Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

We found ourself at the end of last week at a dinner Gala held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Course, rubbing shoulders with top people from the International Auto Federation and the Automotor Federation, chatting to Mohammed bin Sulayem (who is 14 time international champion rally driver spokesperson for the IAF and IAM), international press, friends made in the past week, world class drivers and riders from around the world. By Thursday a photograph of mine had been published in the Arabic Khalij times, and a few photographs went with journalist/ quad rally-driver, Camelia Liparoti, to have a chance at being published in a well known French magazine.

On the previous Sunday I had been wondering what I was to do to keep myself busy last week.

How does this happen you ask? A bit of luck, a bit of help, and a bit of putting yourself out there.


Mohammed bin Sulayem

Friends.
Grant, the other 'live-at-home-husband' staying at the Liwa with us seems to be amazing at making connections. I heard that he would be going to help out as a marshal of sorts at the Desert Challenge. Virginia and I decided to go check things out. Grant introduced me to Dennis, the event co-ordinator, and later took us past the makeshift press office where we stood peering inside from a window, and were duely invited in.


The Media Centre

Having an idea.
Meanwhile, brewing in the background, I had been looking for things to do with my photography, and have been looking at things like entering the Emirates Palace Photography contest, and chatting to V about various other options, for instance going to the papers; I had noticed that pictures quite similar to ones I had taken had landed up being printed over the last few months.

Seizing the moment.
And so the the time was right. Just before leaving the media centre that evening, I got chatting to Fiona (who was invaluable and super helpful for the remainder of the week). I told her that I'd be taking photographs and that I would be delighted if the PR team could use any of them. By supper I was told that there would be room in one of the 4x4s chasing after the action, and carrying other photographers and press across the desert.

The next morning I woke bright and early, excited and nervous. I had no idea what to expect. For the first part of the morning I around in the office, while they waited for some journalists to arrive, drinking too much coffee and trying to familiarise myself with the various car, bike and quad numbers, who was important and where they would be driving.

How does it feel?
When we finally arrived at the spot where we would sit and wait sometimes for hours for the vehicles to come through, I walked around looking for good spots, great backgrounds. Turns out not to be as easy as it sounds. Eventually prepared, another photographer and I waited with our ears turned to the wind, listening for engines. We put our cameras to our eyes, and then came the frenzy.

It feels like skydiving. The long wait. The buiding excitement. And then the moment, that lasts for perhaps three or four seconds per car or bike. All along you're trying to get that one great shot. I enjoyed photography before. I fell in love with it as the first car (the BMW) came flying over the dune a few meters away, roaring, kicking up sand and speeding into the distance. It felt like everything I knew about taking photos came about together at once in a rush of adrenelin, and the camera clicked away in a burst.



We spent the next 3 or so hours on the dunes. I thought a bit about how this was in our back garden (the Desert Challege was about 20 minutes drive from the hotel... click here to watch a video of and get a feeling for the rally and for the desert area we live in... I saw this being edited in the media centre... and it was shown full size at the dinner gala)



Perseverance.
That evening I arrived with a camera full of photographs. After having spent the day zooming around with the press, and realising I'd taken the best photos of my life, I was disappointed to find that I seemed to have lost everyone and have been left out of the loop. I could have walked away then, happy with having one of the most exciting days of my life. Next thing I found myself marching back into the press room and insinuating myself into the editing process that was happening inside.

It took me half an hour to choose the photos I wanted to give the team. They were very busy, so I told Fiona that they were on the computer for her to peruse at her leisure and went out for a smoke. When I arrived back, a few people were crowded around the computer looking at the pictures. My heart skipped a beat. They were very excited, and told me they'd send them off to various papers, and then we'd have to wait and see what happened. I couldn't believe it.

In the mean time they gave me an official briefing for Nissan (which they already had their photographer for) as somewhere to aim my camera. Over the next few days I was given the numbers of various cars, quads and bikes to shoot. I didn't know what to do with myself. I did understand though that the chances of anyone actually using my photos on my first outting were slim.

