Life has a habit of throwing everyone the odd challenge, normally just when everything seems to be running so smoothly … a happy family, a great house, a fulfilling job, awesome travels …
And then there are times in life when the shit hits the fan. Big time. In this case, the shit happened on an otherwise regular Friday morning, a morning spent riding out with the boys in the desert, getting up to the usual tricks on dirt bikes. Then all of a sudden … BANG. Read the full post >>
On Tuesday 13th December, the boys rolled into town. As they entered Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, they could see the skyscrapers rise from the horizon as they made their steady 6km per hour camel-backed approach. Under police escort, they crossed the busy Maqta bridge towards the corniche, where the 44 day, 1,600km-long expedition finally drew to a close.
It has been an awesome journey that will remain forever etched on their memories. They have successfully relived Thesiger’s original adventure … same routes, same experiences, original companions, similar challenges … Read the full post >>
Some shoots come together. Other do not. I‘ve just returned from what was intended to be a unique caving expedition, shooting new content for the next Petzl catalogue. They’ve just launched a series of new head torches and I was keen to use them as light sources inside the cave, shooting ‘available’ light as an alternative to flash heads. In theory it’s easier to focus and build the shot as you move head torches around, creating great shadows as you go. The seventh hole is part of the Selma Cave Plateau, which also includes Majlis al Jins, the world’s second biggest cave and one that could accommodate 50 jumbo jets. Seventh hole is as special as it is unique.
Access alone is tricky, starting with an amazing 200 metre abseil through a crack into a huge chamber followed by Read the full post >>
The boys are getting closer to home. Al Ain, the garden city, from Dubai, is just a little over a 1½ hour drive. In his book, Thesiger referred to as Jebel Hafeet as a dominant mountain rock in the midst of the dunes.
A formal gathering was organised at the Jahili Fort involving two former companions of Thesiger himself, their names Salim bin Ghabaish and Salim bin Kabina.
I relish the challenge of a tricky client brief … in this case, a shoot for a golf advert. Evening conditions, action based, recognisable skyline, branding … the works and all quite manageable save the shooting being requirement at dusk. Freezing action in low light conditions without cracking the ISO into insane numbers is generally a no go.
The alternative? Read the full post >>
Home for less than a week and some much-needed family time, a positive 20-week scan of my unborn, catching up on office admin and my bumper caving trip (see previous post) ensued. As always, too much to do, too little time and before I knew it, I was back on the road again.
The boys have passed Umm Zamool and now tread firmly in the United Arab Emirates, home turf for Ghafan and Saeed. I know they were all looking forward to returning to home soil. Read the full post >>
