I walked through some open gates and started exploring this area of Dubai. It turned out that I was not supposed to be there, and the security came to get me and call the police. It got really messy. You don’t want to be in prison in Dubai… Believe me. I tried to explain that I didn’t break in and that the gates were wide open for pedestrians. I eventually showed the police the gate and said that I was just an innocent photographer. Not being photographers, the police did not understand why a dude would just wander around and take photos. I eventually convinced them, and they let me out of custody… it wasn’t easy because I have a healthy amount of disdain for authority figures whose authority is based on a fictional construct.

Exploring Dubai at Midnight

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-16 08:07:27
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.6
• Aperture4
• ISO125
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

Here’s a new edit from Dubai that I recently threw together for that proposal in Hollywood. I’ve been focusing a bit more on cross-processing along with an emphasis on the 2:1 framing ratio.

Blade Runner

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-04-28 04:54:53
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time3.2
• Aperture4
• ISO160
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I’ve spent a bit of time in different bazaars all over the middle east and I’ve loved every one of them. I really feel like I should be buying a lot of stuff, but I’m usually so overwhelmed that I don’t know what to buy. I did get about 10 Moroccan lamps to be sent back to New Zealand. So that was fun. Actually, I think I’m usually in “Photo Mode” and therefore not so in the “Shopping Mode.”

The Bazaar in Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-20 00:30:49
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time5
• Aperture5.6
• ISO80
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+1.3

What a building! Some people find it not-so-attractive, but I think it’s kinda fun in a glitzy-vegas jewellery-box kinda way. Hey, I like colorful stuff, what can I say? There’s a very interesting documentary on this you can find on YouTube and it shows how the whole thing was initially painted white. The royal family came in, hated it, and demanded more colors. It ended up like this!

The Insides of the Burj Al Arab

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-20 06:01:53
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1.3
• Aperture8
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I was staying at the Four Seasons here along the beach in Dubai and went out for a late night walk. There is ALWAYS construction going on, so I decided not to avoid it and try to make an interesting photo with all the lights. Most of the time, I want a clean beach shot without any of this unsightly construction going on, but I decided to give myself a challenge and see if I could make it more interesting!

A Lonely Walk in Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-04-28 05:22:55
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time6
• Aperture4
• ISO250
• Focal Length13.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I’ll be stopping here on the way to that Lisbon workshop! To find out about other ones, go to our Workshops Page and sign up for our newsletter to be the first to find out! 🙂

How beautiful is Dubai? I love coming here to take photos and explore the city. For this shot, I was invited through the royal family and a friend to get up onto a building that was about half a mile in the air. This allowed me to be able to shoot straight across at the Burj Khalifa. Most photos you see have it leaning inwards because it’s so tall and shot with a wide angle upwards… those are cool, but so is this angle!

Dubai, UAE

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-17 22:39:48
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/5
• Aperture4
• ISO125
• Focal Length17.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Yesterday’s Sydney Opera House photo and today’s photo of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai have a lot in common. They are both inspired by things-nautical. The opera house is based on waves and this is based on a huge sail. There’s something else about this building that causes a lot of confusion with the scale of it. It’s absolutely massive and I believe it’s one of the tallest hotels in the world.

Another Sailing Design

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-19 19:58:49
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/800
• Aperture5.6
• ISO64
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.3

One day I had huge plans to stay out all night and take photos in Dubai. It was about 7 PM and I went to this neo-souk area to start with a dinner and a wine, and then I got absolutely exhausted. Usually, I have a lot of energy but I was just completely drained for some reason. Maybe a triple-dip in the biorhythms? Not sure what happened… but I listened to my body and went back to crash for the night. It was an amazing night’s sleep. This is the last photo I got before going back home. I didn’t even really have the energy for this, but I pushed through!

Exhausted in Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-19 23:13:12
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time2.5
• Aperture4
• ISO200
• Focal Length21.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I’m the least judgmental guy in the world and simply enjoying seeing all the “different-than-I’m-used-to” stuff around the world. All over Dubai are amazing beaches, and at any time there are tons of ladies out enjoying the sun.

Exploring Dubai Beaches

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2020-04-09 18:09:56
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/15
• Aperture4
• ISO3200
• Focal Length28.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

There’s no chance of falling asleep while hanging out of a helicopter. I can’t think of a time I’ve been less sleepy, in fact. Come to think of it, the idea of taking a nap didn’t even cross my mind.

Wow, I took so many photos on this day — probably over 500. And there weren’t many stinkers in the bunch. It makes choosing the “best” ones more challenging, but it’s a good problem to have!

Over the Harbour in Dubai

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2015-03-15 21:46:50
• CameraILCE-7R
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/400
• Aperture4
• ISO320
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias