Pic(k) of the week 50: AT THE CAMEL RACES, DUBAI
When an outsider thinks about the Arabian peninsula, one of the first things that probably comes to mind, are camels often called the ships of the desert. Over my 17 years in Dubai, I've photographed quite a bit at the Al Marmoom Camel race track on the outskirts of Dubai. Hundreds of camel farms can be found around the track, making it perfect for travel/people photography. It is best explored with your own transport (4x4 preferred) as it is a very large area and not entirely "walkable".
Camel racing is a national sport and a long time tradition in the UAE. Races are held on different days from October to March and vary from 4km for the young camels to 10km for the larger ones.
Until about 20 years ago, the jockeys were small boys from Pakistan and Bangladesh, which were secured to the saddles with velcro. For obvious reasons human rights stopped this practice and since about two decades remote controlled robots are used instead.
Last week, while attending one of the morning races, I spend some time at the post-race resting place for the camels. In the frame below I was attracted by a camel head, its shadow and the official Dubai Racing Club symbol on the wall.
Image details:
Until about 20 years ago, the jockeys were small boys from Pakistan and Bangladesh, which were secured to the saddles with velcro. For obvious reasons human rights stopped this practice and since about two decades remote controlled robots are used instead.
Last week, while attending one of the morning races, I spend some time at the post-race resting place for the camels. In the frame below I was attracted by a camel head, its shadow and the official Dubai Racing Club symbol on the wall.
Image details:
- Fujifilm X-Pro 2 with XF35mm f1.4 lens
- ISO 160, f5.6, 1/1500s
- SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) jpeg using:
- Classic Negative
- Highlights -1, Shadows +1, Sharpness +2, Noise -1\
More info about upcoming races can be found at Dubai Racing Club website. Unfortunately it is not always kept up to date.
An entire gallery with images shot at the Camel Racing grounds can be found here.
An entire gallery with images shot at the Camel Racing grounds can be found here.
Remember: "A camel is a horse designed by a committee"
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