Asad Anwar Photography

CAMERA AND NOTEBOOK BAG - LOWEPRO COMPUTREKKER AW PLUS

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:47:00 +0000

So you've bought the Camera your lenses and your tripod and there is this really exotic place you found you don't know what sort of equipment to carry you might find an awesome sunset …. Or you might wanna get a macro of this really rare species of insect … but then again you wouldn't want to miss on all the different birds in the region … some trekking might be necessary. Then you look at your stuff … and the obvious question is what next? How do you carry everything with you?

Amongst the other variety of bags available from Lowepro, I wanted to review the one I have the CompuTrekker AW Plus, its pretty good for travelling. Have a look at the video

Pros	Cons
Spacious	Shoulders hurt when its full with the laptop
Shock absorbing foam and padding for shoulders	Doesn't have quick access pockets
Extra pouches	Back gets hot and sweaty – No ventilation
Provision for tripod	Tripod pocket is a bit irritating should have been better
Well built, pretty strong can withstand a decent level of abuse.
Fully Customizable interior
Water resistant zippers
Laptop fits in very firmly
Weather Protection

Additional Features

It comes with an All weather cover for some added protection against the rain or dust
Slip Locks provide you with the ability to add or subtract components with your equipment. In case you want to buy additional accessories you can latch them on
This bag can be taken as a hand carry while traveling. Although beware that this bag can seriously weigh a lot when you have all the photography equipment coupled with a laptop

The technical specifications as mentioned on their website are as follows:

Specifications

Notebook computer (up to 17" screen); Pro digital SLR; 35 mm or compact medium format system, 4-5 lenses (up to 400mm f/2.8); flash and accessories

Size (Interior):13W X 5.3D X 18.9H in. / 33 X 13.5 X 48 cm

Size (Exterior):14W X 9.1D X 19.8H in. / 35.6 X 23.1 X 50.2 cm

Notebook Compartment Inner Dimensions:11.6W X 1.9D X 18.7H in. / 29.5 X 4.75 X 47.5 cm

Outer fabric:600D TXP™

Weight:6.06lbs/2.75kg

You can have a look at some of the shots of the bag.

I hope this review was useful. I would be grateful if you can spend a few minutes and provide feedback in the comments below. Thanks :)

References and Links

http://www.lowepro.com/

Contact information:

Official Website: http://www.asadanwar.net

For Questions/Comments/Suggestions: skeletor1@gmail.com

All images in this review are copyright material

It has grown into a beast !

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:25:00 +0000

I finally got my new lens and the flash ... will be coming up with another post soon with a video and some snapshots =) It was really humid outside today but i still went out to test out this mean machine and i luved it .... although i was soaking wet when i came home ... and the camera is also pretty heavy now that its fully equipped .. stay tuned =)

F O W : Features of the Week (Week 3)

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Finally its been weeks since i uploaded anything ... so here are more features. The first two are my personal favorites

I can feature your work too its simple just
Subscribe to this Blog for latest updates and features

Enjoy the ones below and it would be great if you can visit their work and appreciate them by following the links given.

Take care,

As'ad Anwar

Last Drop by =ahermin on deviant ART

Ink Sea by =ahermin on deviant ART

scandinavian summer blues by *hotburrito2 on deviant ART

Final Destination by `gilad on deviant ART

f f _ c by `gnato on deviant ART

_crayon_ by ~macro-art on deviant ART

go on by `gnato on deviant ART

I see myself as an intelligent by =Obscurae on deviant ART

Lots of digging to do by ~AESTHETICxPERFECTION on deviant ART

Trapped in the Fire Mouth by ~MattTheSamurai on deviant ART

One Foot on Sand by =ahermin on deviant ART

summerness by *BenoitPaille on deviant ART

final act by *hotburrito2 on deviant ART

Tired ! Headaches !

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:53:00 +0000

Let me cry some more .... ! I'm so cut off from the photography world these days ... i havent touched my camera since the last one and a half months ... I'm not even getting the time to browse thru flickr or devart .. this telecom project is really killing me these days ... hopefully i'm pretty positive though that i might be able to complete most of the work by the end of this week.. lets c !

These days i'm having headaches daily... and the politics @ work just drives me crazy ... neways i'm sleepy i need to wake up early in the morning ... lots of work tmr ... big day !

