Abu Dhabi

Ed & Sherry | Engagement Photography Abu Dhabi

Forrest Gump once said, “Life is a like a box of chocolate, you’ll never know what you’re gonna get.” It was indeed true for my best buddy Ed. A year ago he grabbed his chance to work here in UAE, seeking for a new take in life. Embraced what this country has to offer, leisure, luxury and above all love.

Ed & Sherry | Engagement Photography | Abu Dhabi

To cut the story short, she met a girl named Sherry. Simple, smart and caring. Beautifully molded and made just precisely as to what my best bud needs. Somebody whom he can trust and enjoy life with. For some weird reason me and wife believed that our first meeting with Sherry over that ice-cold Starbucks Mocha Frapuccino is a start of something sweet and magical.

In Ed’s box of chocolate, God guaranteed that Sherry will suit Ed’s palette and eventually his life, and same goes for Sherry. A few days from now, these two individuals will become one and they’ll share the sweetness and bitterness of married life, of having a family.

These photos were taken a few months ago, under the scorching summer heat of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. From one location to another, getting lost in Bur Dubai, burned skin, soaked feet, waking up early, and waiting for sunset. Over all, it was tiring! Haha! Just kidding! I think I’ll never get tired of photo shoots, especially for those people close to my heart.

Well, to end this, I just wish that the both of them realize what we went through just to have these photos, let this be a reminder of your love for each other. That life, no matter how hard and exhausting it maybe, you need to stay strong and faithful to get beautiful results.

Congratulations to Ed & Sherry. All the best!

PRESS RELEASE: ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS! KYLIE DAZZLES F1 TICKET HOLDERS AT DU ARENA, ABU DHABI

Concert Photography

- Pop princess plays to capacity crowd of F1 ticket holders and guests on Yas Island.

- In same evening, Maya Diab, CeeLo Green, Missy Elliott and Hani El Omary rocked the free Beats on the Beach festival stage on the Corniche

- Even more excitement ahead for race ticket holder as Nickelback and Eminem set to perform at the last two After-Race Concerts

Abu Dhabi, UAE – November 3^rd, 2012: Thrilling fans with a glittering performance, Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue opened the first of the Yasalam After-Race Concerts at du Arena, Yas Island. Meanwhile at the Beats on the Beach Festival, Maya Diab, CeeLo Green, Missy Elliott and Hani El Omary kept fans at the Corniche dancing to the beat all night long.

Performing classic songs including ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ and ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’, Kylie had a capacity crowd ‘spinning around’ for the hour and a half long set. Supported by a cast of multi-coloured, feather-trimmed backing dancers, the Grammy Award-winning artist impressed concert-goers with a glamorous and high energy performance.

Long-time Abu Dhabi resident, Suzanna Jebbitt said: “Kylie looked amazing on stage. I loved the performance because she stayed faithful to her roots with her classic tracks, but mixed it up a bit with her new songs as well. I had a fantastic night with my friends, we were dancing all night!”

UAE residents were certainly spoilt for choice last night with another equally dazzling pop princess taking the stage at the Beats on the Beach Festival. Maya Diab, the stunning Lebanese songstress, performed to enthusiastic crowds and was a delight for both eyes and ears.

Swiftly following her set, CeeLo Green delivered a fantastic show, complete with high-tech DJ effects and lasers which lit up Al Sahil beach. CeeLo performed tracks including ‘Crazy’ and ‘Forget You’, which will certainly live long in the audience’s memory. One of the world’s most renowned female rappers, Missy Elliott, stormed the stage afterwards, signaling the end of another successful Beats on the Beach Festival.

One of the concert-goers at Al Sahil Beach, Hussain Mohamed, commented: “I love how much Abu Dhabi comes alive at this time of year. Maya Diab was wonderful and I’m looking forward to next year already.”

Canadian rockers, Nickelback will take to the stage tonight while legendary rapper, Eminem, will close the Yasalam After-Race Concerts on Sunday evening, exclusively for F1 ticket holders.

