My Lightroom software’s telling me I’ve shot more than 10,000 photographs over the past 21 days (which either means I’m a terrible photographer who’s taken a lot of unnecessary pictures or there’s been plenty to shoot and I’ve just given myself a lot to choose from, he says).
Either way, I’m exhausted; I’m looking forward to getting back to my own bed.
Suffice to say, it’s been a productive shoot, with me having now shot the highlights of 12 of Saudi’s 16 provinces over my three assignments to the Kingdom.
A day in my hotel room processing and I’ll be ready to hand over a broad range of promotional images to its national tourism authority.
Madein Saleh (above), the magnificent sandstone tombs that rise from the northern desert, has been the focus of my attention for the past couple of days. I’d have to say though, the 4am starts with desert temperatures plunging to near zero, provided quite a challenge for a photographer who arrived from an Australian summer with little more than shorts and a few polo shirts. Thankfully, my guide, Yasser Al-Emam (that’s him holding the falcon who – by the way ladies – is looking for a wife) was better prepared, and generously lent me his wardrobe (below).
I’ll post a preview of some of the best images from the shoot shortly……Inshallah.