Transformers 2 : Revenge of the Fallen

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:59:00 +0000

Check me out on ....
http://www.twitter.com/asad_anwar :)

Life can be soo busy ! :( these days i'm involved in a telecom project and i'm the only one implementing an automated reporting solution for my company. I am unable to update stuff here, just wanted to say i'll update everything soon ... oh and there might be two major additions to my photography gadgets ;)

In other news: I watched transformers 2 today ... loved the effects ... been in luv with those robots since childhood ... some wallpapers from the official website ... i still think the 80's cartoon movie was better even the dialogues even the story line ... and i really wished they would put Hot rod (the red car from the cartoons) in the movie ... he was one of my favs along with Optimus Prime of course.

thats all for now see yaz

Just another walk on the road

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:14:00 +0000

HaylOo again =) I couldn't feature stuff this time ... got really busy .. probably I can try and do a double feature or something ... For now i'm gonna share this lovely shot from Sharq - Kuwait. I was walking home after capturing some really good sunset shots.. I saw this amazing view and just wanted to capture it. I luved how the moon was smiling back at me with just one teeny tiny star twinkling in the sky. The black cloud on the corner just added more to the dreamy mood of the shot. I stayed there till the sky was pitch dark and then i came back ... what a day =)

Cooliris - An amazing Photo/Video browser

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Today while searching for something i found this really cool plugin known as Cooliris.

"the fastest and most stunning way to browse photos and videos" - Cooliris team

If you are looking a browser for such a purpose then look no more. From the first impressions I personally love it and i feel its an awesome way to showcase your work when you quickly want to show people. Its very fast pictures take up very less time to display I have 10.0-12.0+ MegaPixel pictures and they do not cause much delay. Although you cannot view your RAW files, I hope that feature comes soon.

For download visit Cooliris dot com

Take a look at some of the screen shots I took while playing with this uber cool plugin. This displays everything in a 3D user friendly environment. I recommend trying it.

Slideshow

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:48:00 +0000

A while ago i uploaded a slideshow of my 98 shots on . Hope you guys like them =)

I am currently not selling any of my shots but incase you are interested for some reason then I would love to hear from you.

FREE: Texture Stock Images

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:29:00 +0000

FREE STOCK IMAGES
Download Now

I decided to give some of my stock images for FREE ! These are from my earliest archives. The texture pack can be downloaded from the link given. You can use these images where ever you want. Commercial use is permitted however you cannot sell these images or the texture pack. Feel free to share this but do credit or link to my blog or original source.

Texture Pack Contains the following:
Images : 9
Image Size : 3072 x 2304

More to come soon would love some feedback.

Thanks

For information about the pack read

Canon 40D Camera User Manual

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:04:00 +0000

I managed to stumble upon this useful Canon 40D user manual, I dont remember where I downloaded this from but it contains some really essential stuff. Hope this helps O_o

There any many useful tips inside, even if you are not using this specific camera some helpful tips can be used for general shooting.

Download pdf

Information on the stuff included read on:

* Basic Shooting Tips
* Image Settings
* AutoFocus and Drive Modes
* Advanced Operations
* LiveView Shooting
* Sensor Cleaning Tips
* Customizing the Camera
* Plus many other camera specific features

F O W : Features of the Week (Week 2)

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sat, 30 May 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Finally its week 2 and here are the features as i mentioned before ... this time i've only done 10 features. I can do more as well depends on how much feedback i get from you guys. I might also do an artist of the month or something not too sure. Give me ideas :) you can contact me thru flickr email / note me on deviantart / email me. Links are all provided in my blog profile.

I can feature your work too its simple just
Subscribe to this Blog for latest updates and features

Enjoy the ones below and it would be great if you can visit their work and appreciate them by following the links given.

Take care,

As'ad Anwar

Simba posing by ~ShabzDen on deviant ART

.requiem for a dream. by =rache-engel on deviant ART

How you like me now by =FurtiveLungs on deviant ART

eyeslikerainbows by =roseonthegrey on deviant ART

cranes by ~SuzyTheButcher on deviant ART

blind-man's-buff by *bitterev on deviant ART

kiwis are yummy by =Miss-Deathwish on deviant ART

eye IV by ~01-11-89 on deviant ART

hearts by ~L0veShake on deviant ART

Out by =GrandSpammer on deviant ART

All images are copyright, COPYING NOT ALLOWED, Kindly follow the links to contact the artists/photographers

F O W : Features of the Week (Week 1)

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:25:00 +0000

Hey guys,

I was caught up with a lot of issues. Anyways here are some of the photographers/artists whose work I really liked. I decided to feature some of my favorites. Hope you like them.

