reflective
Doing it together…
Here’s an open invitation for all dads (and mums)… How would you like to spend true quality time with your little ones… shared time in nature, the change to experience a grand adventure and pass on some invaluable life skills? We all get sucked up by our day to day lives. In every short 24-hours, →
Ten things I’ve learned from a decade of solopreneurship
Ten things I’ve learned from a decade of Freedom. Twelve years ago, on a regular run of the mill day, I got up from my comfortable corporate cubicle in a swanky office tower and handed in my resignation letter. I’d had enough of paperwork and politics and was ready to trade in my suit for →
What I learnt backpacking in the mid 90’s
Back in the mid 90’s, at the tender age of twenty, I left the comfort of our family home to travel around Australia for a year. It was possibly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made… and I’m so glad I got to do it pre-internet. Back then, travelling was so much more about →
Emirates Inflight Catering
Back to my roots… back to my original studies… back to what brought me to Dubai in the first place, 14 years ago. The world of hospitality. Thanks to the creative agency, RAPP, I had the opportunity to capture the world of Emirates inflight catering. I was simply amazed by the operation they run. Pushing →
2016 Recap
Writing this post feels like a celebration of all that’s happened in the last twelve months. 2016 was a dynamic year. Business was a bit all over the place with some great productions and awesome opportunities in the mix. Travel is one of my greatest passions and the year took me to Shanghai, Hong Kong, →
Three days in the mountains with WWF
There’s something remarkable about working with field biologists. Their passion and excitement are contagious. Their appreciation for the smallest gritty crawlers makes me wonder what beautiful fauna I fail to notice everyday. Recently, I found myself at a very special place… the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been appointed to create the first National Park →
I ran 555km!
Last summer I decided to do something different… to run every day that I was in Europe. This meant 55 days straight, with the aim of clocking 555km. The adventure started as soon as I touched down at Amsterdam airport. As I loaded my family and luggage into the taxi, I tightened my laces, waved goodbye and →
Memorable runs
My love for running really took off when I moved to Dubai in 2002. It all started with my first half marathon in Abu Dhabi. Marathons and triathlons followed then eventually I discovered that my true passion lay in long distance trail running. There are so many reasons to love trail running. I love exploring →
With adventurer Adrian Hayes
There’s never a dull moment in an adventurers life, particularly when it comes to UAE hero Adrian Hayes… over the last ten years, I’ve followed Adrian’s extreme expeditions and had the pleasure of capturing some of them. I’ve seen him at his best and and at his worst… I’ll never forget his flying start on →
Urban Exploration with Canon
Thanks to Canon Middle East, I had the great pleasure of spending a day with ten media creatives from a range of publications and blogs. We were hosting a full day program centred around the theme of Urban Exploration. The video below is a great summary of the energy of the day. Urban Exploration means →
My six lessons from 2015
How to summarise a stunning year in one word? … Blessed. It is a true blessing to work with so many amazing clients seeking to go that extra mile, athletes who are at the top of their game and so many interesting, inspiring and courageous people. Yip, 2015 has been a pretty awesome year and I’m →
The world’s hottest helipad
As part of the recent British Airways PR roll out, we recently shot on the helipad of Abu Dhabi’s Hyatt Capital Gate hotel. It’s a pretty cool location with aerial views of the Abu Dhabi skyline. We were shooting Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom, a celebrity heartthrob who first landed in the limelight for his role in the →
The essential packing list for Project Pause
What do you pack for a week of solitude in the desert? I’m referring to my recent Project Pause. For those not in the know, Project Pause refers to a week I spent in the Empty Quarter this last March. I lived for seven days, off the grid (no wifi, no email, no phone, no →
Speed is everything & size matters
I’m often asked about my digital slash pixel workflow. What happens after pressing the shutter? What’s the process from moving files to the final archiving? I’ll be brutally honest here. There’s the plan in a perfect world and then there’s reality, when even the best intentions don’t quite pan out as you hope. I often just →
Trailer release – Project Pause
In March I drove into the second biggest desert in the world to find a week of pure solitude. My drive behind Project Pause is all about promoting quality time in nature, without any to-do-list, no email, no social media and no phone. Opening up a conversation with the aim for others to find their own Project →
Energizing Oman – Book recap
I’m super stoked to be sharing the our latest book production, ‘Energizing Oman – celebrating 30 years of oil operation’. It was actually delivered to the client a couple of months ago but I’ve only now had the chance to sit down and recap. Below is a quick flick-though to give you an idea of what it’s →
Kuwaiti car culture
How much magic can you fit into ten consecutive and insanely long days? The answer is lots! I was fortunate enough to spend a decent spell in Kuwait just before the summer, building a portfolio of local imagery for one of Kuwait’s largest car retailers. As is the case with many brands, the Kuwaiti marketing →
What feeds creativity?
