I was recently commissioned by Assouline to capture the essence of Mleiha for their book Mleiha: Ancient Treasures of the UAE.

I really wanted to approach this project by focusing on the rich textures, details and colors present in the open desert and in the architecture present in this part of the world, which I discovered was best captured in the early morning or late afternoon into the evening to bring out the sharp shadows and saturated hues I was after. Working with shadows and highlights always creates interesting opportunities for storytelling.

To best express the wonder of sleeping in the desert under the stars, I chose a 18mm wide angle lens to try to include as much stars in the frame as possible. Photographing the ancient artifacts also created depth to the storytelling aspect of this project, after all this part of the world is the cradle of civilization. The items were shot individually usually an off camera speed light for added brilliance and to bring out the textures.

Shot on digital using lenses from 18mm to 200mm