fun to play at their jobs for an hour at an amazing local.

Jason and I talked on our way up the mountain to our camp that night and he mentions working with him after the trip, sending him pics whenever I want for review. Fuck. Yea. Just what I need.

It was a day of unplanned activity, but satisfying images none-the-less.

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 3

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:23:00 GMT

Day 3:

After falling asleep the night before reviewing pictures, I woke up early to get ready to going diving. We had problems immediately when we started driving to the dive site. First we found out that the boat we had believed we had chartered for ourselves was actually filled with eight “punters” as Jason referred to them as (one of the many Australianisms I was now acquainting myself with.) This was clearly not acceptable for shooting and Jason worked out renting a new dive charter just for our own use. After waiting for Jason, Saleh, Simon and the dive master to finish their first dive, I finally got my chance to do a trial dive. Under close supervision by the aforementioned instructor, I got in the water and began to explore this new world for the first time.

Having just snorkeled before, I was only familiar with reefs a few feet from the surface. Immediately I realized that Scuba diving was amazing!! Why did I not get certified when I was in Fiji?!? 10 meters down, the life of the ocean took on a whole new meaning. Despite the murky green color of the water, fish of every size and shape were clearly visible all around, schooling together or darting in and out of amoebas. I quickly forgot about the fact that I was breathing underwater for the first time. Unburdened by the camera (I did not have the proper underwater housing for mine, find $30K for that somewhere?) my head was on a constantly rotating swivel, looking around as fast as my head would move. Moray Eels rested below tangled coral, while barracuda patrolled the outer edges of the reef. Because of my novice scuba diving, I burned through my first tank quick. So quick that I was able to strap on another and stay down till the rest of the group completed there first.
Despite the few pictures taken, I was deeply satisfied with the day. My eyes opened to a whole new world of life and possibilities, all I could think about on the boat ride back was how I was going to get PADI certified and get my camera underwater. Also I didn’t miss dinner tonight!

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 2

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:37:00 GMT

Day 2:

Our first official day of shooting began at the local fish markets of Matrah, a costal town near old Muscat. We arrived before the sunrise and watched the men and their catch begin to negotiate the sales. The light was minimal to start off and it took a while for my brain to warm up to what I was trying to capture. I put on a flash at first, but decided instead to raise my ISO and see what I could do with the low natural light as the sun rapidly approached. The market was both interesting and mundane at the same time and I was unsure of what to shoot.

Only saw one woman, as the buyers and sellers were almost exclusively male, some dressed in the traditional Dish-dash and others less formally. The fishy stink rose as quickly as the sun and I tried to speed up my sleepy brain to keep track of all the transactions occurring around me. Got into a better groove and got sneakier. A pattern in the sales was impossible to find, as each seller seemed to carry a variety of catch. Fish ranged in sized from small mackerel to huge tuna. There was even a solitary Sailfish that looked longer than my 6’3’’ frame. With the light increasing, so did the population of the market. Men and women of all ages filed in, perusing and negotiating. A simple system emerged for the buyers: after buying the fish, they could take them over to a man with a hose and a knife to filet their purchases on the spot. As the sun began to move rapidly up in the horizon, we decided to move on to our next destination.

The Grand Mosque plays a major role in the skyline of Muscat and its importance was clear to me the night I arrived and first drove past it. Four large turrets surrounding a massive dome, the ornate and lavish mosque stood out like an oasis of green flora and white marble in the city. We were only permitted access, as non-Muslims, during a small window of the morning. Being there at this time the mosque was filled with light skinned tourists and as a result it felt more like a museum than a house of worship.

With tall archways, shiny white marble and stark dark shadows, it seemed like the ultimate challenge of architecture photography. I learned quickly about the distortion present in my lenses as the long lines present all around me seemed to bend in the frame. Finding the right combination of lens and position was everything in creating well-composed frames. Exposure was a huge challenge as well, with the high sun creating drastic highlights and shadows. The key to me seemed to be finding the right frames, using the architecture itself to highlight important features of the mosque. Easier said than done.