Working hard, listening, and learning.
The whole thing was just a great opportunity to be out in the sun, practicing something I love. I got to play and experiment, as there was not any real pressure to get the perfect photographs. On the second dayout I forgot all this and it ended with me feeling disappointed. "You were just a bit self-concious today, because you knew what you were doing." someone said. Feeling a little down, we went to supper out in the open under the desert stars. There, my spirits were lifted completely when Camellia Liparoti came and spoke to me. It seemed that she had come as a journalist for a French sports magazine which does huge double-page, more landscapey kinds of spreads, and had ended up doing the story from the inside, as a contestant on one of the quads. She proposed that I should try get the photos she needed (I tried hard to walk away casually, and ended up literally leaping for joy about three steps away).

The third day out (Thursday) I decided not to be worried about making mistakes. To work really hard, to try remember all the advice I'd gotten from various people on the previous days, and to have fun.

One of the people who I had spoken to was Michele Cazzani. We spent an hour or so after the first day talking about photography. He's been doing this for 25 years, was trained by a National Geographic photographer, and has exhibitions in Italy and New York. When I ask him specifically about tips on how to take better photos he said this in his strong Italian accent, "My teacher told me - half joking, half serious - to take an egg, put it on a table, in a room with nothing in it. This was before digital. He said, to use a roll of film 36. Take 36 shots showing the egg in 36 ways. Make each picture express something."

He told me to move, take ten shots then move again. "You can always go back to where you thought it was good, but if you don't move you will never see." (turns out this may be good advise for life as well) He told me that photography is not just composition and light, or even passion. It can be a deep form of expression and you need to know what you are saying with the photo. We chatted for a long time more. Later he told me that Virginia and I should visit him in Tuscany, Italy, and he would show us around (and take me on a bit of a photo op too) Of course, us being us, we intend to visit as soon as we can.


Michele gets in close for the shot

On the third day I chased the rally around trying to get photos of bikes 2 and 42,and of car 206 (I'd gotten a phone call to tell me that there was a chance of payment for these), trying to get better shots for Nissan, trying to get more scenic shots that Camellia would want for her magazine. I set up near the finish and waited. The thermometers in the Land Cruisers were reading just above 30 while on the road, and temperatures above 50 once they got into the desert where we were readying ourselves. I walked for about 2kms to find my spot. And while we waited a sandstorm came up. It was all part of the excitement.

Waiting in the Sandstorm

The dust plumes. The engine sounds. The frenzy again. I got my shots over the next few hours and left. This time I had a deadline and after racing for an hour and a half to the office, I found I was too late by 3 or for minutes. The other photos had gone out for the day's coverage. I was not so disappointed this time, as I'd gone out with the idea of just enjoying the experience as I had on the first day.


The winning car

What came of it.
- I had one of the most exciting and fun weeks of my life.
- Fiona has sent photos off to a journalist/photographer friend of hers in Dubai, who is interested in apprenticing young photographers... hold thumbs
- We met Belinda, a lovely earthy person full of wise words and support for me. We've been invited to her hotel/villa in Thailand whenever we can go
- Anthony, who worked in the press office and is higher up on the PR side has recommended me as a photographer to the events manager of Sharjah University and has entered me into the system as a possible backup photographer
- Photographs were sent to Nissan, and hopefully some of them will be used... and hopefully they'll get back to me so I know they've used them
- I learned sooooo much
- There's a chance of some of my pictures being printed in Camelia's very nice French magazine
- On Friday I found out that one of my photos had been printed in the Khalij Times, the newspaper that we get at the hotel. The truck picture below is mine. I was over the moon that one photo made it after all the hard work... all be it a small insert on the mail picture.


Al Khalij Times 26/03/2009, pg 2 - Truck Pic

- Oh and today I learned that I got published in at least 4 newspapers, and 3 websites (see picture 4 and 7) including the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's website :-D


Al Waqt Bahrain Sport 29/03/2009, Pg8 - Nissan pic.



Al Arab Qatar 26/03/2009, P11 . Quad and Bike pics AND the Truck pic



Al Khaleej UAE 28/03/2009, Pg15 - The Stopping BMW pic

A fair bit has happened since last Friday. We had the Dinner Gala, and Jakob has been awfully sickly and is still at the vet... but I'll let Virginia fill you in on these and her side of things later, as this blog has gotten a bit on the long side. So I'll leave you with a final pic



PS This blog is an engagement present for Stu, who wanted my life a few days ago :-p