The Dervish in the Desert

What do you get when you shoot a dervish who has lights all over his outfit during a tourist show?  A spinning top.

A real dervish is not lit, nor is it about entertainment.  The spinning that dervishes do might be best described as a meditation related to Sufism.

I am not a Sufi scholar, but I once read this is a symbolic imitation of the planets orbiting the sun. There are many references out there for Sufism if you wish to read more. If you want to enjoy it in fictional content, then I highly suggest Elif Safak's The Forty Rules of Love.  

The only dervishes I have ever seen in Dubai are in shows like this that focus on a performance.

So for now I leave you with a couple of images of dervish light painting that I took last month at a business outing in the desert.

A Whirling Dervish show in the desert in Dubai

A Whirling Dervish show in the desert in Dubai

Opportunity is Always Around the Corner

This is an image from a fire show in Thailand.  It was one of those hotel shows that may not have been the best show ever, but it resulted in some of the most interesting images I have from that trip.

I almost missed this moment as I did not expect that when they said they were heading around the corner to the water for them to do much more than what they had already done.  As the fire hit the water and sparks flew everywhere, it made for the most amazing picture opportunity.  I felt lucky to get this as the fire was finishing when I arrived.  Almost a missed opportunity.

I often read that many famous photographers were obsessed about taking their cameras everywhere. I get that.  I experienced it again yesterday.  I went out to run an errand, and came upon a huge Harley motorcade in Dubai.  Of course I did not have my camera, and my iPhone did not do it any justice.

Every time I am out and do not have my camera, I see so much opportunity lost.  Never under estimate the value of the amazing thing that is just around the corner.

Happy New Year

Burj Khalifa did it again.  We were witness to another great New Year show in Dubai.  Like last year, we opted to stay in and enjoy the scenes from our balcony.

In theory, it seems like a good idea to venture out to the desert or somewhere to the heart of the action to get some different shots.  But in reality, we enjoy watching it from the comfort of our home with good friends.

I think my son (who much to my surprise was still awake with his friends to witness it) pretty much summed it up when he shouted "I love you Burj Khalifa!" during the show.  So do we.

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2013!  Happy New Year!

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE, NY 2013

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE, NY 2013

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE, NY 2013 - After the fireworks

As far as the shots above, I did not do too much to them outside of correcting the lens distortion.  I used what is often referred to as "light painting", which is basically just a slower shutter speed.  The first two were at 10 seconds, f/13, while the last one was an experiment at 20 seconds, f/4.