The stunning reef around Yub’a island, NEOM, Saudi Arabia
Jan, 2020Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Contest Finalist in Drone Lovers Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph was captured above the deserted island of Yub’a (or Yabou) in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the NEOM region. It was an hour’s boat ride to get to this amazing island with its own blue lagoon and pristine coral reef surrounding the island!Time
This was captured in the late afternoon as the sun started to get lower and began to cast shadows over the island.Lighting
The position of the sun and the resulting shadows that were cast into the sea really helped to portray the scale of the raised areas of the island and almost looking like mountain peaks. There was still good light to enable the amazing colours of the reef to shine through the crystal clear water aroundEquipment
This was shot using the DJI Inspire 2 drone with C5S camera and 15mm lens.Inspiration
This was captured as part of a commission to photograph the NEOM region and was one of the key locations that was to be captured. With limited time to capture the imagery we had no prior scouting time and therefore had to capture compositions and imagery literally ‘on the fly!’ As I flew over the island I was struck by the contrasting colours and the layers of the sea bed, reef and island and really wanted to convey the natural beauty of this place.Editing
Very little post processing was required and I was actually blown away by the colours that came straight from the camera. All that was really required was some tweaks to the contrast, highlights and blacks to help the image really popIn my camera bag
I am primarily an aerial photographer and therefore my kit bag is based around drones. I have the DJI Inspire 2, DJI Phantom 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 2 Pro and each drone has its advantages, but my general go to drone for still photography is the Phantom 4 Pro. I also always carry the Sony A7riii and selection of lenses and the new peak performance travel tripod.Feedback
For aerial imagery, planning the position of the sun and shadows can make all the difference, I use the sun surveyor app to assist with this. When flying drones in any country is important to understand the local laws regarding drone use especially when visiting a new country as some even ban drones being brought into the country at all
