Pic(k) of the week 17: FLYING ABOVE THE CAMELS

About 15 minutes from my home is Dubai largest Camel race track, the "Al Marmoom camel race circuit, home of the Dubai Camel Racing club". Camel racing is one of the most popular sports amongst the local UAE population and has become much more regulated over the years. 

The biggest change happened almost 17 years ago when the UAE was the first country in the region to ban child camel jockeys as far too many fell off with sometimes fatal injuries. Since then, small remote controlled robotic whips have taken over.

Next to the Al Marmoom race track, one can find lots of small camel farms where camels are kept and being bred. Like horse racing there is often big money to be made in selling the best of the racing camels. The most expensive camel was sold for 2.72 million USD in Abu Dhabi.

While the main racing season is from October to April, there are always camels taken out on the track for a "walk" throughout the whole year; especially early morning and just before sunset. 

I've been looking to shoot aerial images of camels with their shadows for some time now and eventually managed to give it a try. The image below is my most favorite one of the shoot, which even made it into my AERIAL portfolio.


Image details:
  • DJI Mavic 2 Pro
  • 1/640s, f4.0, ISO 100
  • Lightroom CC for RAW file development

Remember: "You haven't seen a camel until you have seen its shadow from the sky" - Play of words on a famous quote by Amelia Earhart.

BJORN


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