Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque, a photo from Abu Dhabi, Ouest

Photographer's Note

The majestic Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque is probably the most imposing religious and national landmark in Abu Dhabi to date. It is also arguably one of the most important architectural treasures of the contemporary UAE society - and one of the most beautiful in the world - initiated no less by the late president HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is fondly thought of as the father of UAE.

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque, popularly called Grand Mosque by local residents, is seen as a “globally unifying” landmark from its conception to completion, bringing together designers, features, materials and suppliers from nearly every corner of the globe: Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, Turkey, Iran, China, Greece and the UAE.

The Mosque’s initial architectural design was Moroccan, but it evolved to include many global features, including exterior walls that are of traditional Turkish design. Natural materials were chosen for its design and construction, which include marble, stone, gold, semi-precious stones, crystals and ceramics.

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque in Abu Dhabi is truly amazing place to visit and to take photos of. I have to admit that I have actually asked those two ladies to model for me to nicely balance the composition and also add more atmosphere to the shot. All ladies have to wear abaya and head cover when visiting this mosque, luckily you can borrow one at the mosque itself.

PENTAX K20D, f/8.0, 0.004 sec (1/250), ISO 100, 12 mm

holmertz, Didi, pauloog, tempocativo, yedirenk, Bruno40, cbrman, eeedi, boa, tomescuc, ManuMay, Sonata11, adidas5nb trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

merckcrl (223) 2009-02-24 8:49

Wow, your shot is amazing. It looks otherworldy; you were right to have those women pose.

aristo (3214) 2009-02-24 8:59

Hello Lucie!
Beautiful photo from Abu Dabi.Very good qality,superb colours and composition.
Amazing place Lucie!Fantastic image!
Compliments,
arek

alikhan01987 (0) 2009-02-24 8:59

ماشاء الله

andante (7092) 2009-02-24 9:03

WOW! Blown away, this looks like an scene stolen from the Arabian Nights book... top presentation... hats off

holmertz (102008) 2009-02-24 9:06

Hello Lucie,
A very clever composition where the ladies in black have exactly the effect you wanted to obtain. They balance the minarets well and make a nice contrast to the white dominance.
Regards,
Gert

Greg1949 (9011) 2009-02-24 9:16

Lucie, this is a powerful image, lonely yet not cold and dramatic but not foreboding. Crisp focus and positive colors show you to be the master of this capture and I love how you have mitigated the keystoning of the wide angle glass. Great work as is that on Flickr.

Greg

jonathan_hart (21276) 2009-02-24 9:16

seems there is not so much distortion but the focal length must be very wide,
one word come into my mind by seeing this monument, gigantism
and it's perfectly composed to emphasize this feeling
jc

niphredil76 (850) 2009-02-24 9:19

Ciao Lucie,
wonderful perspective in your shot. Your 12mm made a little miracle here, enhancing the monumental look of this all-white mosque.
Your composition, including the two women, thin and black figures contrasting with the sunny white of the yard, made of the moresque architecture a perfect frame for a tale of daily life.
The great sharpness let us discovering the floral inlay of the floor and every architectural detail, leaving intact the sunny-white atmosphere of your shot.
perfect blue sky and light balance do the rest.
Bellissima!
TFS
Laura

yquem46 (38752) 2009-02-24 9:21

very impressive Lucie !
Those 2 ladies dressed in black in such a white environment on a blue sky makes such an effect that I feel like closing the eyes so as to be not blinded by light and heat
BRAVO
Patrick

Didi (61589) 2009-02-24 9:31

Hi Lucie
Interesting touch of contrast with the black wared ladies and the white highlights I think that I need sun glasses :)
Well done for the composition.
I suggest a simple WS.
Cheers.

pazufferey (4858) 2009-02-24 9:32

Bonjour Lucie,

Une très belle photo. Une superbe architecture toute blanche, les toits sont magnifiques. Les personnes vêtue de noir donne un plus à l'image, une sensation de grandeur.
Superbe composition
Amicalement
Patrick

yaya13baut (3344) 2009-02-24 9:33

Hi Lucie,
great shot !
the wide-angle gives a good perspective of the place, whatever the distortion ; you managed a clever control of light and colors ; the composition is quite fine with the 2 black ladies in this white place.
The result is an unreal picture, like a drawing.
Yannis

pauloog (11751) 2009-02-24 9:33

Hello Lucie,
An outstanding contrast between the ladies in the foreground and the marvellous almost transparant view on the mosque. The ladies bring depth and life to the view.
Regards,
Paul

jordilara (822) 2009-02-24 9:59

Wow!! Spectacular shot! The photo gives us the feeling of greatfull You can feel in there. Perfect white tones.

