My visit to the Liwa desert made a lasting impression on me…

It was on my first trip to Qasr Al S’arab Resort in Liwa, Abu Dhabi, where I first fell in love with the desert. We had been commissioned by a client to film a short trailer to be shown over 360 surrounding screens at our brides upcoming wedding in the Dubai Trade Center. The purpose was to build anticipation before the bridal entrance in a dramatic effect whilst lending itself well to the desert theme of the Arabic wedding evening.

Having worked on the story-board with the client at the studio the weeks prior, we spent the day before the bridal shoot on a recce walking around the beautiful Anantara Resort, finalising the exact shoot locations. The light in the desert is so beautiful at sunrise but it can quickly become harsh so we needed to work efficiently in order to make best use of our time.

We were a small female photography and film team but were able to capture what we wanted in the first morning so I spent the rest of the day filming and photographing the vast resort for the scene setting shots we needed. Just before sunset we ventured out across the Liwa desert to take a few final shots, a way to bring the edit to a natural close before the bride made her zafaa in the wedding ballroom. I was in awe of the surroundings I found myself in. The vast landscape so beautiful whilst seemingly impenetrable and resolute. I could have stayed there for hours shooting the dancing dunes had the light allowed. The ever-changing patterns left in the sand from the light winds were so mesmerising I lost track of time and almost got caught out - not a good place for that to happen.

We left early the next morning for Dubai knowing we would return again in the not too distant future. As it happened we shot several times at Anantara in the following season and I cant wait for my next adventure there.

Get in touch with Sian to discuss the option of adding in an engagement shoot to your wedding package.