Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi "Spaces of Light" Photograpnhy Competition 2013

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque – Abu Dhabi “Spaces of Light Photography Competition 2013”


The third edition of one of the most prestigious photography competition in the United Arab Emirates is finally open for submission, complete details about the competition can be found here.

But this year’s edition was launched with extra bonus; they added the Emirates Palace under the special category.

The main objective of the competition is to highlights the Architectural Beauty of the Grand Mosque and Emirates Palace as the first internationally known cultural landmark that combines Islamic and modern architectural styles.

Complete guide before going to the mosque can be found here, be sure to follow all the rules and proper dress codes and for the Emirates Palace can be found here.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque main entrance.

Emirates Palace main gate @ night.

Hodariyat Bridge

Hodariyat Bridge in Abu Dhabi west coastline was one of its kind in the UAE, it is the largest cable-stay bridge in the country completed six months ahead of its original schedule. It is 1.3 km long, 36 meters wide and a vertical clearance of 29 meters.

The bridge will connect Abu Dhabi west coastline to the newly developed Hodariyat Island.

Here are my shots during our trip. I can say that this place is one of the best places in Abu Dhabi to relax and enjoy the beautiful sunset.

And because of Abu Dhabi’s strict regulation about their natural resources, this coastline is already showing a rich biodiversity.

Abu Dhabi International Triathlon 2013

Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is one of the most prestigious events in the United Arab Emirates that Abu Dhabi is hosting yearly. This is my third time to shoot this event and still the excitement and adrenalin is still in my veins and I can say that every year is different, because in this sport you cannot really tell what will happen, everything was really unpredictable, maybe this is the reason why this sporting event is getting bigger and bigger every year.


Complete information about Abu Dhabi International Triathlon can be found here.

Here are some of my shots during the event. EXIF data were included as a little bit of information on how I took the shots.

Since the sun is always shining bright here in the Middle East almost all of my shots were set to Aperture Priority (AV) Mode except for the Panning shot, in this case I used Manual Mode. It is easier for me to shoot in AV mode when there is enough light , I can set the Depth of Field(DOF) that I want while the camera is controlling the rest of the settings for me and my camera is always set to shoot RAW. Why I always shoot in RAW format? I will explain it later on my next blog.

Now let’s go to the race.

@ the Swim stage: Swim start at Abu Dhabi Corniche, Al Sahil public beach. The capital’s beach was awarded the coveted “Blue Flag” for its water quality, cleanliness and public safety.

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@ the Bike stop: Almost all brands of bikes can be seen here.

@ Cycling Stage

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and of course the cheerful crowd...

and accidents do really happen...

and of course the support from the event staff...

and of course I will not forget this man no. 1919 Mr. Oswald Kydd...

Hello World of Blog!

Hello there! I just created this blog to share my passion in photography to the whole world.
This blog will serve as my personal project about life, culture, art, heritage and events here in my work place, Abu Dhabi the "Promise Land" in the middle of the desert.