Holiday Greetings from Dubai

Happy Holidays everyone.
Having lived in the middle east now for over a decade I know very well that far from everyone are celebrating Christmas. But it is hard to believe when you walk out in any of the shopping malls here they have all gone full on Christmas from decorations, large Christmas trees to having Santa’s grotto etc. One of the fun advantages of living in such a multi cultural place as Dubai is that you get to be part of so many different Holiday’s in a year because they are all very heavily celebrated but all in a very good way!
This year it was my daughters first Christmas and she is so easy to photograph she practically smiles all day long so when I put a camera in front of her face she just continues with being her lovely self. I cant ask for a better model.
Since it is our first Christmas as a family I wanted to send a personalized Christmas Card this year to our family and close friends. Here are a few snaps that I have taken of my daughter, in my search of finding our perfect Christmas card. Please let me know which one is your favourite. I think my favorite is the one below, the first one. That one unfortunately did not make it as a Christmas Card because I took it too late so it would not have arrived in time. I have learned this year that I need to be much more organized and start already in October to think of fun Christmas cards ideas to have time to both take and print them in time for me to send them so that they arrive before Christmas.
I wish you all a very Happy Holiday if you are celebrating and a lovely and prosperous New Year!

My though on this one was to have something that represented where we lived now. It was unfortunatelly not the best weather while we took this one.

A bit of fun.

Happy New Year!

Ps. Don’t forget to photograph the New Year fireworks it is great fun and makes for great Photography Wall Art and fun cards.

A Mosaic photography frame

Happy Thanks Giving to everyone that are celebrating today.

Thanks Giving is not what I had planned to blog about today I just happened to remember that it was today:-)

Anyway, I would like to mention the lovely idea of a mosaic photography frame gift idea. (I would personally call it a collage photography frame) not sure if both are correct or just slightly different. Since it is a collage of different photographs put together but then again you mosaic small pieces together which makes a collage. I just received this advertising email from Moo.com I used them earlier this year to print some mini moo cards and since then I keep on receiving their emails which I most of the time just delete straight away but I would still like to receive them incase something good comes along. Like today.

They have a sale from today till the 27th of November and these Mosaic frames and they are quite cool I thought. You get to display 20 different photographs in one frame on different angels (vertical or horizontal) The frame actually reminds me of a childhood board game where you have one piece left out so that you can still move the other pieces around and you try to make a pattern or something with them. (one of them mind games, that tests how cleaver you are :-)) 

Either way this frame is a fun idea I thought to be able to display several photographs in just one single frame, you can that way create a bit of a story with photographs. So if you are stumped on gift ideas then this might be the perfect one. You can either do several different ones of your family, such as use your images from one of the photography shoots you have done with me! hint hint! Book one if you haven’t had yours done yet! LoL or maybe do one with a Dubai theme or flowers etc. Your imagination is your limit here, so get creative.

http://uk.moo.com/accessories/minicard-frame.html?utm_source=MOOsLETTER&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=22112012465630350&EDID=IQ3EXSX-V778-404264-5LVU-Q5UW-v1

I have not taken these photographs I just downloaded them from the Moo.com website to show you what they look like. Click on the link above to get straight to their site and take a look for yourself.

Dubai Photography tip of the Day

Hi,
Now when we all can take advantage of the lovely cooler weather that Dubai is presenting us we should do it to the fullest. It is not only lovelier to be out and about but the change from hot to cooler weather I am saying cooler and not cold since that can be a bit miss interpreted since cold usually means a lot cooler than 25 degrees Celsius, gives us more clouds in the sky than we usually have. Any way the weather change also gives us the great opportunity to get some cool landscape photographs done here in Dubai. We very rarely have clouds in the sky here so go out and take advantage of the ones we have now. This image I took last weekend while I was doing a  mother and daughter photography session on the beach. It started out being a bit hazy but as soon as the sun dropped a bit the clouds became more apparent and the sun changed to very vivid colours. So if you are a keen photographer don’t miss this opportunity that we have right now it wont last all winter unfortunately. Get out there with your camera and get snapping. I took this photograph on the Dubai Umm Suqeim Beach hand held, but if you have a tripod bring that with you. But as you can see it is possible to capture the sunset without a tripod so don’t let that discourage you. Although its a great excuse to your better half for getting new photography gear :-). Maybe a potential holiday gift come early?

For this photograph I used my Canon 5D with lens 24-105mm F4 IS USM L

My camera settings were: 

ISO 200

F 10

TV 1/125 sec

Lens focal length 55mm

Today we have lovely light white clouds in the sky so don’t sit at home get out there. The sun is setting very soon so you better hurry.

I use this website to check the sun’s timings, http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=776

Please let me know how you get along out there would love to see your sunset photographs.

Catch you all later.

Helen x

Dubai newborn photography shoot

Last year I had the pleasure to meet this lovely family for the first time, we then did a family photography session of the three of them now last weekend I saw them again and this time I did a newborn photography session with them. They have just had a lovely little baby boy. I just love to photographs newborns they are so adorable don't you agree?

I can't wait to meet them all again in 6 months for another photography shoot to capture his developments. 

Ps. What do you guys think of my new watermark?

All the best.

Helen xx

Helen is Featured at Mom Souq Dubai

Hi,
Hope you are all well. I can happily let you all know that I have been selected among many MumPreneurs in the region to be featured at www.momsouq.com for their second phase launch. It is a great website for services in the region as well as buying and selling second hand products.
Check out the website if you have not already done so.
www.momsouq.com

Last weekend I photographed a newborn baby boy and yesterday I was busy photographing an event as well as business portraits. Tomorrow I will photograph a new mum to be. I love that my job keeps me on my toes and never becomes boring and mundane.

Catch you all again later.

Helen xx

I love photographing Dubai Weddings

Think it is something about the excitement and that everyone are so happy during a wedding that makes them so much fun to photograph. It is after all the Bride and Grooms happiest time of their lives!
You never get a do over when you are photographing a wedding. You have to get it right then and there and its a lot about the moments, you have to foresee the events ahead of time to make sure that you are in position to capture them when they happen. To be able to foresee events and happenings on a wedding day is something that comes to you through experience, the more experience you have as a wedding photographer the better you become. Which is why it is important for you as a bride and groom to be to check your wedding photographers wedding experience level and not just as a photographer but as a wedding photographer. I photograph a lot of intimate weddings in Dubai, where I capture the wedding ceremony and then whisk the couple away in my car and I take them to another photography location in Dubai. Most couples request beach shoots. And beaches we have several in Dubai so all you have to do is to pick what kind of background you want to have. This particular couple was in Dubai on holiday and wanted to capture the spirit of Dubai and the sunny Dubai beaches in their wedding photographs.
All my holiday wedding photography shoots I deliver their images through Drop Box since they are usually only here for a short period of time. Don't you just love the efficiency of the Internet! Makes life so much easier and the world so much closer to you.
I once photographed a wedding where the couple was literally on a plane back to Norway before I had even reached my office to download the wedding photographs. They had arrived in the morning so talk about a flying visit. But they did get married in Dubai after all!
Enjoy!
Helen xx

 Burj Khalifa in the background.