Double Star-Bursts

Back to the pre-visualization thing. I was walking about the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi earlier this year and looking for The shot. Scouting angles and perspectives, I can upon this scene. There was no person initially. But I knew I wanted someone walking. The only way to make this shot captivating was to have one person in the scene. I framed the shot, fixed my settings, placed the sunset in the right position on the right... And waited. I waited. I waited a while. I didn't want to ask anyone or 'stage' it in any way. So I waited some more. I literally stood there with knees bent a little and my camera to my face and my finger on the shutter button waiting for someone to walk into the scene. And then the lady did... and to make sure I I was satisfied, I pressed the shutter over 10 times and this is the one I love. For the longest time I used to always photograph scenes with nobody in them. I thought having a person might ruin it or disrupt the beauty-ness of it, but recently I realised that no, it doesn't, it actually provides or acts as a bridge for the viewer to imagine themselves in the scene. It provides a sense of scale and now, I aim for every fine-art picture I take to have this human element in there.

A scene from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi during sunset.

A scene from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi during sunset.