Morac (27725) 2009-02-24 10:57

Hello Lucie!
Beautiful photo and very good qality,superb colours and composition.
I love this mix of colors, black and white.
Best regards
Marc

I_WanderingSoul (686) 2009-02-24 11:00

Hi Lucie,
Beautiful capture!
Wonderful contrast between the ladies, the mosque and the sky.
Very nice perspective.
TFS,Neelima.

mar14 (97) 2009-02-24 11:34

Perfect sense of depth and composition. Amazing photo!

Michael

goodwill (4274) 2009-02-24 11:41

Amazing shot of this religious monument, Lucie.
Nothing but marvellous in all respects.
Outstanding POV and great exposure.
Well Done.

Rajeev

tempocativo (476) 2009-02-24 12:43

Olá Lucie, realmente deve ser um lindo local, muito bonita a arquitectura invejável. Foi uma boa opção teres pedido às senhoras para pousar para a foto. Deu um ar ainda mais belo a esta fotografia magnifica. Parabéns

yedirenk (11244) 2009-02-24 12:56

Hi Lucie,
This is an extraordinary scene with incredible architectural details.very impressive and very elegant shot.also very fantastic atmosphere like a dream.well done.TFS
Best Regards

Cevdet

faubry (35447) 2009-02-24 13:27

wonderful photo! superb blue sky and goo contrast between white architecture, i like silhouette!
congratulations
francine

nibspics (358) 2009-02-24 17:36

Fantastic work Lucie,

Your composition for this photo is perfect. What a magnificent place. TFS

Regards, Waz

Bruno40 (6662) 2009-02-24 18:44

Hi Lucie,
Amazing work, you manage the light very well,and teh composition is superb.
well done
cheers
Jorge

cbrman (21685) 2009-02-24 21:47

Hello Luci,

Splendide contraste entre ces personnes habillées de noir et bâtiment d'une blancheur éclatante ! La perspective est très belle et attire encore plus le regard sur cet architecture raffinée. Une très belle prise de vue !
A+

Dominique

HimalAnda (10671) 2009-02-24 23:25

Hello Lucie,

Just one word : perfect !
Everything is good : light and colors, composition, sharpness...
Congratulations.

Stéphane

syrus_persia (2270) 2009-02-25 0:00

Salam Lucie
What a wonderful shot. I love this POV and the contrast. Wonderful light, colours and details. Great work!

Greetings,

cyrus

filidor (56) 2009-02-25 1:31

Hi Lucie! As usual I can see unusual shot. Thanks to Your wide angle you could make this great composition - the silhouettes give to the shot lot of power. Great work. Mac

mondele (823) 2009-02-25 7:24

Bonjour Lucinka,
Tout d'abord, je te félicite pour ta galerie qui est magnifique. En ce qui concerne cette photographie, elle est à l'image de ce que tu produis habituellement. Elle est absolument superbe. Une de mes préférées.
Philippe

zmey (7335) 2009-02-26 5:22

hi Lucie
wonderful capture of this place. the wide angle has 'cleaned up' the background crowd extremely well, leaving 'out of this worldly' feel of cleanliness and perfection.

regards,
kristaps

AnaRita (1741) 2009-02-26 12:49

Olá Lucie!
Powerful photo with a strong composition and color contrast with the white from the mosque and those two human figures.
Congratulations and thanks for sharing. Have a nice weekend,
Ana

azizbilgili (2111) 2009-02-27 0:04

Hi Lucie,
Wonderful perspective, A very clever composition in your shot.
Wonderful contrast between the ladies, the mosque and the sky...

TFS

mongibello (275) 2009-02-27 2:07

Hello Lucie

image from fable " Thousands and a night " .. thanks for this wonderful photography!