If you have interesting photographs/digital art which you think deserves to be featured then feel free to contact me.

I can feature your work too its simple just
Subscribe to this Blog for latest updates and features, I am planning to do this every week.
Start submitting people =)

Enjoy the ones below and it would be great if you can visit their work and appreciate them by following the links given.

Take care,

As'ad Anwar

Ei-Robot by ~ReginaldBull on deviant ART

Selfillumination2 by *Kutsche on deviant ART

fallen leaves by ~dotbend on deviant ART

60538 by =kubicki on deviant ART

Extravaganza by ~Gin-n-Juice on deviant ART

Evoke Application Piece by ~Gin-n-Juice on deviant ART

the tree of life by ~Amuletz on deviant ART

The music nature by ~Ethernity on deviant ART

- Ellaiyria - by `night-fate on deviant ART

OrmancI by =dumbelek on deviant ART

Don't be afraid to dream... by ~nooneordinary on deviant ART

Self image obsession by *lucbecks on deviant ART

Twin Pears House by *cristalart on deviant ART

The Starving Wall by *Treize-Orbscurarium on deviant ART

Adventure of the little robot by ~ongchewpeng on deviant ART

not time for me yet by ~D4N13l3 on deviant ART

authority by ~Isahn on deviant ART

An idle talk is all you need by ~nFeel on deviant ART

All images are copyright, COPYING NOT ALLOWED, Kindly follow the links to contact the artists/photographers

A sweet surprise ...

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:52:00 +0000

Allah (swt) surprised us with a sweet surprise today in lahore with a huge rainbow spread wide across the sky. It was amazing its been years after which i saw a rainbow and also a huge one. I couldnt properly take the shots i was surrounded by buildings anyways i'm a lil busy these days. Just came back to Pakistan need to settle some stuff before i start posting again ....

Some experiments

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:53:00 +0000

A few days ago i was tired after another one of my sunset photoshoot trips, i was really tired sat at this restaurant in Kuwait next to the beach and while waiting for my club sandwich =) and enjoying the windy weather i was just taking shots and experimenting with different settings ...

Bokeh shots are often really interesting here are a few random ones below. Some are wild experiments where i moved the camera while taking the shot and it seemed interesting ...

Bokeh Shot - with a much larger Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter Speed: 0.5 sec
(Notice the change in the shape of the lights with an aperture change)

Bokeh Shot - with a smaller Aperture: f/14 Shutter Speed: 2.5 sec

Aperture: F/22 - Shutter Speed: 30 sec ISO: 100
The lights turn give a star shapped glow when you use a very small aperture =)

At times its fun to break a few rules and try new stuff the results were interesting when i moved the camera while taking a long exposure shot

So a small lil lesson learned from this:

Do not stick to rules all the time while doing photography experiment with new stuff atleast sometimes
A smaller aperture will make the lights appear as a star shaped glow

For all the shots i used the Canon 28-135mm lens. Results of shape of the light vary according to the lens used. Hope this was useful.

Canon EOS 500D / Rebel T1i DSLR

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:50:00 +0000

image courtesy of canon.com

Some interesting news, canon just gave birth to yet another camera today. The Canon EOS 500D, i just check canon.com its available for $899. This will replace its predecessor the canon 450D.

Quickly mentioning the features:

A New 15.1 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor
DIGIC-4 Image Processor (14-bit)
3.0-inch Clear View LCD with anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coating
Compatibility with the EOS System of lenses and Speedlites
Full HD video capture at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080.
An HDMI port allows for quick connections to high definition TVs / monitors
Wide Range ISO setting 100-3200 (6400, 12800 in expanded mode)
Live view for stills
APS-C size sensor (1.6x field of view compared to 35mm)

For more information visit:
Canon Official

For Detailed review visit:
Detailed Review at dpreview

Hope this information was helpful. Take care.

If only the fish kept its mouth shut

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:43:00 +0000

Its lunch time so I thought lemme quickly share something before I leave ... while walking near the beach and i found some people on a dock and they were fishing ... i found this pretty torturous the way the poor fish was severed ...i couldn't resist i just had to take a shot...

An interesting quote ...

“Even a fish could stay out of trouble if it would just learn to keep its mouth shut.”
~ Anonymous

So maybe we could learn a lesson and keep our mouth shut when its needed lol....