The Yasalam festival started on October 25^th and will come to an end on November 4^th, having provided entertainment at the Corniche, across the city, and on Yas Island. Live performances take place at du Arena on race weekend, exclusively for F1™ race ticket holders only. The full Yasalam programme is available to view at www.yasalam.ae

The 2012 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is being held at Yas Marina Circuit on November this weekend. Tickets can be purchased from www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Press Release: BEATS ON THE BEACH FESTIVAL ROARS INTO ABU DHABI

Concert Photography

- Tens of thousands fill Al Sahil Beach on first night of the free Yasalam concerts

- Mel C, Tamer Hosni, AKON and a host of stars delight the crowds as race fever grips the city

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 2 November 2012: Yasalam’s Beats on the Beach Festival kicked off the Formula 1 weekend in style with an opening night of Arab and Western music thrilling crowds on Al Sahil Beach. With a day filled with interactive sessions, Yasalam Responsibly finale and a flash mob, the most exciting sports and entertainment weekend of the year is officially in full swing.

By the end of the night, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life had crowded Al Sahil beach, trying to get up close to some of their favourite music stars.

Emiratis Mansour Zayed, hip-hoppers Desert Heat and up-and-coming rapper, Sain gave the event a local flavor, making this Beats on the Beach Festival an ideal platform for UAE talent. Chart-topping artists Melanie C and AKON brought an international flair to the evening. Finally, Egyptian heartthrob, Tamer Hosny brought the house down at the end of the evening with some of the Middle East’s favourite modern Arabic pop.

Earlier in the day, young students showed off their road safety campaign adverts to a panel of judges and in front of a large crowd in the Yasalam Responsibly finales. The team behind the successful advert was created by five young students at Zayed University, Ali Darwish AlKhouri, Saaed Malallah, Ahmed Abdulla, Ahmed Mohammed and Abdulla Masad.

The interactive music and dance sessions were fully attended and ran throughout the afternoon, giving amateur talent a chance to hone their creative skills. Youngsters turned out to learn from the one of the world’s best beatboxers, Heatbox, who has been performing throughout the week at the Corniche. The attendees learnt how to layer their vocal and train their vocal cords from the skilled performer who can mimic innumerous musical instruments with his voice alone.

Attendees also got a chance to learn club DJ skills as well as what it takes to be a radio DJ. The hip-hop session turned into a full-blown flash mob later in the day with huge crowds gathering to watch the spontaneous and simultaneous busting of moves.

Nathan from Australia, who attended the radio DJ session yesterday commented: “I had an amateur show back in Australia when I was younger and have really wanted to get it into it professionally ever since. This was the perfect opportunity to get some great insight into the industry here and I really feel it has been beneficial.”

Interactive sessions continue today and Saturday, meaning no one need miss out but are urged to get in quick by organizers, as there are only limited spaces left. Visit www.yasalam.ae for full programme details.

Friday night brings even more excitement with Hani El Omary and Maya Diab wowing the crowd before R’n’B sensation CeeLo Green and Missy Elliott wrap up the weekend. The Yasalam After-Race Concerts at the du Arena will welcome the darling of Australian pop, Kylie Minogue, followed by Nickelback on Saturday and Eminem wrapping up the weekend on Sunday, exclusively for F1 ticket holders.

The F1 FanZone™ on Abu Dhabi Corniche is open daily all weekend with a range of motorsport flavoured activities.

The 2012 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is being held at Yas Marina Circuit on November this weekend. Tickets can be purchased from www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Press Release: OVER 50,000 VISITORS TURN OUT FOR OPENING WEEKEND OF YASALAM 2012

Events Photography

Abu Dhabi, UAE – October 28^th, 2012: The opening weekend of Yasalam 2012 attracted over 50,000 visitors, delighting people of all ages and backgrounds with a roster of activities including the F1 FanZone™, a Guinness World Record breaking attempt, TROPFEST Arabia, family films at Screen by the Sea and the digital design battle, Cut&Paste. By Saturday afternoon over 50,000 people had already visited the activities, with many more expected throughout Sunday.

