Soaring over the city of Dubai in a helicopter with the wind whipping all around I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me. It’s such an amazing way to see most cities but Dubai was even more interesting than many. The massive skyscrapers, gleaming white buildings, sparkling canal and Palm Jumeirah, an artificial archipelago shaped like a palm tree surrounded by crystal-clear water. I’m always so impressed by Dubai. It’s a city that is constantly growing and evolving, and it’s always full of surprises and you never know what new aspect you’ll see from the ground, or above.
One night my friend Rene and I were atop a skyscraper in Dubai and we stayed as long as we could. There was this one Quite Precarious Spot on the corner of the building… I got over there, and this was my final shot for the evening. It’s always a good idea to stay just that little bit longer than you might need 🙂
Here’s another one of the images from my 1000 Stories from 1000 Places NFT drop. It sold out in minutes, but they are now available to trade on OpenSea and X2Y2, etc so be sure to check them out.
This is the first city I visited in the UAE before going to Abu Dhabi. Both were great, but Dubai is better for city photography because it feels very sci-fi. I took this on the way to Italy for Carnivale.
Side note… I was almost arrested twice here. One time, it was quite late and my friend Rene and I got back to the hotel. A pretty girl came up and started talking to us because we had cameras. She was Iranian and very nice and fun, possibly because she was quite drunk. And, out of nowhere, private security pounced on us and whisked us away to a little interrogation, Turns out she was some Iranian princess or something and we had no idea.
This is one of the most impressive hotel entrances I saw in Dubai. In many ways, compared to some others there, it is a little understated but as you walk across it to the desk in the distance you really do appreciate just how mega it is.
Hey awesome blog reader… you’ll probably be aware that I’ve been delving into the world of NFTs in the past few months. So far, it’s been both a success and an interesting adventure. That continues today with my 2nd drop on OpenSea. This set of NFTs is based around 50 of my favorite cities spanning all seven continents. There are a wide range of configurations (and prices) available and I’d love it if you’d check them out. If you thought an NFT mixed with physical art was odd last time then how about several NFTs, wrapped in an NFT… mixed with some Aave tokens which should appreciate over time??!
The first drop on OpenSea did better than expected and broke $100,000USD in the first three days. This second one already has a lot of interest as more and more collectors are getting into the NFT world. Jump on in! I’ll make a detailed video soon that talks more about what I’ve learned, mistakes I’ve made, some new ideas, and other interesting stuff from this wild wild west of cryptofun.
Also, if you’re an NFT curious artist, be sure to sign up for Passport where I’ve been sharing videos about my NFT experience so far. If you’re thinking about listing your own, you may find those helpful. Speaking of your own NFTs, I’m now starting to invest back into other projects so if you launch something cool tag me on Twitter and I’ll be sure to take a look. 🙂
Luminar AI has just been released and features a load of cool tools to help you get the best from your portrait images. In this vid I play with a bunch of them before getting a little philosophical… what more could you want from a photography based video??? 🙂 Grab Luminar AI here.
If you make it to Dubai, try to see if you can stay up all night taking photos. It’s a good idea for three reasons. First, there is nobody around it get in the way of your shots. Second, the lights in the city are amazing at night and I think it looks even better than in the daytime. Third, and maybe most importantly, you will not be burned to a crisp in 120 heat!
Here’s the view from my room of the cool gardens and pools there at the Four Seasons in Dubai. I think it looks kind of sexual in a way… don’t you? It reminds me of fallopian tubes… not that I spend a lot of time looking at fallopian tubes or anything…
The beach is actually tolerable at night as opposed to the daytime. I tried to go on a jog here in the daytime and I made it about 10 minutes before I almost overheated with exhaustion. Some of the Muslim women are out on the beach in the daytime wearing a full black burka. I have no idea how they can stand it. Also, why would you even go to the beach if you had to wear a burka?
Before I started doing stuff exclusively with the Ritz-Carlton, I visited a few different Four Seasons around the world. Their one in Dubai had this really cool rooftop area where you can go relax at night. You don’t want to relax there in the daytime or else you’ll end up looking like a roasted pig.
