TD Photo Competition May 2018

[happynz]

Something with colour. The littlies rockin' their Hari Raya threads -- Malaysia 2015

[David48atTD]

Something with colour. The littlies rockin' their Hari Raya threads -- Malaysia 2015

That would make an awesome jig-saw puzzle Happy
(my kids are going through that stage)

[Troy]

Apologies for going one over the five but have to include Wat Phra That Phanom. It is one of the most important Buddhist temples in Isaan, apparently containing the breast bone of Buddha. I had to go to Nakhon Phanom hospital to check on one of the wife's cousins this week and dropped by on the way back. There have been some pretty big thunderstorms in the region and they make a good background.

[Thai Dhupp]

lol no... it was a family wedding this afternoon....

lol not my family, I better add.....

'at', I presume you mean 'watching on MX Live while sitting next to my 'partner' on the sofa'

nah.. she might be into all that stuff, but anyway... shes in BKK an' I'm in DoBuy......

There was about a million hours coverage in UAE, BTW which is odd considering its a Christian event, and some people might get, y'know.. 'converted' or at least, start thinking for themselves...

The MBC network is owned and run in KSA

[Luigi]

^ would be nice to see a few pics of Dubai mosques.

Great pics Happy and Troy. Cheers.

[cyrille]

There was about a million hours coverage in UAE, BTW which is odd considering its a Christian event, and some people might get, y'know.. 'converted' or at least, ​start thinking for themselves..

Yea, nothing like a Royal British wedding to discourage lumpen conformity amongst the masses.

[Neo]

would be nice to see a few pics of Dubai mosques.

Mosques here are fairly generic, as in robust and ornate but one very much the same as another.
Any one of them on it's own would stand out as being exceptional in any other country than the UAE, such is the concentration of wealth here.

There are exceptions in all countries though when it comes to the more 'Grand' Mosques...

Anyway you seen one you kinda seen them all, but this one is rather magical in Dubai Marina.





*not my competition entry by the way

[Thai Dhupp]

^ would be nice to see a few pics of Dubai mosques.

Your wish is my command, Luigi....what do you think of this one...?

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE


This is one of the most understated Mosques going - top quality materials everywhere and done with absolute class, as befitting the love and admiration the Emiratis had for Sheikh Zayed, the 'Father of the Nation'. it is open to all, and is the resting place of Sheikh Zayed himself. costing over 800 Million DOLLARS, the site is still not quite finished.



Everywhere is marble, and mosaic, mother-of -pearl and gold. This is the outdoor prayer area

The construction is a masterpiece, taking over 11 years to build the main buildings and in their own words, ‘uniting the World’ in its creation. The architecture draws influence from Moorish, Mughal and Persian design with contributions from, amongst others Italy, Morocco, Pakistan, Malaysia, China, United Kingdom and Greece.

The mosque is a collection of superlatives – in the top 10 largest mosques in the World (8^th), 40,000 worshiper capacity, the courtyard floral design considered the largest example of marble mosaic in the World. At 5,627square metres, the main prayer hall carpet is also the largest of its kind in the World.

The outside is spectacular from all angles and all times of day, but it is inside where some amazing work, and intricate detail is on display....


Just look at the amount of time spent on creating this, one of the lesser domes and smaller crystal chandeliers...


...and now we come to the main dome and main chandelier, which I have chosen to feature in the next shot and some detail description about it.

The main chandelier - straight up.



The main chandelier, hanging beneath the mosque’s largest dome, is the subject of this photograph. one of a collection of 7 chandeliers in the Mosque, and installed at a total cost almost 5.4 million pounds Of breath-taking proportion, it is the 2^nd largest mosque chandelier, and in fact the 3^rd largest chandelier anywhere in the World with its 10m diameter and 15m height.

I wanted to catch the symmetry of the setting and the contrast between the colour and splendour of the chandelier itself, with its millions of Swarovski crystals, and the altogether more subdued tones yet delicately intricate detail and pattern of the dome above it. I hoped for detail, symmetry and scale yes, but I was also looking for what every photographer seeks – the unique angle to the composition. Did I succeed with that? Probably not! This is one of the most photographed mosques in the World, after all.

The shot itself was more difficult than may at first appear. For a start, I could not look through the viewfinder as the camera was face up on the floor! I had to take a judgement on the positioning again as I could not see what the camera was seeing. I had to use the timer to avoid camera shake. The subject was not as well lit as one might imagine, especially when using a smaller aperture that was needed to capture increased depth of field. Of course, flash would have been pointless for the distances involved. Finally, this is a busy and popular attraction for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, so I had to guard the camera from being stood on or kicked.

I took 5 photographs, using slightly different settings each time. This one was the pick of the group with nearly everything coming together as I envisaged.

So… here it is. The main chandelier from a symmetrical perspective.

Hope you like it!!

Information source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Zayed_Mosque

[Neverna]

Yit is open to all, and is the resting place of Sheikh Zayed himself.


Everywhere is marble, and mosaic, mother-of -pearl and gold. This is the outdoor prayer area

The outside is spectacular from all angles and all times of day, but it is inside where some amazing work, and intricate detail is on display....

^ A modern Taj Mahal?

[Luigi]

Damn, needed my sunglasses just looking at the pics.

Cheers TD, interesting to see.

[Thai Dhupp]

Damn, needed my sunglasses just looking at the pics.

Cheers TD, interesting to see.

I had a lot more photographs but of course limited myself for this thread...

[Thai Dhupp]

^ A modern Taj Mahal?

You could say that Neverna and its a fair description.

The Mosque houses his remains, and itself is a striking building complex

It's certainly a commanding presence - the buildings alone cover 12 hectares.

[Luigi]

Would be great to see a photo thread of your time in the ME.

Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum

Cheers.

[Thai Dhupp]

Would be great to see a photo thread of your time in the ME.

Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum

Cheers.

Let me finish the ole' house build, Luigi and then I will see about tackling some thing else.

Me being simple folk its hard to focus on more than one thing at a time!!

I would need to sort out the various photos from 10 years in the gulf and for UAE, Qatar and Oman!

Jeez... where did 10 years go?!

[Thai Dhupp]

Yea, nothing like a Royal British wedding to discourage lumpen conformity amongst the masses.

lol... Cyrille...there are some signs of change in general here with a few now realising there is a big wide world out there, beyond the glass bubble comfort-zone they all live in.

Interesting it surely is, real world?... it most definitely isn't!

[toslti]

[Luigi]

Nice, cheers T.

[fishlocker]

Stopped by this place yesterday on my way home. Though it looked cool but you be the judge.

[fishlocker]

Bit of history on it first.

[fishlocker]

[fishlocker]

Very tall stained glass windows throughout.

[Luigi]

Very tall stained glass windows throughout.

That's actually a really great pic.

I'd put that forward as your entry.






Btw, you'll be in for a feast next month if Dildo chooses 'Random pieces of Machinery' as the theme.

[Luigi]

Just as well this will be a multi entry poll, that pic will be 1 of at least 5 shots that are just fantastic.

I'll try to limit myself to 5 votes.

Great showing chaps/chapettes.

[fishlocker]

Another angle.

[Luigi]

^ Impressive.

Have you decided which one will be your entry to the comp?