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.
Another image from the special animated creations for the recent drop on OpenSea.
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.
Check out Monni’s clothing range at https://monni.co or on Insta here (or 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.
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.
It’s about time… all of these are winners! 🙂 Here’s the new trailer:
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.
Well, I broke down and bought a new Mavic Pro Quadcopter! I love my Phantom 4 Pro, but I also wanted not just a backup, but a device that I could quickly get up in the air. My current thoughts are the Mavic Pro will perform perfectly for most daytime flights. We’ll see! I’m headed to Florida and the Caribbean soon, and I’m excited to try it!
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.”