Our last stop of the day was Al Hazm Castle. I was expecting a ruin but we were greeted with a towering structure, looking like it was in the same condition as it was hundreds of years before. I was slightly disappointed in the overdone renovations and improvements. However, the fort had a great view of the valley and its many palm trees. As the sun set, I relished the opportunity to highlight the oasis this fort had protected for so many years from it’s high vantage point. Even tried my favorite, handheld pano creation. Thank you CS6!!! Hope Jason lets me use them. Found out later the answer is NO!

Just before the sunset, Jason and I spotted a soccer game going on in the village and we raced down to capture its closing action. However, only minutes after we arrived, the call to prayer sounded and the boys dispersed as quickly as we had arrived.

World Nomads Scholarship Expedition Oman Day 1

jakesalyers — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Day 1:

Immediately upon meeting Jason, I realized that sleep was going to be a low priority on this expedition. Before we had even really started the trip, we did not have enough time and I knew it instinctually. With every second precious, like the scarce water supply in this arid country, time would be our greatest and most valuable resource.

Once Jason, Simon and the crew arrived (I had arrived very late the night before) things started to pick up instantly. Jason, having done his research, knew what he wanted to capture and the first thing on that list was a bullfight. Unique to Oman in the Middle East, the bullfights were not at all what I had envisioned.

Surrounded by an almost exclusively male crowd, a large sand field represented the battlefield. Bulls tied to polls, ropes attached both through their noses and to an ankle, waited outside the surrounding crowd for their chance at combat, kicking up dirt and creating ditches in the sand. No traditional matadors to be seen, the bull fights consisted of two huge bulls going at it, horn locked against horn. A referee of sorts would occasionally slip in close to the battle, sliding out the ropes, still attached to their ankles, with the help of a hooked cane to pull the bulls apart. In my American tradition, the bulls reminded me of massive football lineman, locked in a pressure packed stalemate, struggling for inches against their opponent.

Watching Jason photograph the proceeding, I witnessed his fearlessness. However close the officials would allow him to crouch close to the bulls, he would be there, anticipating the action. With only one photographer allowed so close to the action, I reserved myself to the max zoom of my telephoto lens and the reactions of the crowd to the sporadic action.

Playing to my strengths as a photographer, I walked around the outskirts of the proceedings, searching for compelling portraits. As the sun fell towards the horizon, the light reached that peak time, the golden hour, and I began to see faces illuminated perfectly. As fascinating as the bulls combat was, I spent the last few minutes of our time their searching for images of those men – dressed in the clean white dishdasha – that where so new to me.

As quickly as the light reached its best moment, it was gone and we walked away from this impromptu first day action. Everyone deeply pleased in this first, albeit unplanned, event, we made our way back to the hotel, to prepare for an early morning.

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

jakesalyers — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:10:00 GMT

For most of my life, I had never thought much about photography. Then, three years ago, my parents gave me a camera before I spent a semester in Africa—and I fell in love. While traveling through Tanzania, I saw great beauty alongside great poverty. After being overwhelmed with sadness for this poverty all around me and guilt for my own good fortune, I started to turn my lens on what I saw. Since then, nothing has changed my life more than travel and photography.

Through the viewfinder, I discovered how to leverage my privilege to help others. While finishing school, I’ve spent the past few years living and working in Fiji and South Africa, attempting to embed myself within cultures very different from my own. Each time, I’ve tried to learn and share what life is like for these communities.

Photography has revealed itself to me as a way to share stories few would’ve noticed otherwise. Still, I’ve had no formal training, and this is where this scholarship comes in. Jason’s expertise and mentoring will really help me reach the next skill level, while the exposure afforded by this opportunity could help me turn my dream of being a professional photojournalist into a reality.