Dubai Travel Forum

Greetings,

I'm a New York based travel/architectural photographer that is planning a future visit to Dubai. Naturally part of my focus will be on the incredible architecture. But I also want to show a bit of a different side from all the shopping malls and glitz/glam.

I'm interested in getting a portrait of local life off the beaten path in some neighborhoods that might not have been going through massive construction/urban renewal. Any suggestions?

And how do locals spend their leisure time, beach, horse races, local customs/activities, parks, etc. Also, is there a time of year that's better to visit from a weather perspective, heat, sand, rain, etc? Thanks so much for any suggestions.

Best,

Douglas
www.DouglasLjungkvist.com

Hi there and welcome to VT!!
Well, a good source of information is to check the pages of members who are living in Dubai. However, Visiting Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding on the following URL would be very informative as well:

http://www.cultures.ae/activities.htm

To me the best months to visit Dubai are from October to March.
Good luck.

The winter months are the best for weather and air quality.

When you say 'locals' do you mean the Emiratis or all of us who live here? (expats are 80% of the population).

To see the older parts of the city you need to be around the Creek which runs through the centre, which is where the souks and the traditional shopping areas are. There is also the suburb of Satwa which is a traditional shopping area.

Click on our names to go to our pages, follow the links to our Dubai info and you'll get plenty of info to help you plan.

Yeah, tracking-down true "locals" in big numbers isn't easy... there aren't a lot of them, haha!

How do locals spend their time?
Well, Emiratis aren't so much on the beach. Many of them can be seen socializing in shopping malls, but I think most true Emirati families do most of their socializing in their homes.

As for the expariates, it depends on the nationality: I'd say many of the Asian families spend their weekends in park (especially those with smaller children) or the shopping malls. Western expatriates can often be seen at the beaches, in beach parks. Those without kids often do camping trips into the desert on weekends.
In the evenings in town, you have those going to the cinema, to restaurants or the bars and night clubs.... so nothing really different from American or European free time, as you can see.


Another great two areas for taking photos are Satwa and Karama. It gives you a real feeling for the energy on the streets, etc.

Just to clarify what Colin meant with "winter months": I'd say best for photography is from November to February. October, March, April and May are still not very hot, but the shamal winds tend to whip-up a lot of dust and sometimes weeks go by without being able to see a blue sky (it's always yellowish-grey in colour).

Awesome, guys, thanks! I didn't know the number of ex-pat's was that high, at 80%. Wow. That could make for interesting photography stories. Sounds like visiting in the US winter would be the best time. Clear or partly clear skies are prefer for my lighting needs and the less winds from the dessert the better to save the equipment.

Best,

Douglas

Summer, apart from being so uncomfortable, is bad for photography because the very high humidity makes the air very fuzzy. Winds blowing up sand and dust can come at any time of course, and the problem is that although low humidity gives you clearer air it also means the dust and sand isn't dampened down!

Something that fascinates me, and you may find interesting too, is that lighting is very important in the overall architectural design of buildings here, from villa walls having mood lighting on them to highrise towers having creative lighting, coloured or otherwise. Make sure you have a drive around after dark.

HI...welcome to the UAE.......
Try to avoid the Gulf region during the summer. The bset time to visit during the months of November to April . you would not see many Locals in Dubai.The treditional market areas ( souk ) are good placess to take photos. I would stonglly recommend that you visit the Northern Emirates to get the real feeling of the past.There you would see many locals . I would recommend Fujairah and Ras Khaima. you may also visit Al Ain which is 1 1/2 hour drive from Dubai.

Bastikaya in Bur Dubai and the Heritage Village is where you can find the 'real' Emirati spirit. Like most of hte countries, you can only 'see' the cultural heritage in the museums. Dubai is a modern place so not much of a 'cultural thing' that you think of. Also, you can try Sheik Sayed Road for some 'architetural wonders' and of course Burj Dubai, where the fountain is now open. It's 50 feet high!

Hi Douglas
I have a brief look at your site - very diversed at the same time interesting. =)
Hope to see Dubai added on to your portfolio soon.

On top of all others that have been mentioned, I think you can also get nice shots at Dubai Mall - there is the outdoor area Souk Al Bahar (though might not be as big as the real Souks in Deira).

From the same area - you can capture architecture photos - The Address looks beautifully lit up in the evening / night. There is also a lake fountain with short "musical shows" in the evenings...

Also in Ibn Battuta Mall, there is the different themes you can probably have some nice shots - Persian court, Indian court, China court etc... each court have different architecture.