Martin von den Driesch Blog

Arms exhibition IDEX 2013 in Abu Dhabi

2013-02-20T23:34:00.000+04:00

A visit to IDEX, the largest arms exhibition in the Middle East, is a paradise for photographers: Abaya-clad women and even some children are happily playing with the latest gun toys, while generals and politicians are discussing latest weapon technologies with arms experts from all over the world. A remarkable gun model I have found at the Caracal stand: A pink pistol - even complementing the

World's largest photobooth at Abu Dhabi Art

2011-11-14T20:17:00.016+04:00

French photo-artist JR has set up an oversized photobooth for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Art, taking place from November 16-19 in the UAE capital. Every visitor has a chance to pose for the camera and to take a giant paper print home.

The Long Shadow of Chernobyl

2011-03-21T10:17:00.007+04:00

11 hours to go: Your last chance to support this important photo project by Gerd Ludwig, a National Geographic photographer. Gerd is currently in Chernobyl documenting the aftermath of the disaster from April 26, 1986. Car and driver alone cost 600 USD per day in the contaminated zone! Check out this video or go directly to kickstarter for more info.

10 Years Mercedes-Benz Regional Logistics Center Middle East

2011-01-26T09:58:00.011+04:00

10 Years Mercedes-Benz Regional Logistics Center Middle East - Images by Martin von den DrieschLast Thursday, the Daimler logistics center in Jebel Ali celebrated its 10th anniversary. Our studio provided 4 large-format Dubai-themed photographs. The prints were adorned by beautiful Mercedes cars standing next to them (or the

"Backstage with the Bolshoi" now available at Amazon

2011-01-02T17:27:00.012+04:00

Our new photo-book is now also available at Amazon.com! More news on the backstage" exhibition project coming out soon. Happy New Year 2011 everyone!

photo-of-the-month August 2010: Olya on Red Square, Moscow

2010-08-03T12:13:00.013+04:00

This month's motif leads us back to Yeltsin's Russia (1998). I took this portrait with a Kiev 88 camera - the "Ukranian Hasselblad". