Still learning to shoot fireworks. A bit too far away but it came out looking rather pretty. Live Composite Mode S5II with 28-70 f2.8 Pro.
Liwa Festival Moreeb Dune December 2025
We decided to have an adventure-driving 250km south of Abu Dhabi to the northern fringe of the Arabian desert Empty Quarter (Rub’ Ak Khali) where the Liwa Festival is an annual event featuring powersport-based extreme dune bashing and attempting to conquer the 250-300 meter Moreeb Dune. The festival also highlights Emirati culture and a nice chance to actually meet our hosts. We camped out about 1km from the base of the dune and were treated to a sleepless 48 hours as the attempts to climb the dune in every imaginable vehicle went on 24/7! It was wild….loved it and will return next year although will camp a few km into the desert for some peace and quiet at night! Vehicle star was definitely the H2 Electric Hummer! Honorable mention to the crazy awesome dune rolling down in a Lincoln Town Car! Lumix S-5II with 24-70 f2.8 Pro and 70-300mm. Also shot with the Sony a6400 with 18-135. All edited in DXO PL7.
Portraits in Al Ain December 2025
Took a small day trip to the Al Ain Camel Market-a regional livestock hub featuring….you guessed it….camels. The opportunities for street portraiture were excellent as we met people from Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan, Pakistan, Egypt, and others from around the Arabian Peninsula. Lumix S-5II with 24-70 f2.8 Pro edited with DXO PL7.
Sony a6400 with 18-135mm Abu Dhabi Sep-Oct 2025
I have the a6400 as a sort of backup-honestly a friend never used it and I bought it at a reasonable price for use when my big full-frame Lumix is a bit much to haul around. It does a decent job; however, with no in-camera stabilization and the older crop sensor it’s tricky to use as the lights go out…excessive noise and handholding magic experienced with Lumix Dual IS is incomparable. I find myself wondering if I should just get the latest a6700 body (the lens is fine) to get decent stabilization….and then I look at something like a m43 camera from Olympus that can do insanely good work in a very small package (APS-C lenses get big to the point of full-frame) and round and around we go with Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS)! Processed in DXO PL7.
Dubai Airshow 2025 Static Displays
A few shots with my backup Sony a6400 of the static displays. It was hot on the ramp and I had only an hour to wander around before the flight demo’s. 18-135mm is a very handy lens for APS-C giving 27-202mm actual. Smaller sensor does require a lot more care in processing. DXO PL7.
The Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi
Dubai Airshow November 2025 Highlights
Lucky enough to be an exhibitor guest with direct flight line access. Too busy at work to attend more than one day and quite out of practice. The UAE flight demo team was a total highlight in my opinion as were the unusual aircraft not usually seen at civilian shows. It was hot, aircraft somewhat distant with lots of heat shimmer interference and very dusty. Still….I think the S5 MKII with 70-300mm held up really well…..all edited in DXO Photolab 7.
