The Burj Al Arab hotel, or Arabian Tower as it translates to, brings back good memories. It’s this hotel that first brought me to Dubai in 2002 to manage one of their outlets. What they manage to pull off at ‘The Burj’ is utterly unique and certainly

makes them stand out from the crowd so when Nike called about a PR shoot at the hotel, how could I refuse?

The gig was short and sweet, with a group of regional media trying out their new Nike Frees. The Frees are their version to nearly bare feet running. We met at the pampering Assawan spa where the ‘athletes’ changed into cool Nike kit before running through the hotel lobby then braving the heat with a short loop outside.

Key to the photography was getting the hotel in the pictures. Imagine standing underneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris and trying to get a perfect shot of the tower in all its glory. You can’t because it’s too damn tall. Well ‘The Burj’ has the same height of 320 meters, so the only way to create perspective is distance.

We scouted the run a few days before, knowing that it would be fast paced, so having a well-planned shooting sequence was paramount. It worked well, a bit frantic at times with the buggy driver doing wheelies in the corners but before we knew it, we were back in the comfy AC and enjoying the iconic butler service.

Bring on the luxury breakfast!

Wk