The fabulous 'T2' tower at the Central Market Souq..no, wait... 'The Domain'....err no, 'The Residences' at the World Trade Center Abu Dhabi!

Burj Khalifa in Dubai, world's tallest structure. Photographed from Eurocopter EC130B

'Electra Street' in Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE

 

Shadow Chaser'

Oryx is a genus consisting of four large antelope species. Three of them are native to arid parts of Africa, and the fourth to the Arabian Peninsula. Their fur is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which lacks dark markings on the legs, only has faint dark markings on the head, has an ochre neck, and horns that are clearly decurved.
The Arabian oryx was only saved from extinction through a captive breeding program and reintroduction to the wild. The scimitar oryx, which is now listed as Extinct in the Wild, also relies on a captive breeding program for its survival.

This photograph was taken on Sir Bani Yas island in Abu Dhabi's Western Region.

Abu Dhabi's skyline in Western direction. This point of view is quite rarely seen as there aren't any tall structures where the camera was. This is is a blend of 3 different times of the day, each 1 hour apart.

Abu Dhabi's Western skyline. Post processing was inspired by L.A.as it appeared in Ridley Scott's visionary 'Blade Runner' movie.

Jounieh Gulf in Lebanon

busy residential area in Jounieh, not far from Beirut in Lebanon.

Here's the first photograph from my first, unforgettable and all too brief trip to Lebanon. Thank you Muriel Farah for showing me your beautiful country and for taking me to this fantastic spot. Thank you also for putting up with my constant and sudden camera roadside pit-stops. I'm actually surprised we didn't all crash and burn into that valley below to be honest!

Featured is idyllic little village called Hasroun, located in the Bsharri District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. It is situated in the Valley of Qadisha, overlooking the southern branch of this valley, the Qannoubine Valley.

It owes its nickname of the Rose of Mount Lebanon to its predominantly red-tiled roof houses. The population is Maronite Catholic.

Hasroun gave the Maronite Church two Patriarchs, Patriarch Jacob Awad (1705-1733) and Patriarch Simon Awad (1743-1756). From Hasroun came also the noted family of orientalists, the Assemani, among them the famous Giuseppe Simone Assemani, author of Bibliotheca Orientalis and Ephraemi Syri opera omnia quae extant.

Tech talk: this is a 5-stop exposure, taken approximately 15 minutes after the sunset. Visibility at this altitude was spectacular so there's an incredible depth and clarity in the image, despite the massive scale and distances between the subjects.
RAW images were pre-processed with Lightroom 4.4. 16-bit TIFF images were dynamically blended with Photoshop CC (best tool in the Universe for Photographers and Digital Artists alike). Final grade and local toning; Topaz ReStyle and Nik Viveza 2. Sharpening was done with Nik Output Sharpener 3.0 - it's the best sharpening tool for my money.
Camera: Canon 5D Mark 3 and Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM. 
Promote Remote Control was used for quick and accurate exposure bracketing.

DNA'

View of the container terminal at the Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi.
This is a very small crop of an expanse of containers that goes on into infinity! It's a very, very impressive sight by any standard.

Orange Winter'

Haze is not a photographer's friend, but sometimes, it's exactly what you want.
Featured is Abu Dhabi on the first day of the Winter.

heikh Zayed Grand Mosque at sunrise

Today I completed a 3-day helicopter shoot across the Abu Dhabi Emirate. I've seen every corner of it, from East to West. 
During this period, I was airborne a total of 13 hours and I must admit, it was physically very tiring. It was the adrenaline rush that kept me alert. It was the most extensive single aerial mission I have ever undertaken. 
I witnessed many fascinating sights of this Emirate, most of which could only have been appreciated from the bird's eye perspective. 
We live on such a fascinating planet; even our own backyard is full of interest. All we need to do is stop, change a point of view and look again.

WARP'

Trying out new stuff - blending 3 different times of the day into one single photograph. Featured is the NBAD HQ bulding on Khalifa Street in Abu Dhabi.

 

mirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi in the early morning hours.
Available as 13,500 pixels wide panorama.

Abu Dhabi's architectural icons; Etihad Towers (left) and Emirates Palace Hotel (right) during the 42nd National Day celebrations

One of the most amazing residential development on Earth; Dubai Marina

Emirates Steel factory in Abu Dhabi's industrial zone.

LANDMARK TOWER in Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Khalifa highway on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

St. Regis hotel on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi.

Shot from the highest peak in Abu Dhabi, the 98th floor of 'THE RESIDENCES" @ World Trade Center Abu Dhabi.

'While you were sleeping'

Abu Dhabi, 24th Jan at 7AM. 
Photographed from the 95th floor of The Domain, tallest structure in Abu Dhabi. 
This is a 5-stop HDR photograph combined with dynamic blending technique. Primary grading accomplished with Color Efex Pro and Viveza 2.Shot with Canon 5d mk2 and Canon TS-E 17mm. Tripod Gitzo GT5541LS and Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead. 
Promote Remote Control was used for 5-stop HDR bracketing. 
I also used Manfrotto Magic Arms to stabilize the camera in a rather unsafe position (read: hanging over the scaffolding handrail, about 330m from the ground)

Cloud City - Abu Dhabi's skyline in the East direction.

Abu Dhabi on a particularly interesting night, just before dawn.

Abu Dhabi's Airport Road, hidden beneath the thick layer of rolling fog

Reem Island in Abu Dhabi

Reem Island in Abu Dhabi