Middle East Love

The good people over at MAGNET have added me to their roster! They will be representing my commercial work internationally. Inquiry and booking information is listed below. Thanks! 

Outtake: Khalifa City

"It is absolutely impossible for a subject to see or have insight into something while leaving itself out of the picture, so impossible that knowing and being are the most opposite of all spheres."   Nietzsche,  Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks

Nikon vs Canon

My first camera was a Canon AE-1 that I was dumb enough to pawn for dog food. The original plan was to just borrow enough to get by until my next paycheck. Well my payday came and went more than once and when I finally went back to get my camera I missed the deadline by one day. 

Some years later I bought another and then sold it to buy my first Nikon N90s. I remember how intimidated I was by all the extra buttons and gadgets it had on it compared to my Canon AE-1. In fact, I remember the guy I bought it from asked what camera I presently owned. When I answered he immediately asked, "Are you sure your'e ready for this one?" 

I took that camera and bought two lenses, a 28mm and 180mm. I was transferring to Ohio University to study photojournalism and they required that I had "one professional body, one wide angle lens and one long lens." Internship after internship, I added to my arsenal as my earnings afforded me. 

After university I freelanced with that same body and all of the lenses I had managed to amass. Let's face it, Nikon lenses are hands down built to take anything you can throw at them. Not to mention their optics are superb, but that's another story. 

Eventually, I became a staffer at a paper and after years of being a loyal Nikon man I was handed a Canon body and lenses as my tools for covering the daily grind. Honestly I really wasn't very happy with the switch. I had never been a fan, I never had any logical reasons, but I just didn't like Canon. 

As years passed and Canon's digital technology easily surpassed Nikon I slowly accepted the new deal. All the while I was hoping Nikon would catch up. Then I was punched in the gut when Canon introduced the full frame 5D. Argh! Any hope I had left in me was quickly lost. I knew Canon had it goin' on. What to do? 

Every now and then I'd blow the dust off of my Nikon gear and play with my old N90s or my wife's D200. It was nostalgic. 

Fast forward a few years...

My good friend, who pretty much has her own mini camera museum full of Leicas, Canons, Mamiyas, etc, bought a D700 I knew something was up. After she took it out on assignment and played around with it for a couple months I asked her about its performance. I also scoured over reviews I found online and asked other people who were shooting Nikon what their overall feelings were.

I was sold. 

Today, was my first day back in the saddle with a trusted old friend. On my way out the door to my son's friend's birthday party I grabbed my Nikon and headed out. It felt a bit awkward having shot with a Canon for so many years but the Nikon's body felt solid and welcoming. Not to mention all of the dials I once found intimidating years ago now felt intuitive and natural. 

Reunited and it feels so good! 

Zoology

The people go to the zoo to peer at the caged beast.
The wife enjoys the trip for the cotton candy.
The boy for rock hopping and penguins.
I go for the social landscape.

Public School

 Islamic Studies class at Al Taleaa Secondary School in the UAE

Expecting the Unexpected... Going Commercial

Quite some time back I blogged about a commercial job I shot in Lebanon. Today, I'm finally able to post some of the images. The ad campaign is being circulated throughout Kuwait, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria and Palestine.

The details are fuzzy now as it has been nine months since I shot this for the Kuwaiti telecommunications service Wataniya. Needless to say I had a fantastic time. 

The entire team that helped pull this production off were no less than amazing. The producer, stylist, set designer, art director, fixer, etc were on top of their game and were instrumental in the overall success of the shoot. 

By the end of the week it truly felt like we were one big happy extended family.

Special thanks to arabianEye for representing my work in the Middle East and bringing me on to be a part of this production. The above images are a few of my favorites but if you want to see more as well as some outtakes go here.

Oh, and thanks to Celia Peterson at arabianEye for keeping the cheese pizza flowing! 

Opal Noor...

The first time my wife proposed the idea of natural child birth I admit I was taken aback. I was concerned about the safety for my unborn child and my wife. She stands at 5'1" and is all of 90lbs. Yes, she is not petite she is itty-bitty. So you can understand my cautious approach in supporting her decision. 

However, after reading up on the subject, educating myself and meeting with our doula I was convinced. It's amazing how so many of us are conditioned to believe that birth requires so much medical intervention. It is indeed false. I could go into the details but I won't. All I can suggest is that if you and your loved one decide to have a child please do your own research and weigh your options. 

The following images document the experience and then some. I shot very little, mostly in between contractions, back rubs and words of encouragement to my wife. Since having a home birth is against the law in the UAE we eventually made our way to the local hospital. 

Our baby girl Opal Noor arrived just under two hours after our arrival. Med-free. She went home the next day. 

My wife is a Champion! 