Kicking off this year’s festivities on Thursday, 25 October was Abu Dhabi’s latest world record breaking attempt. In perfect conditions, more than 1000 people gathered at Al Sahil beach in an attempt to build the largest number of sandcastles in an hour. With a target of 684 sandcastles, groups of friends and families armed with buckets and spades set to work building over 700 sandcastles. With strict guidelines in place however, the official Guinness World Record adjudicator ruled that only 537 sandcastles met the criteria. Nevertheless, the event was a testament to the determination of the community, embodying the spirit of Yasalam with many volunteers leaving smiling and happy.

The F1 FanZone™ at the heart of the Corniche also opened its doors on Thursday. Scores of visitors enjoyed a range of motorsport themed activity, including race driving simulators, sand sculptures and the Yasalam Responsibly ‘infotainment’ centre raising awareness on safe driving.

TROPFEST Arabia provided the second night’s entertainment, showcasing the very best short films from across the region to crowds on Al Sahil beach under a starry night’s sky. An evening of film followed on Saturday as part of the Screen by the Sea weekend, with free family films showing on giant plasma screens.

Saturday’s interactive sessions in gaming, digital and design provided the perfect opportunity for the UAE’s budding design talent to hone their skills before the night’s main event, Cut&Paste. Returning to Al Sahil beach for the second time as part of Yasalam, teams of two were vigorously put through their paces clicking, dragging and dropping their way through a series of design briefs against the clock.

This year’s winning team was Brandon Fernandes and Ishfaq Zaman who walked away with two Wacom Cintiq 12WX Pen-Based Displays as prizes.

Visiting the Yasalam opening weekend and taking part in the Guinness World Record attempt was Paul from Abu Dhabi: “We came to the Corniche today for a fun, family day out. My little ones really enjoyed building their sandcastles and there was a fantastic atmosphere on the beach. We might not have broken the record but it was great fun regardless!”

Ahmed Abdulfattah from Egypt took part in the interactive sessions at the Creative Pavilion, “I really enjoyed the smart phone movie production workshop. It was really informative and I feel really inspired now to go out and film. I want to become a filmmaker after college so this event has really motivated me to get out there and pursue my dreams.”

Yasalam 2012 Live on the Corniche will culminate with the popular Beats on the Beach free concert series. Storming the stage on Thursday, 1 November are headliners Melanie C, Missy Elliott and Tamer Hosny. Friday, 2 November will see Hani El Omary and Maya Diab wow the crowd before R’n’B sensation CeeLo Green wraps up the weekend. A number of music and dance workshops will take place through the weekend of 1-3 November. Visit www.yasalam.ae for full programme details.

This year a number of Emirati up-and-coming musical talents have been confirmed as part of the exciting line-up on the Corniche. Catering to a wide variety of musical tastes, Mansour Zayed, Murex Role’s ‘Best Promising Singer in the Gulf’ winner and R&B brothers ‘Desert Heat’ will be performing on Thursday 1 November. Hip hop artist Hussain Hashim aka “Sain” will be opening the Corniche stage with a special R&B song recorded exclusively for Yasalam.

The F1 FanZone™ is open daily with a range of motorsport flavoured activities. Open Thursday and Friday from 4pm till midnight, and Saturday – Wednesday 5pm – 11pm.

The Yasalam festival runs from 25 October to 4 November with music concerts, film events, creative workshops and the F1 FanZone™ at the Corniche, across the city, and on Yas Island. Live performances take place at du Arena on race weekend, exclusively for F1™ race ticket holders only. This year’s performers are Kylie Minogue, Nickelback and Eminem. The full Yasalam programme is available to view at www.yasalam.ae

The 2012 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be held at Yas Marina Circuit on November 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Tickets can be purchased from www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Maternity Photo Session With Michelle & Bernard | Abu Dhabi Maternity Photographer

Maternity Photography

Friday, 21st September 2012: I was lucky enough to be trusted by these two very lovely couple to help them document this wonderful blessing that came into their life as a family, Michelle’s pregnancy. I was very excited to do this project since it is my first time to do maternity photography. As a preparation, I have been searching the net for maternity photographs done by others. One of the best source of inspiration for me is Pinterest. No other site or app can show as much inspiration as Pinterest and I really love it. Back on topic, below are some of my favorite shots from the whole photo session.