There are not a lot of vantage points from which you get a 180 degrees view of the Dubai Creek with the modern Dubai skyline as the backdrop. I stumbled upon this rooftop along the Deira side of the creek and since then I have been visiting this place.
The image above was shot on the day I came across this location. It was a beautiful evening with a gorgeous looking sky filled with clouds passing by. And in Dubai when we have clouds in the sky, I can bet you every photographer in the city is out there capturing it. For me I witnessed that beautiful sunset from my car sitting in traffic. I did manage to get to spot for the post sunset colors in the sky.
I used a 200mm lens for the skyline shot and a 14mm lens for the creek. What is also amazing is the sunset colors reflecting off the Rolex towers. Oh and notice the traffic just below the towers. Yes, I was there during sunset. Notice the construction on the left. That construction ran across the entire stretch. It is the Al Seef development. It is the reason why I have just a close up shot of the skyline and not a wide shot. Those bright construction lights did not do justice to the view. If you look closely towards the bottom left of the first image, there is a construction crane sticking in. Imagine the foreground filled with them. A big NO.
A couple of years later the entire view is photogenic. To the left we have the Rolex towers and the Festival City. The mighty skyline in the center and the QE2 and the Abra (small boats) stations to the right. The Abras make a really cool long exposure shot at night. And don’t forget the Iranian trade ships. They are something else and worth photographing. If lucky, the sailors will invite you on-board for some photos and portraits.
As the sun sets, there is a splash of golden light across everything.
At night when the city lights come on, everything just becomes even more beautiful.
This is truly an amazing location. And I keep going back here.
I also use this spot as one of my locations of my One-one-One Workshop and my Dubai Rooftop Photo Tour. So if you are interested in improving your photography or want to go on a photo tour, drop me an email.