For this shoot, I have been inspired by Alpha Spotting due to the extreme theatrics his images have. I think this is a result of the composition he uses and the time of day he takes his images.
He takes landscape shots of the old and new parts of Dubai. I think this juxtaposition between old and modern portrays the theme of events as to how humans evolve our preference differs through time, thus more modern architecture is built to satisfy us.
In some of Spotting’s shots, he uses a drone to get stunning angles on sceneries that aren’t accessible with a normal camera on a tripod.
This photo is an example of one of his modern images, taken in Downtown Dubai of the Burj Khalifa.
In this shot, I really like the composition due to the way he has filled the frame with the Burj Khalifa and still left some room at the top. The negative space above the skyline balances the commotion out. If he had taken this shot at a lower angle, the buildings would have filled up much more of the negative space, thus making the image looking too busy and crowded.
In post-production, it looks like he may have increased the highlights to make the lights from the buildings stand out more, which makes the image more dynamic as there is greater contrast between tones. The use of wide depth of field has allowed Spotting to capture the different textures of all different subject matter in the frame such as the patterning on the Burj Khalifa to the buildings in the lower left of the frame.
This image is an example of one of Spotting’s photos from Old Dubai in Deira. The rustic mood of the photograph of the old boats is juxtaposed by the cars driving by capturing via long exposure. This makes the image much more dynamic as it portrays the progress of time and the development from boats to cars in one image, thus linking them to events.
One of the reasons this image is so aesthetically pleasing is due to the composition, which consists of being about two thirds subject matter and the other third being negative space.
Although I really like this image, I think it could be improved if the boats had some more lights on them as it would enhance their trail, yet may remove the rustiness from them.
This image is of the Burj al Arab. The use of long exposure results in the image being very calming as there are no waves in the sea as the slowest shutter speed smooths the sea out.
This image would have to have been taken at night because using long exposure during the day would result in the image being overexposed.
Although the commotion of this shot is unorthodox as the subject matter is in the centre of the image, it is still pleasing on the eyes because of the negative space. Looking at this image on a deeper level, the lack of subject matter other than the hotel, who is for the wealthy as it is very expensive, it could portray how when you reach a certain level of success you become lonely and isolated.
[SHOOT PLAN]
[1/30, F7.1]
I took this image on The Palm of the cityscape. I tried to incorporate the leading line of the road on the left of the composition to try and lead the viewer’s eyes up to the cityscape.
One thing I would like to change about this image is the angle I took it at because I think if I got closer to the sea the rocks wouldn’t take up such a large segment of the frame, which almost distracts it from the aesthetic cityscape.
For this shot, I used a wide depth of field because I wanted to capture the smoothness of the sea which I achieved through the use of the long exposure and the textures of on the buildings.
One difficulty I had with this shot was trying to balance my camera on the rock because I forgot my tripod. This was hard because the rock was wet and very uneven.
I am really pleased with the crisp detail I captured the buildings in, but I think to improve this image I could have increased the saturation, which would have made it more bright and colourful.
[1/30, F7.1]
This image was also taken on The Palm. I used the long exposure to smooth out the water and although it is not completely smooth, I think it looks aesthetically pleasing because of the angle the water looks to all be moving.
I think the star-like light bursts from the lights gives the photograph a magical mood. One thing that frustrates me about this image is the shadowing on the rocks and there is a very sharp line of lightness, then offsets the shadowed rocks.
I am pleased with the composition of this shot because it is two-thirds varied subject matter which makes the shot more dynamic and interesting for the viewer and one-third negative space which balances the frame out.
Like the previous image, to improve it I would consider increasing the saturation to make it more colourful.
[1/30, F7.1]
This shot is of Bluewaters Island. Although this image consists of very little subject matter, I think that makes it very calming paired with the smooth water.
However, I would like to have taken a shot with an even longer shutter speed to completely smooth out any ripples in the water. Another reason this image is so calming is because of the colours blue and yellow which are prominent in it, as blue is seen as tranquil and yellow is seen as a colour of happiness.
Unfortunately, I was unable to complete this shoot because of the lockdown for Covid-19, making me unable to go out and take the final images I had planned.
If I was able to go out these are the following locations I had planned to have taken shots at: Deira in Old Dubai, Meydan Bridge, Sheikh Zayed Road, Tolerance Bridge.
I would have shot this from the Shangri La Hotel. I would have created a clear colour divide between the warm lights from the cards and the blue lights from the city.
At this location I would have got two cars to drive down the bridge from opposite directions, this would mean one would have blue lights and the other red.
I think it would be difficult as the cars would be so close to the camera they might overexpose the shot.
[EXPERIMENTAL]
For this edit, I played around with the hue and saturation to bring out a different colour palette compared to the original one. I think it also makes the city look more modern because the colours don’t necessarily look natural.