Greetings from the Land of Cranes
Finally over my jet lag in Dubai, where the temperature is currently 167 degrees. Although, that's fahrenheit, so that's not as bad as it sounds. The humidity is 132% and the breeze is zero mph. Or less.But it is totally worth it, as I have been hanging out with the other intructors and learning loads about some really cool stuff without having to pay. More pix and some cool links after the jump.
Dubai is perpetually under rapid construction, with three new skyscrapers popping up in in my field of view during the time it took me to write this sentence. I have met some wonderful folks, and am very much looking forward to meeting those of you who have signed on for the next five full days (gulp) of seminars.
Among the cool people I have gotten a chance to meet for the first time is David Nightingale, of the absolutely lovely site, "Chromasia". As you can see here, David will do whatever it takes to get the photo, even if it means steadying his lens with a huge tripod and his hand with a "Stella" beer...Seriously, go right now and check out Chromasia. You can see a few of his contruction shots here, here, here and here.
Here is Burj Al-Arab, the totally over-the-top hotel as seen from our hotel's roof. Our hotel is perfectly fine, of course. Until you compare it with the Burj Al-Arab, which is a "seven-star hotel" which is, like, three more starts than anyone else has.If you have a chance, take a few minutes and explore Chromasia. I am loving David's stuff and wanting to know more about HDR now.
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by David, at 3:13 AM.
27 Comments:
You think it's hot here now? It's nice and cool here by Dubai standards. Oh, and it's pretty windy as well ;-)
Barasti's nice for a drink or three if you like pretentious-ish places. If you want the down, dark, knitty gritty then rock bottoms is a must!
Absolutely love the stuff you posted by Chromasia by the way, it's inspired me.
Keep up all the good work, wish I could attend a day or two of your tutorials, however I have to go to work :-(
Great that you can bypass the UAE Etisalat censorship for Flickr... Must be the magic of one Firefox's add-on.
They say that approx 35% of cranes in the 3rd planet of solar system is in UAE. I am not too sure it is the correct stat or not, but it sure damn close, me think.
Hope you can find DMD there DH.
Cheers...
Hey David, welcome to the land of sand. Looking forward to meeting you at the course on the 1st.
I take it you've no problems with internet access?
Jerry
totally random question
But how do you find internet access at all these different places you find yourself in? Just use the hotels wireless or you have an aircard/sat connection?
Humm,, all we need now is a tutorial on some cheap DIY tickets to Dubai.
oh oh a "Stella" Beer :-p
There is a lot of Belgian people right there building towers.
So, they've imported their beer too.
Have a blast David. Just think... it's only May!!! You should visit again in August. You can fry an egg on the sidewalk...no joke! Be sure to hit the coffee shops and smoke some shisha...even if you don't smoke, it's pretty cool to try. Have fun, looking forward to lots of pics. Hatch
make sure you get yourself to madinat for probably the craziest man-made hotel/shopping/entertainment place you've ever seen! it would make a great photo at night... just annoyed I'd left the camera at my friends place that night thinking we were just going to a club!
Looks like a fun location, I am going to quit my job, and come on over....LOL
Thanks for the heads up on this David. Had a quick look at the site great tutorials and the HDR stuff is fantastic.
John
I miss the old Strobist where we could learn about lighting. I love your travels David - but I think the site is slipping a lot lately. It seems mostly about gear and locations than how to become a better photographer through light.
You post on gels was a welcome sight.
I just came back from Dubai, where I was on a study trip. You should try to get yourself on a desert safari; it's AWESOME. does nothing good for the cameras though, with all the fine fine sand blowing about. you could go visit the ibn battuta mall and the mall of the emirates. pretty places! and if you're game you could go check out the souqs (marketplaces)! I enjoyed my visit to the burj al-arab! had to book my lunch a few months in advance!
I'm switching careers.!
Bonner-
FWIW, I posted the Dubai note in addition to a post on lighting technique today as opposed to instead of it just for that reason.
FYI, when I do travel, I usually spend an significant amount of time beforehand posting ahead to keep lighting content coming while I am on the road. I worked many 18-hour days ahead of this trip!
David H
Doh!, you missed Chris Diclerico by just a month or so.
Chris blogged about his multi year stay in Dubai while creating the Emirates Air web site.
We'll have to follow along with your new funny adventures in Dubai.
And thanks for the chromasia link, it was inspiring and incredible.
David -
I meant no disrespect. I know you are the hardest working guy in photography. I shouldn't complain considering what I have paid for the wealth of information you have given me. I'll stop being ungrateful.
You are an inspiration for following your dreams. You should be commended if nothing else for that. Enjoy Dubai.
That last photo is amazing (not that the others are too shabby!). Very cool stuff.
Jonathan
Not a bad post, looks like a location that would be a good place to learn.
hey, awesome seeing you in Dubai !
Have a good one!
Thanks David for those 18 hour days. And the encouraging attitude on this site which gets me off my tush to try new ideas.
You HAVE to go for the desert safari, it's awesome. One of the most memorable experiences I've had.
If you want some unique nightlife check out the club below/behind Seaview Hotel - awesome classic rock sung by 5 thai girls in mini-skirts :D
David,
Thanks much for a great class today.
You packed way more in than I thought we would get through in one day.
Seeing all of the gear (or lack thereof) and techniques first hand really gave a jolt to the info I have picked up from your site.
To everyone else... If you get a chance to go to one of Davids seminars. Do it.
Oh.. and David, enjoy your snow skiing with Chase. I definitely want to see some photos from that excursion at the mall.
I nice place to learn loads about some really cool stuff.
Thanks! I just signed up for an annual subscription. Great stuff!
a bit OT i know, but i think the 'Stella' beer referred to is an Egyptian brand, it was pretty much the main brand of beer available any time ive been to the middle-east. Yuo can even buy T-Shirts in Egypt with the logo on them.
after looking over his website, I have decided that I am a super-amateur with Photoshop, and know very little about photography and light in general. I used to think I was ok. Nope.
flickr is not accessible from Dubai,i would have LOVED to see these shots...!
@jason V-my thoughts exactly...
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