Kisses
Francesco

brandstaetter (15915) 2009-02-27 12:54

Hi Lucie,
compliments for this depth and the wonderful contrasts...black and white are reduced to the maximum... well, maybe I´d like to see the upper right angle as white as the rest, darkening is not necessary here, I think.
Best regards, Christian

boa (8039) 2009-04-03 0:38

Hi Lucie,
wow..amazing photo. The composition with the two woman in the front is outstanding. The whole image is like a dream, wonderful colors, sharpness and Pov. Very well captured from an interesting place. Thanks for sharing !
Best regards
Boa

totoamoto (1107) 2009-04-08 12:53

re..
Le 10 20 donne un super résultat et permet d'avoir les tours..
Un endroit grandiose. Ce palais blanc est incroyable.
Les deux femmes au premier plan donne vraiment un plus à ton image.
Félicitation je l'aime beaucoup..

Cyril

Asiulus (1184) 2009-04-14 13:12 [Comment]

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smarcell (19965) 2009-05-12 0:17

A great picture, withthe white mosque, the blue sky, and those black figures, which really characterize the place.
The sigma 10-20 is a lot of fun !
Ciao Stefano

tomescuc (3291) 2009-05-12 15:38

Unreal, or rather surreal.. The optics of your lens add a bit to this feeling. 1001 nights kitsch? smart idea to have the veiled ladies model, they fit in the scene, providing a visual contrast as well.
BR, Cristian

Ramy (773) 2009-05-13 0:58

This is how heaven must look like! A lot more beautiful than I could've imagined. You've captured its beauty with skill! Please keep up this great work!
Regards, Ramy.

gmg (4202) 2009-06-10 5:19

Great shot.
Nice compo, well balanced colours andcontrast, beautiful sky and good PP job!
TFS
gmg

patdeph (35750) 2009-07-28 4:26

hello Lucie
Wooow!Absolutly wonderful!The summum of purity!I am speachless in front of such a beauty!I ad it in my favorites!
Regards
Pascale

luighi (5303) 2009-07-28 10:18

Otra grandisima fotografia ,
Grande grande!!! esta foto.
Me gusta mucho el tratamiento quele has dado cos esas dos figuras casi fantasmagoricas presidiendo el encuadre. Bravo again.
Luis

ManuMay (36447) 2009-07-29 9:01

Hi Lucinka!!

Superb view, great mood and cadrage and very good your point of view to compose this amazing image, wonderful...as a place from 1001 nights tales!!

Congrats...

Best regards

Manuel

sonkai (1105) 2009-08-27 11:25

Hi again,
I was passing by your gallery, I saw this one and I must to stop here to comment...Perfect too. The two lonely people in black bringing out over the white and golden building are great. I must add it to my favourites too..

marcdemoulin (1870) 2009-12-07 13:08

This is absolutely terrific architecture and shot wow!!
Marc

SaidQirimli (480) 2009-12-12 15:06

Merhaba,Lucie!
I got only one word to describe my admiration of your shot. and this word is WOW!!!!!!!!
Fantastic! Best Regards!
Said.

Leillis (69) 2009-12-13 7:23

Really great photograph! Amazing sky! Congrats!

vmukherjee (614) 2010-08-17 1:45

Amazing shot! The blue, white and the presence of the two ladies in black robes look breathtaking. Great composition and pov. Thanks for sharing.

Mistral (15416) 2011-05-08 9:19

Hi Lucie,
stunning, as usual... :-)
Luca
PS: usually june is a good month for Madagascar but also depends on the area you want to visit. If you will need I can give you contacts there... or infos (lately I posted a set on Flickr too regarding my first trip there).
A smile for your Sunday nite...
Luca

HFASSOURAKIS (4) 2011-08-27 1:30

NICE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE BLACK FIGURES AND WHITE MOSQUE
WELL DONE

BennyV (34746) 2011-09-09 8:55

Hello again,

I just stumbled on this one after commenting on your Bali shot and notice the same floating-like quality here, that same lightness, with the stronger colours fading at the bottom. Another great shot, imho.

Cheers.

Benny

jacekb70 (321) 2012-03-25 9:30 [Comment]

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adidas5nb (5743) 2012-07-23 17:59

fantastic composition of this magnificent mosque!
regards
DWAIPAYAN

blueaquan (34) 2014-08-05 9:43 [Comment]