Night time street shots

Dubaiphil · Aug 11, 2013

Here are a few recent shots from the streets around Deira, Dubai over the past couple of weeks. The nights during Ramadan brought a lot of people out to socialise after prayers despite the summer heat. In contrast the last image was taken at roughly the same time in the evening, but after the Eid Holidays things have quietened down a bit.

oneANT · Aug 11, 2013

Dubaiphil said:
Dubaiphil wrote:

Here are a few recent shots from the streets around Deira, Dubai over the past couple of weeks. The nights during Ramadan brought a lot of people out to socialise after prayers despite the summer heat. In contrast the last image was taken at roughly the same time in the evening, but after the Eid Holidays things have quietened down a bit.

Could you post one at a time phil, I always have trouble picking a favourite and it takes me ages.

Stunning, the #2 by the way is my fav.

You must tell us one day what its like to photograph there, I'm sure I'm not the only one thats curious

Ant.

Vidau · Aug 11, 2013

excellent photos, the mystery of the night becomes pleasant serenity

lbj1891 · Aug 11, 2013

These are a real inspiration for me. I am particularly drawn to number one though. I don't know what it is. Its not "beautiful". Its not "exciting". But at the same time, it is beautiful and exciting to me. I feel like I can hear the people at the table speaking somewhat quietly with intermittent laughter too loud for that time of the day. You captured something right there.

Hulamike · Aug 12, 2013

great images and I'm so glad you're involved with your subject. The old anonymous drive by shot is getting so boring.

fad · Aug 12, 2013

Nice combination of street portrait and street. They give a good sense of place.

Dubaiphil · Aug 12, 2013

Member said:
oneANT wrote:
Could you post one at a time phil, I always have trouble picking a favourite and it takes me ages.

Stunning, the #2 by the way is my fav.

You must tell us one day what its like to photograph there, I'm sure I'm not the only one thats curious

Ant.

Thanks Ant. What's it like to photograph here? Hot and wet! The people are very approachable and because of the weather (and time of year during Ramadan) the pace of life is slow. This means there's not a lot of frenetic activity for candid street shots and more opportunity to approach and engage with subjects, albeit briefly.

At the end of last night's walk I saw one porter I recognised from a photograph last September (the faces pop out at you once you've processed images) and we sat and reviewed some pictures of him and his friends/colleagues on my phone over a coffee. He wanted to buy me a drink as I looked a little sweaty (with him earning probably $250US a month I politely declined and bought him and his friend a coffee instead). Broken English, but a nice moment. I'll search him out to give him a print of his image when I'm next in the area.

Dubaiphil · Aug 12, 2013

Vidau said:
Vidau wrote:

excellent photos, the mystery of the night becomes pleasant serenity

Thanks Vidau

Dubaiphil · Aug 12, 2013

lbj1891 said:
lbj1891 wrote:

These are a real inspiration for me. I am particularly drawn to number one though. I don't know what it is. Its not "beautiful". Its not "exciting". But at the same time, it is beautiful and exciting to me. I feel like I can hear the people at the table speaking somewhat quietly with intermittent laughter too loud for that time of the day. You captured something right there.

Dubaiphil · Aug 13, 2013

Hulamike said:
Hulamike wrote:

great images and I'm so glad you're involved with your subject. The old anonymous drive by shot is getting so boring.

Thanks Hulamike

For the environmental portraits, I always try to return within a couple of months with prints for the subjects. Language is a barrier but all you need to do is find a porter and show him the subject and within a minute the name is known, a telephone call is made, a crowd gathers, and then a rather bashful recipient appears to receive his gift. They generally send the images home to their loved ones.

Even in the most touristy areas, no-one asks for money to pose for images (I've heard that only once) - these guys are just humble hard workers, who happen to be very approachable, friendly and willing to help you out.

These guys work for a relatively low salary and only see their families in their home countries once every 1-2 years. The debate on the class hierarchy in Dubai (and other cities in the region) aside, I try to do my little bit to give back and it's nice to engage with these guys and see their reaction.

Dubaiphil · Aug 13, 2013

fad said:
fad wrote:

Nice combination of street portrait and street. They give a good sense of place.

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Night time street shots

Dubaiphil

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oneANT

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Vidau

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lbj1891

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Hulamike

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fad

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Dubaiphil

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Dubaiphil

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Dubaiphil

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Dubaiphil

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Dubaiphil

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