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Magazine
A precious night in Dubai

by Editor Michel Romaggi
in collaboration with the author Tamer Radwan
Published the 21st of January 2021
 

This is a very aesthetic photo that Tamer offers us. The huge buildings seem to stretch towards the dark sky in a never-ending way.  The dark sky as well as  silver/golden colours are transforming it to a strong graphical, almost abstract picture.  It triggered my curiosity and I asked Tamer how he processed this capture to end with such an impressive result.

 


Double exposure: Canon 5DSR & Canon 1DXII  .  Tokina 16-28mm & Canon 24-70mm  .  24mm  .  f/14  .  30sec  .  ISO 50

 

What were the overall circumstances ?  Where and when did you take this photo?
I had this capture in mind since a long time.  But to have the right location at the right time, it needed a lot of research.  I dreamed 2 years long to get a special shot showing the "Dubai Marina”. 
Finally, I got it in 2019 ;-)

 
What effects did you use to get these stretching to infinity buildings?
I used the Photoshop/motion blur tool about 6 times on several selections.  I didn't want to lose any sharpness.

 
Which camera and settings did you use for this picture?
This is a double exposure shot.  I used a Canon 5DSR and Canon 1DX II with Tokina 16-28mm + Canon 24-70mm - Canon remote24mm - ƒ/14.0 - 30s - ISO 50.

 
How did you transform the original image to make this half golden, half silver jewel? Did you start with a colour or a BW picture?
I have two original photos: one taken at night and one taken at sunset with different cameras and lenses.  After blending them, I had to process them both with many layers (3 times on the buildings and 3 times on the water reflections). Then I reversed the upper part to BW to erase the golden colours from all its layers and finally, I used the Nik Silver Efex Pro to obtain the shiny look.

 
This picture seems to be a part of a series. Is it?
Yes, I will soon post more of this shots.

 
Can you tell us a bit about your passion for photography and which place it has in your life?
I am not different from most photographers but always in search to get a special image and unique post-processing.  Photography took a major place in my life since 2011.  I'm always looking for new places as if I had a sensor in my eyes.  My goal is not to repeat my previous work.  That's why I never shoot and post the same day.  I spend a lot of time on my Mac to check everything before posting.  Photography is pulsing in my body.

 

Write
I really enjoy knowing how a wonderful image was composed, can't wait to see more images of this series. Congratulations Tamer Radwan and thank you Yvette for the article.
Many thanks, Roxana for your comment 🙏
Thanks a lot to Michel Romaggi for your awesome article