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I recently had the great opportunity to travel to the United Arab Emirates to collaborate on some projects with locally renowed photographer Abdullaziz Bin Ali. We lead a workshop locally in Dubai but also journeyed into one of the most starkly beautiful, uninhabited places in the world, called the Empty Quarter which borders Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Being among the dunefields of the Empty Quarter is like looking at more sand than one can find in the entirety of North America all put together, in every direction surrounding you. The sand is also of rare colors and purity, the like of which I have never seen before - no North American location even comes remotely close. It was, quite frankly, among the easiest places for photo opportunities I have ever seen. We certainly took advantage, backpacking high into the dunes and making an array of colorful layered abstracts. It was an area I will definitely return to and I thank Abdullaziz for showing me this, among the innumerable other fascinations throughout his home country.

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