How to make water look like crystal?

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:55:00 +0000

I updated the Polarizing filter review with more shots so check them out. Anyways i was digging through my archives and found some interesting shots i took while experimenting with water. Sometimes it can give you really amazing results.

To get that crystal like look in the water all you need to do is get a good flow of water and fire the flash to get that crystal like look. There is no right way to do this, I was just experimenting and stumbled upon this, i really liked the way it turned out. And btw this is nothing big =) you can view some of the shots below. I edited the pics to just add some different color tones for fun.

**my internet is giving me problems so i'm uploading lower quality shots**

If you try this with droplets its more interesting, the tiny droppies shine when the flash reflects on them. Have a look at more shots of droplets @ here.

Circular Polarizing Filter and UV Filter

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Hey guys hope you are enjoying and having fun. I wasn't able to upload anything on the blog anyways I'll try to be regular.

Today I have something interesting to share; we will be learning about circular polarizer filters, I bought my circular polarizer filter recently. Information presented here is mostly based on my experience in addition to some websites I consulted which are mentioned in the references and links.

The specifications are as follows:

P&J Photo Circular Polarizing Filter 72mm

There are two sorts of Polarizing filters.

Linear Polarizer
Circular Polarizer

Here I will cover the one I have the "Circular Polarizer"

Circular Polarizing Filter

Who needs these filters?!

These can be used for both outdoor and indoor photographers. There are several advantages that you get with these filters. However to get the maximum effect from this filter you should be shooting at 90° i.e. perpendicular to the sun.

Reducing haze – I haven't had the chance to test this feature yet but as I read on camerapedia.org that a polarizing filter will block the crossing polarization patterns of scattered and reflected light to reduce haze
Removing reflections – This is the best part about this filter, I actually bought this filter because of this feature. This eliminates the reflections from shots by rotating the polarizing filter the light gets cross polarized

Water gets transparent – and shadows appear darker

Rotating to minimize effect (below)

Rotating to maximize the effect (notice the rocks are visible and the saturation in water increases - below)

Also try with waterfalls or flowing water

Increasing color saturation – I have particularly noticed this for the sky, its so much fun when you rotate the filter the blue sky gets intense. For landscape photographers this can be pretty interesting. in a week
Low light – For lowlight there are two sides to it
Advantage: This really helps when shooting outdoors at around 12-3 pm when the sunlight is extremely bright. The filter helps reduce the amount of light by about 1-2 stops. It gave me more control while i was taking shots on a bright day at Hala February festival in Kuwait.
Disadvantage: In a lower light usually indoors/full covered sky with clouds/after sunset you might need more light to reduce the noise.
Rotating to cancel the effect (below)
Rotating to maximize effect (below)

Shots taken at Kuwait "Hala February", Sharq Mall

Ultraviolet Filters (UV Filters)

The specifications are as follows:

SUNPAK PicturesPlus^TM Filter 72mm

To absorb UV rays. It gives a clear sharp picture reducing haze. However mostly people do not notice a very visible difference between the results.

Since these are not expensive photographers often use them on their lenses to protect them from dust, moisture, scratches / smudges, and breakage.

*Just a practical experience one of my friends has already experienced this when his camera fell and he cracked his UV filter but the lens got saved. It is worth buying one rather than scratching an expensive lens.*

References and Links

Have fun

I hope you find this information really useful and liked the results, please do quote me and inform me if you link my work somewhere. I would love to appreciate your work.

More of my images can be found at

Deviant Art: http://sk3l.deviantart.com/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/sk3l

Blog: http://asadanwarphotography.blogspot.com

Contact information:

Official Website: http://www.asadanwar.net

For Questions/Comments/Suggestions: skeletor1@gmail.com

All images in this review are copyright material

Website : New look

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Hello yet again ... I have tried to be a bit active recently ... I updated my website, I like the new look. Atleast this one will stay for a while ... I have been neglecting all my friends on flickr and deviant art. This time i started looking @ everyones work and replying to all the messages and all the feedback people give me. I am stuck with dial up at home and it is really difficult to upload things. I have to do it everytime from the office. Here is a screen shot of the website. I will be putting up more stuff there hopefully with time, and I will also be updating this blog more often.

Here is the screenshot of my website. I would like some feedback if possible.

