Dubai

Five days. One city. One camera. 11, 224 kilometres away from home…

This past spring break my travels took me to a place where urban jungles and traditional mysteries met hand in hand in one city. Mapping my way through the intricacies of a new culture and unfamiliar terrain, my camera proved to be a safety blanket with which I captured the world around me. Looking back at my experiences today, I am continually grateful that I had my equipment close at hand in order to help me interpret my new surroundings. Growing up in a society that is more so individualistically oriented than ever before, I owe a great deal of my appreciation of the world to that of the transformative power of art. For me, photography has always been something that I used to help turn non-verbal communication around abstract ideas into a facilitative concept. In this case, photography allowed me to intuitively connect with the diverse cultures and religions around me.

In other words, here is what I saw…

Although I was standing in the tallest building on Earth (The Burj Khalifa), my eyes still seemed to focus on the people and faces around me, capturing intimate moments between quiet onlookers.

Located in the heart of Deira along the banks of the Dubai creek, The Arabian Souk Markets were home to an eclectic atmosphere of sound, scent and vibrant colour. Selling an assortment of gold, spices, perfumes and textiles, we explored the elaborate Souk maze as best we could.

Halfway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I found myself in the middle of the Al Khatim desert. Standing in the middle of a completely barren landscape made me realize how insignificant I felt in comparison to the scenery that extended out from beneath my feet.

One thing which particularly caught my eye was the exploitative use of camels as a tourist attraction. As interesting as it was for me to see these animals interact with humans, I have a mixed emotion on how I felt in regards to their treatment. Many camels would be used for transportation purposes on which tourists would mount to take selfies and videos. Nonetheless, I took part in taking photos and admiring what was happening.