THE SANDSTORM THAT WAS MAY

Another month passes by in this very blustery year. Just when you think things cannot get any worse, America falls deeper into an avoidable mess. Due to the ongoing riots brought about thanks to the decades-long race-related inequalities and ongoing police brutality. The current “leadership” in the US does not make this situation any better. In all honesty, the lack of leadership is causing tremendous stress and anxiety in the general population. Attempts to peacefully protest have turned violent and deadly, and any sense of returning to a new normal while living with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic seem like impossible tasks to achieve.

We usually head to Mexico for the summer to escape the “surface of the sun” temperatures that engulf the region. Alas, due to the ongoing global impact of COVID-19, we will be staying in Dubai for the summer. If the changeable weather we experienced in May is a guidepost, we are in for a turbulent summer. I am hopeful that the turbulence the world has been going through these past few months begins to ease and that we can all begin to think of a better future. I have hope that this terrible time in our human history will force us all to reconsider the way we ave been living. Maybe, the challenges we have been facing will force us to rethink how we treat each other and push us to build a better future for all.

In the meantime, I will look out from my balcony as the desert tries to reclaim the man made oasis that is Dubai.

Stay strong. Stay safe!

Learning to Fly

Several years ago, I picked up my first drone, the DJI Phantom 3. To be fair, I was a nervous pilot at first, and my experience was one of cautious exploration. With the constant advances in technology, it was not long before the Phantom 3 was replaced with the Phantom 4 and then the 4 Pro. I picked-up the Phantom 4 and had many wonderful flying experiences. My main focus for picking-up the Phantom was to take large-format multi-image panoramic photographs. At the time, I lived in Atlanta, GA and the “city in a forest” that Atlanta is offered many beautiful places to shoot my panoramic images from. Alas, I have not had the opportunity to fly for the past couple of years…

My drone made the move with me from Atlanta to Mexico City and for several reasons, it never took to the skies over CDMX. This is a shame as there are so many fantastic photographic opportunities there. After a year or so in Mexico City, we moved to Dubai and again, up until this point, my Phantom has not had the opportunity to fly. Instead, it sits patiently on the shelf at my office on campus becoming more a museum piece than an actual part of my creative toolset. The lack of flying here in Dubai I will put down to the government restrictions on zones where one can fly and the licensing. I plan to at least take care of the licensing issue in the coming months, so I am ready to fly during the cooler months here in the UAE.

As the years have passed and technology has pushed on, I am intrigued by the portability and ease of use of the new DJI Mavic Air 2. It is such a smaller platform than the Phantom, and I feel it could be a worthwhile investment for future creative opportunities from the air here in the UAE and indeed in my future (let’s hope the world finds a new normal that works) travel. The size of the Phantom platform has always made going taking it something of a pain. The small footprint of the Mavic Air 2 could make this a game-changer for me. Due to its size, it could almost always be with me in my photo bag. One of the main reasons I became a Sony shooter several years ago was due to the fact that my Canon 5D kit was just too big. I have been a happy Sony shooter (A7R MK II and A6400) ever since.

Maybe the Mavic Air will be a great addition to my creative kit, allowing me to up my game and offer one more opportunity to learn to fly again? In the meantime, I have added a new page with some of my aierial images from my time on Atlanta.

Check it out: https://www.2ndlightphotography.com/aerial-photography

Where are we heading?

The days blur into weeks the weeks into months, and here we are another blur of a month coming to a close. It is May, and nothing makes sense. The world is struggling to find a workable pathway forward. Lockdowns are being eased, numbers continue to increase, and the struggle for any sort of normalcy in our lives is very real. There are so many hopes for cures, hopes that this thing will simply go away and that life will return to normal, and yet the reality is the normal may never return. The emotional uncertainty that we all feel was seemed to get captured in this turbulent “fire in the sky” image I captured from our balcony. The power of photography to capture emotion is very real. As this month will inevitably blur into the next, all one can hope for is that we all find ways to stay safe, mentally occupied and physically engaged.

Stay strong. Stay safe!

VIRTUAL ON PURPOSE

In this one of a kind CreativeMorning, we are going to be shaking things up to match these disruptive times and bringing the CM_Dubai community together for coffee, inspiration, support and a lot of love and all from your own home.

In this #cmpurpose virtual morning meet-up, we will have several speakers from the CM community sharing and a virtual taxi full of amazing local creative talent coming together weaving their stories, insight, and inspiration into a morning brain spa. 

And, most importantly there is you.

Our speakers so far are Kiran Sajwani, well known in CM circles for her Jamming; Randah Taher, the maverick of creativity, business, and colour combinations; James Piecowye, best known for Hawaiian shirts and electric energy; and Leen Sadder a designer, founder and connector in the Dubai creative community. 

The morning will be facilitated by members of the CM_Dubai team who can’t wait to welcome you in.

bit.ly/virtualonpurpose