Photography tips for those who want great pictures of the Dubai desert

No matter how hard we try most of us end up with similar looking photographs which look no different from the tens of thousands of Dubai desert safari photographs, already flooding social media and photo-sharing websites.

Everybody loves the Dubai desert safari tour and there is no better way, to experience the desert lifestyle around Dubai than this. It is simply a must-do for the regular citizens and the visiting tourist. Everybody has those crazy photographs filled with memories with a camel or the belly dancer. But what if you go on a desert tour just to try out your latest prized possession—your shiny new camera?

Most DSLR users would either take up photography class or learn to tweak their photographs by themselves; but for the compact camera user, there is just pointing and shooting. Still, somehow most of us end up with similar looking photographs which look no different from the tens of thousands of desert safari photographs, already flooding social media and photo-sharing websites. How do you make your point-n-shoot photos stand out from the crowd? Here are a few tips:

1) Get the right lighting: Getting the right lighting and shadows for picture perfect contrasted photographs all depends on one uncontrolled factor—the time of the day. It’s simple really; getting good photographs of the desert landscape or of your mates, depends on the time of the day you visit the desert. If you really need some good photographs with fewer shadows and warmer desert hues, it’s wise to take up an evening desert safari in Dubai. Nature’s lighting during the evenings out here in the desert is at its best. Mornings are a bit too dull and photographs shot in the afternoon will often get overexposed—if you’re shooting people or objects—and will have a lot of shadows. Moreover you’re more likely to get a heatstroke.

2) Keep changing your perspective: Never keep clicking photos from eye/shoulder level because in the end, you would end up having a large album filled with nothing but photos showing exactly what you have seen. What I mean by this is that you will be capturing exactly what everyone else on the trip has seen. Climb up a hill, keep your camera on the ground, lay down on the sand if you have to and I promise you, your photographs will be a lot different if not stunning; but surely different from the ones that others on your trip have missed out on.

3) Use your camera’s built in features: You will be surprised to know, but it certainly is a fact that most people who a buy point n shoot camera simply use them to click photos and shoot videos. A majority of them do not even know about the fun filters and different modes which are built-in into the cheapest of cameras out there. These features definitely help you take better pictures depending on the situation you are in when you are clicking your photographs. The ‘sports mode’ at the click of the mode dial will allow you to indulge in some sport photography conveniently increasing the shutter speed and cranking up the ISO level on your camera—meaning you will get crisper pictures and not blurry ones that lack details.

4) Get up-close and personal: Always get up-close and personal with the action, don’t zoom in. If you are on a desert safari or at the campsite with camels and the locals, go as close as you can to get that perfect portrait worth a million views! But do ask for permission before clicking someone’s picture.

5) Any camera will do: Last but not the least; you do not need the best camera to get the best photographs. Photography depends on the photographer and his/her skills and not the tool; which is what professionals in the field will tell you.

So the next time you hit the desert on a desert safari tour in Dubai, keep the above tips in mind and you will get a better photos than the ones you have clicked so far.