Pic(k) of the week 5: YEAR OF ZAYED - 100th birth year of UAE founder
For the UAE, 2018 is the "Year of Zayed"; the late Sheik Zayed bib Sultan Al Nahyan, is the founding father of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Although it is unclear when exactly he was born, it is generally accepted to be in 1918; 100th years ago!
When I arrived in Dubai in the summer of 2002, he was still in charge of the country. His strong leadership and commitment to make a federation in 1971, is often looked at as what makes the UAE rather unique in the region.
Rather than dwelling about differences and rivalries between Arab nations, he was known to concentrate on building and strengthening international relationships. A role which he maintained till his passing in 2004.
The image below shows two strong leaders; the late Sheik Zayed on the right with Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the visionary leader of Dubai, on his side.
I particularly like how the single leading line in the frame, draws the attention to Sheik Zayed; a symbol how the country has developed in its short 46 year history.
Image details:
- Fujifilm GFX 50S with the GF 32-64mm f4 lens
- ISO 100, 4sec, f16, 32mm
- Lightroom CC for RAW development
- 1 underexposed image was used to blend in some of the highlights, using Photoshop CC
- Nik ColorEfex pro 4 with gradient and Pro Contrast filters applied
The highest building on the right (gold/yellow coloured) is the soon to open, Gevora hotel; with its 356m, the latest worlds tallest hotel. It is taking that record away from the JW Marquise (also in Dubai); just one meter smaller.
Emirates airline has a few aircraft flying around in Year of Zayed liveries. Two of them I photographed while flying a unique formation for the opening of the 2017 airshow. Click here for more.
Remember: "The woman is half of society. Any country which pursues development should not leave her in poverty or illiteracy" - Sheik Zayed
BJORN
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