Whilst buzzing along in my Defender today, this question came to mind. “What feeds my creativity?” It’s not a new subject, I know. There’ve been tons of books written on the topic. Nonetheless, here’s what came to my mind. 1. ENERGY. First of all, creativity needs energy and energy comes from sleep and downtime. At →
555 Challenge
I’m currently prepping for my annual escape from the heat… Dubai, you may have heard, was recently marked as the hottest place on the planet! As always the loose agenda involves quality family time in Europe, fresh air, green mountains, local produce and hooking up with friends. A little work but mainly play, a chance →
Studio//73
I’m a big advocate of creating your own creative space to work in… building an environment that inspires you, energises you and optimises your productivity, somewhere with a home for all your personal stuff with walls filled with doodles, art and inspiring messages. My previously workspace, where I turned a boring white square room into a really →
One Percent for the Planet
One Percent for the Planet is a global initiative where companies donate 1% of their revenue to an environmental cause. As it turned out, back in 2011, I was the first to bring One Percent for the Planet to the Middle East and consequently got EWS-WWF onboard as a regional organisation to send my donation →
Falcons of Arabia – launched!
I always find it fascinating how business ticks along. Well over two years ago now, I received an email from sports marketing client, Professional Sports Group (PSG), asking whether I had any falcon images. I did as it happened and shared them with the group. It then went quiet for a while, as it sometime →
Project Pause… The Empty Quarter – Part 2
I ventured into Project Pause in the hope of making it a valuable experience and when sharing my ideas and objectives, I found that other brands were keen to be part of the story. With their support, it opened doors to record the gig and share what it stands for with a bigger audience. I →
Project Pause… The Empty Quarter – Part 1
In pursuit of my Project Pause, on the 21st of March 2015, I drove into The Empty Quarter for a week of total solitude. The Empty Quarter, for those not in the know, is the second largest sand desert in the world, equal to France, Belgium and Holland combined. The desert landscape is truly fascinating. →
2014 YEAR RECAP
I went for a run the other day and starting thinking about my ‘2014 Recap’ post. I’ve done one for the last five years; 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. It’s a lot of work putting it together and I asked myself, ‘who actually reads it all?’ Obviously you… so far!’ So why send it out? I →
Project Pause… The Empty Quarter
NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST… The inspiration for Project Pause came at the tail end of 2013, during a flight on an assignment to Qatar. The magical views over Nakheel’s The World islands stirred my hunger to spend more time in isolation, away from distractions and a hectic schedule. It brought an abrupt →
The love for trail running
Photography and running… where my two greatest passions meet! When Stefan, a buddy who works for Nokia / Microsoft was raving about their new Nokia Lumia 1020 with a 41 megapixel camera phone, I looked at him and said… “Yeah right. You must be joking!” In my view, 41 megapixels is like working with a medium format camera →
Summer 2014 – time travel standing still
Damn it was awesome … two months filled with loving family, energy, amazing friends, a green horizon, inspiration, trail runs and awesome conversations. It’s always a bold move to leave the business ticking over in idle mode for a while, moving at a slow pace and without the need to constantly download CF cards or →
DXB/AIR exhibition
We’re super stoked to announce our next photo exhibition with DXB/AIR kicking off on Sunday 11th October. When I finished up shooting out the helicopter for my book ‘Dubai Aerial Tour’, I knew then that the content I’d amassed would lead to a grand exhibition. And here it is! What’s on show? Thirty of my →
1% for the Planet. Our efforts continue…
It is a little over a year ago that I signed up to 1% for the Planet. The idea was to give back some of our revenue to support causes dedicated to preserving the natural environment. 1% for the Planet is a brilliant initiative and one that lies close to my heart. It’s nature after →