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The UAE Through the Lens
Posted on Oct 15, 2013 by Bridget Greenlee (G+)
The best travel, wedding and fashion photography across the Emirates.
Wedding pictures, photojournalism, fashion photography and advertising: we’re all exposed to more photography every day than we realize. In accordance with the push in the United Arab Emirates to develop the nation as an international travel destination and a country of elite art and culture, the UAE has been sprouting many acclaimed and award-winning photographers. There is no shortage of photographers for all occasions around the UAE, but there are a few that stand out from the pack. Whether established or up-and-coming, keep an eye out for these great photographers.
Best in Travel Photography
The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award was established as part of the plan to advance Dubai as an international destination by promoting art, culture, and innovation. Based in Dubai but attracting participants from all over the world, this year’s competition, which will tour the photographs at museums around the globe, was won by no other than a United Arab Emirates photographer. Osama Al Zubaidi hails from Dubai and won the competition with a stunning photo of two people walking over rolling sand dunes at night. Osama takes photos of a variety of subjects but seems to especially enjoy photographing landscapes, people, and scenery from around the world, with images from Germany, Ethiopia and Yemen and more. View his portfolio of photos from around the world on his website and check out this article to see his award winning sand dunes photo.
Best in Wedding Photography
Practicing wedding photography mainly in Dubai and Paris, Christophe Viseux has also shot weddings all over the world and his affinity for multicultural events is reflected in his varied portfolio. He captures the candid and spontaneous moments for couples from Columbia to India. Unsurprisingly, he is not only a wedding photographer but a travel photographer as well. Check out the online portfolio of weddings on his website and his portfolio of travel photos online. Viseux is a versatile photographer and a celebrated one too. He was the ISPWP’s (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers) photographer of the quarter, was featured as an editor’s pick in a National Geographic photo contest, and was a finalist in the Travel Photographer of the Year contest, among other accolades.
Best in Fashion Photography
Paris clearly knows how to cultivate photographers but the United Arab Emirates and Dubai benefit from another of Paris’s losses. Michel Sedaga, born in Paris, France, is a popular Dubai photographer with a wide variety of skills – fashion, food, product and corporate photography are some of his fortes. His mission and passion in his work is to freeze a particular moment in time and capture it. A very prolific photographer, Michel has a number of different websites with his work (start here) as well as tons of photos to check out on Pinterest and Tumblr (thousands!). Fashion consultants, art directors and makeup artists are all a part of his company, so clients can get the full service treatment should they desire it. He and his partners also host websites that serve to connect models, people looking to book talent, and photographers. For people serious about the world of modeling and fashion or who want very professional photos for a business, look into the talents of Michel Sedaga.
Whether you have a need to hire wedding or modeling photography or just want to check out beautiful travel and artistic images, the UAE has no shortage of people to stand behind the camera. However, a simple search for photographers in the UAE, Dubai or Abu Dhabi will result in hundreds of different options. With all these choices, especially for wedding or personal photography, it can be very hard to decide who to go with and who is best for you. Here are a few tips for narrowing it down.
Tips for Choosing a Photographer
Narrow down the style
There are as many styles of photography as there are types of people. Each photographer will have his or her own personal style and mission. Look at lots of different photos and try to narrow down what style speaks to you, whether candid, classic, posed or fashion shots. This will help key in on a photographer that has the same or desired style and values too.
Decide what services you want
Photographers can charge their clients in different ways. It’s a good idea to have a rough plan for how long a photographer will be needed. All day long? A couple hours? Until he or she gets the right shot? And after the day or event, what are the expectations? A disc with digital photos? A website displaying all of the images? A professional-style photo album to keep forever? All of these factors will help decide what is important, determine who to hire, and estimate how much the services will cost.
Get recommendations
Even with these tips, looking at hundreds of different pictures and photographers can still be daunting. When in doubt, bring in help. Odds are that there is someone in your circle who has been through it before and can offer some advice. Sometimes a personal recommendation can be the best and most honest because that person knows how the photographer works in reality, not just what he or she presents on a website. Websites with posted reviews are another way to get some feedback from real experiences, but often there will be skewed positives and negatives, so take online reviews with a grain of salt.
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