My bag video is still pending. I'll make sure i upload it early next week. The good thing is now i'm back in the flow atleast new stuff will be coming up without long breaks. =)

Internet trouble

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:35:00 +0000

I keep making more n more excuses and end up not making the blog interesting... i have so much stuff to share online ... and i'm getting more n more images on kuwait now ... but my stupid apartment has dialup and somehow i cant get DSL ... ! and from office i barely get time ... so i'm in a fix and trapped in this cycle where I am unable to update my website ... and i cant upload images here cuz of the stupid internet :S anyways i'll sort something out hopefully ...

i just got rid of the older banner .. i was sick of it ... and wanted something very very simple. So i chnged it ... i kinda like this one for a while ...

see u

The Dark Knight and Spider Man super hero series

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:31:00 +0000

hayloo ... it feels sooo good to be back... i just uploaded my super hero series on flickr and deviantart ... i am uploading the smaller very low quality versions here ... for a better quality and more images visit:
sk3l.deviantart.com
www.flickr.com/sk3l

I feel I am sooo rusty it felt different when i held the camera regardless of the fact
that its huge compared to my previous one. I still have a lot of getting used to this thing
its really nice ... altho i really wanna buy other lenses ... for the time being i'll experiment with the 28-135mm kit lens. I wudnt say i'm impressed with it cuz i feel it lacks a lot of stuff...
Photoshop seemed so weird when i used it after a long time. It was hard to locate even the most basic tools and the techniques i discovered on my own. But its all coming back :) and hopefully i'll be able to reach the next level with time

take care... thats all for now... .

Oh and the review for the LOWEPRO COMPUTREKKER AW PLUS will be coming probably next week. Enjoyee

Canon 40D

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:44:00 +0000

Its here :) finally ... i'm really excited ... I made a video and sorta did the package opening ceremony lol .... i was alone and cudnt really share my excitement with anyone .... there will be lots more to come here ... so stay tuned. For the time being ... you can enjoyee the video ..
16th August 2008 .. thts the date just to remember.

www.hammadhasan.com client shoot update

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:33:00 +0000

It feels so nice, maybe I can count this as the first step. Here is the screenshot of the website. See u

Hi once again … just a lil news … the client shoot I did for my friend Hammad Hasan. He used one of my images on his website. You can visit http://www.hammadhasan.com/ for more information. His song is upcoming very soon, download the teaser trailer its really nice. His album is set to launch end of this year.

3 Days and counting

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:51:00 +0000

Okay 3 days before my camera arrives.... Inshallah .. I have a very mixed feeling... I cant wait to get my hands on the camera...

But at the same time ... i am a lil bamboozled by the thoughts will I be able to do it?! Well I think I have successfully gone through the experimentation phase I at least a lil satisfied. Its been a big big break for me. 3 Months and I didn't touch my camera or anything related to photography … I'm hoping it would have caused more good than bad, and I will be able to return with a big bang and reach that next step which I have planned for Inshallah.

I have really really interesting ideas, but I am not sure if I will be able to execute them sooner, since I still feel as if I'm still on the road and not settled as I wanna be and the sorts of stuff I wanna do requires lots things and additional equipment, time will explain J. I moved outta Pakistan to Kuwait and someone inside me keeps telling me to go back. It's a personal thing I have but I have learned so much by coming here. Anyways so i'll hopefully do the box opening ceremony for my camera lol =) … and although I'm not an expert but I'll try making my own video for the Canon 40D, although I've seen many out there … but I'll try coming up with my own and hopefully that might be helpful for those wanting to purchase a 40D.

Another thing I really need to do is spice up this blog a bit more, since I hardly give it time and I don't really see any activity. But hopefully some of the people out there might be reading.

So officially the phase II starts for me in a few days….. This will involve getting used to the camera and coming up with lots of experimental stuff and maybe later I will try to sell my images as well. This will be very crucial in determining if I want to pursue this as a career or just limit this as my hobby. I have my fingers crossed …..

I'd like to quote one of my fav lines from Lord of the Rings when the army full of orcs and goblins surrounds the fortress:
<*me takes a deep breath*> "So it begins…….."

website down

skeletor1@gmail.com (Asad Anwar) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:31:00 +0000

My website www.asadanwar.net is down ... and will be for a while .... i am really busy these days ... but i'll try to be back soon ... and update everything ... this loong break from photography is killing me ....

anyways i guess i can say maybe it was phase 1 which is over and probably i think i can safely say atleast i've reached level 2 according to my self defined standards :) ...

see you soon ....