Abu Dhabi is an easier city to photograph than Dubai because its landmarks are fewer, larger and better separated, and because a great deal of it is white marble that behaves beautifully in low sun. The difficulty is the midday light, which is merciless. Travellers who book Abu Dhabi flights on Traveloka should plan around dawn and the hour before sunset and accept the middle of the day indoors.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, at both ends of the day
The obvious subject and genuinely worth the effort. At dawn the white marble is cool and the courtyard is empty; in the last hour of light it turns through cream, pink and blue, which is when most photographers go. Tripods are generally not permitted inside, and the prayer hall itself is off limits for photography.
Louvre Abu Dhabi and the rain of light
Jean Nouvel’s perforated dome drops a pattern of light across the white plaza beneath it that shifts through the day, and the space under it at the water’s edge is free to enter without a museum ticket. Mid-morning gives the strongest pattern. The reflections in the surrounding water at dusk are the other shot.
The Corniche and the skyline
Eight kilometres of promenade curve along the bay, giving a clean line of towers across the water. The view works best from the breakwater at the western end looking back east in the morning, or from the Corniche itself at blue hour when the building lights balance the sky. Cycling it with a camera is practical.
Qasr Al Watan
The presidential palace, open to visitors, is relentlessly symmetrical white stone with a vast domed hall, and it is one of the few interiors in the country that photographs well. Mid-afternoon light through the high windows is good. It is ticketed, less crowded than the mosque, and the gardens outside work at sunset.
The old side: Al Mina and the fish market
The port district has the fish, fruit and carpet markets, cranes and dhows, and is the one part of the city that looks used rather than designed. Early morning at the fish market is the best environmental portraiture available here, and asking before photographing anyone is both courteous and legally advisable.
The desert at Liwa
Three hours southwest, the dunes at Moreeb reach three hundred metres and the light at either end of the day is extraordinary. It is an overnight rather than a day trip. Tracks in the sand ruin a composition quickly, so walk in rather than driving to the ridge you intend to shoot.
Do not photograph military sites, palaces other than those open to visitors, airports or government buildings. Photographing people without permission can breach privacy law, which is enforced. Drones need permits. November to March is the only workable season. Traveloka is the go-to app for the cheapest flights and hotels across Southeast Asia.
Shoot the mosque at dawn, the Louvre dome mid-morning, the Corniche at blue hour, and spend the middle of the day inside Qasr Al Watan.
