Sheikh Zayed Mosque
Corridor of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Corridor of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi
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Mar, 2018Views
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Winner in Arabic Culture, Life and Views Photo Challenge
Community Choice Award
Winner in Holy Places Photo Challenge
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Outstanding Creativity
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DigitalCoke
January 31, 2021
I was here a few years ago and couldn't get people out of my way either, lol. Great framing
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The picture was made at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, in one of the not so crowded side corridors. It is the largest mosque in the country, and usually a busy place. It was made at the end of our 2 week trip around Christmas 2014.Time
We arrived at the Mosque around late afternoon. As the place is immense we stayed a couple of hours, visiting the interior and watching the visitors coming from all over the world. This picture was taken towards the end of our visit, when dusk had set in.Lighting
The fact that it was getting dark outside, and that the buildings were nicely lit, gave it totally different look. I waited for while to get a shot of the corridor free of visitors in the central aisle. The people on the side helped showing the dimension of the building. The pillars with the golden ornaments and the white floor were contrasting nicely with the dark outside. The light also reflected nicely on the shiny floor, giving the image much more depth.Equipment
I made the shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M1, using a M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens. Because the interior was lit so well I managed to take the picture from hand ( 12mm/ƒ/2.8/1/250s/ISO 400 )Inspiration
The place was overwhelmingly beautiful, and although the many visitors very peaceful. I made quite some pics of the people visiting the Mosque, but I wanted some pictures to show the beauty of the building. I tried to combine the vastness of the structure, the refined architecture, the details of the ornaments with the light and the colors of the scene in one pictures. I believe this picture managed to do all this...Editing
I used Lightroom to do some basic post-processing, as it was made in raw. The lighting was improved by reducing the highlights and improving the shadows, and increasing the contrast and luminosity a little. To emphasize the golden details I increased the yellow saturation and luminance a little. And finally I used the lens correction features to straighten the curved lines (due to the 12mm lens there is some distortion in the original raw image), as I find that very important in a picture.In my camera bag
My travel kit is always made to the specific occasion. Usually it exists of 2 Olympus OM-D E-M1bodies, one combined with an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO, and the other with the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens. Additionally I pack an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens and an Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f1.8 for portraits. Besides that I carry a Sirui tripod and some neutral density filters, together with lots of batteries and spare memory cards.Feedback
Take your time exploring a place before starting shooting. I find it always nice to get a feeling of what a place is about. An image should try to encapsulate some of that 'feeling' as well. If possible avoid the busiest hours, so you have some more room to work. Late afternoon is also better, as the changing light allows to make completely different images in a short period of time. And of course: do not forget to enjoy the place in the first place!
