Arabesque
The woman-only section of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
The woman-only section of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
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Aug, 2015Views
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shows the women-only wing of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. This amazing building was recently built (1996-2007) and can accomodate up to 40,000 worshipers.Time
This shot was taken on January 3rd, 2015 at 6:30pm, almost at closure time. This and the fact that it was a Saturday, a day when few worshippers are around, ensured the absolute emptiness that I wanted to achieve for a purely architectural photo.Lighting
As you notice natural light is dark giving the optimal contrast with artificial lighting and amazing whiteness of the building.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D800 and a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. Long exposure steadiness was achieved with a Gitzo sturdy tripod.Inspiration
I had seen many awesome pictures of this mosque and I wanted to go there to see and photograph it. White color is one of my preferred in architecture being so pure and elegant. If you share this view, Sheikh Zayed Mosque is definitely the place.Editing
I have used Photoshop CS5 to straighten and crop a bit and increase the sharpness.In my camera bag
Normally I carry a Nikon D800 camera with the 'holy triad' Nikon zoom lenses, that is 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, all f/2.8. And I must say this is a lot of weight! When required I also carry a Gitzo 3531 6X carbon tripod, that makes it even heavier. Photography is a very tough work!Feedback
If you want take architectural photos with no people around consider day of the week (apparently Saturday is a good choice) and day time (obviously near closure most people have left). Take your time, do not rush. If instead you are interested in portraying people (as I also am), Friday is the most crowded day (could be even too crowded). Of course do expect many tourists so that selecting worshipers is not easy.