ISTABSIR: AL SATWA

ISTABSIR is a photo column that runs weekly in The National. The title is derived from an Arabic verb which means to attentively reflect on and contemplate with respectful consideration. Unlike most photo columns The National runs a photo essay per column. Each Sunday, the series receives an entire page (w/o ads) in the news section of our publication.


*You can view more images from this ongoing essay at my website. 

AL SATWA: IN A CHANGED WORLD

IMAGES & TEXT BY: RICH-JOSEPH FACUN

Reflections about the current status of Dubai’s historic community “Al Satwa,” can be found scribed on the walls of alleyways and abandoned villas. Silent messages spray painted in graffiti along textured sand toned walls elicit a running commentary. One anonymous voice summarizes what many residents may in fact already be feeling as towering developments encroach into their backyards, "Satwa is in a changed world."  

Empty lots and skeletal remains of old villas weave throughout the streets of Satwa intertwining with meticulously manicured homes creating a stark contrast of one another. A constant visual reminder of both the past and future for those who still reside within this prime real estate property slated to be razed. Despite the undeniable demise of the community “to let” signs remain abundant. In Satwa multiple fliers posted on the spaces of both local grocery store bulletin boards and street posts create a collage of names and numbers. 

Despite the fact that many new arrivals to Satwa are simply seeking affordable accommodations the story is not the same for other community members. Many of these residents are from a long lineage of families that stretch back for decades. Satwa's residents include Emiratis from the Bloushi tribe who have been there for many decades, Iranians who have been in the Emirates for over 60 years, and migrant workers mostly from South Asia.

Eventually, this area of several square kilometers between Sheikh Zayed Road and Satwa Road will be cleared of all old houses making way for “Jumeirah Garden City.”  In the meantime the charming quiet nature of Al Satwa will remain a present reminder of Dubai’s yesteryears where life was rooted in a sublime simplicity.  When asked what he will do if his home is razed, Obeid Jamil Mabrouk, a resident of Al Satwa for 37 years, said "No matter if they break it down we'll still be here." 

WORKFLOW: Mussafah

WORKFLOW is a ongoing blog post that will convey my experiences while on assignment. These thoughts might range from the impression a subject has left to explanations about the conceptual approach in the visual reporting. Enjoy.

Assignment: Physicians with the Emirates National Mobile Medicare Hospital offer free medical care to the working class at a labor camp in Mussafah. 

During this particular shoot, the writer, videographer and I arrived at 4:00. However, things did not get rolling until one of the physicians eventually arrived about an hour or so later. To his defense, you have to understand "Arab Time." 

Here in the UAE, you'll quickly learn what the locals mean when they use this term. Essentially, nothing will begin until after the actual scheduled starting time. I could be wrong but I'm guessing that around here if you want people to arrive at your function at 2:00 tell them it starts at 1:00. If you're lucky people will start to show up around 2:30, maybe just maybe. 

Prior to moving to Abu Dhabi, I have to admit that patience was not my greatest asset. However, I found that without a disciplined application of this virtue I would never make it here. 

In the UAE, many things move very slowly. Finding a flat, getting a license, receiving your mail, legal paperwork, replies from emails, etc, etc, etc. The long standing joke with the expats here is to "hurry up and wait." 

So the story goes, most of the assignments I shoot tend to never start on time. As frustrating as that can be, it is a true test of ones patience. Rather than add to the problem I have learned to create my own solution by bringing a good book along with me to pacify the wait. I'm surprised by how many books I have read since moving here. 

In the end, my patience has matured and so have I to some degree. Mama would be proud! 

WORKFLOW: Al Harma

WORKFLOW is a ongoing blog post that will convey my experiences while on assignment. These thoughts might range from the impression a subject has left to explanations about the conceptual approach in the visual reporting. Enjoy. 

Assignment: Covering an assault training session in Al Harma, located in the Western Region of the UAE, between members of the United Arab Marines and the Royal Marine Commandos. 

This particular day required I start early. I needed to be three hours west by 830 am. This meant leaving from Abu Dhabi at 5 am-ish in order to arrive in Al Harma on time to meet with my contact. Upon arrival we were asked to wait. 

No problem I just went back to watching the road where grains of sand mimicked a swirled sky. It ended up being a good patch of welcomed downtime for the writer and I.  We were both a little blurry eyed from either the early assignment or the jolts of caffeine now in our systems. We ended up talking about the story line and other random thoughts while I indulged in my disgusting habit, smoking way too many cigarettes, again. 

Eventually the officer returned and escorted us to where the training session was taking place. As any good public affair officer does - he briefed us along the way. All the while our cargo of four or five military SUVS zoomed deeper into this nothingness of dunes and dunes and more dunes. 

Popp, ppppPOP, booom, BBoooM! 

So the sounds of artillery greeted us. I jumped out and assessed the area. 

Click... click, click, click...

I fired away

It was a near miss. The drill was over in a matter of minutes.