A YEAR OF ADVENTURE IN THE KINGDOMIt is not yet the year twenty-thirteen, nor the new Isalmic year 1
A YEAR OF ADVENTURE IN THE KINGDOMIt is not yet the year twenty-thirteen, nor the new Isalmic year 1434 (but it is near, by the second half of November).November 2nd, 2011. Uncertain of the future ahead, after few months of preparation, I left the Philippines to try an opportunity on a foreign land. The following day I set foot on the sand land (well, actually the pavement of the airport).As a neophyte in the industry I was moving in, with two years of playing around Manila and in some other parts of the Philippines, I couldn’t help myself but be anxious about the thought of going outside the country and deal with possibly larger or more intricate projects. The world of telecommunications is just so diverse.Apart from career, I had in my list of concerns my aquariums (their plants and faunas), my books in the mini-shelf, my grandfather, and my tumblr.I thought Saudi Arabia was a place where someone, an expat for that matter, has no ‘life’ life. Where every move was being watched by someone. Where you’re not allowed to have fun. (All these turns out to be thoughts of ignorance.)Sure, the first few months were tough. Adjusting was slow. Different culture, language(s), environment, climate, and rules.One way to survive all thinkable challenges someone away from his family could face is to have an outlet for his mixing and culminating emotions (cue OFW songs).This tumblr will live, and so thus my pursuit to comfortably use the tag photography.(That was a long intro!)To cut the drama, this is a summary I made for my twelve months here in the kingdom.Photography is one of the things that I had been warned about. NOVEMBER 2011Familiarization. Lots of do’s and don’t’s will be heard when you’re new in this country. Older expats will warn you about this and that. In the first month, 'shy’ wasn’t the word but 'careful’. The handy point and shoot camera I brought with me did the recording.DECEMBER 2011Sneak-street photography. Hardly any output.JANUARY 2012Kitchen stuff and whatnot. It was obvious I missed home –and somewhat uninspired.FEBRUARY 2012Upgraded. Got a new camera and where else to test it but the park.MARCH 2012Street. Food. The start of the Strangers Project. Birds. Food. And also food.APRIL 2012I found myself happy shooting strangers. And food. And street. MAY 2012Half a year. Had finally the chance to see the desert world (and record with the help of le phone).JUNE 2012Photographing random people, landscapes, birds, and cats.JULY 2012The fruition of the Strangers Project. Street photography. Portraits. Black and white.AUGUST 2012Landscapes –seascapes, sunset, sunrise. Photographing time was explored further. At the end of this month, the western part of the kingdom was reached.SEPTEMBER 2012Practically almost spent days away from the city and shot landscapes on weekends. Mobile macro/close up photography is fun.OCTOBER 2012. Month of monochrome, landscape, and street. An uncertain month but thankfully ended well, even with some surprises. News from home. Career turning points.Strangers Project | PortraitFoodLandscape | Long exposure | Slow shutterBlack and WhiteStreetDesert Up CloseThank you, if you’re still reading until here.Thank you if ever you’ve seen at least one of the hundred photos above. Thank you if ever you’ve liked any of them. Thank you if ever you’ve shared any of the above memories to anyone, in one way or the other.Many thanks. To landscape, black and white, and food curators, thanks a million!This web log has recorded my sanity. -- source link
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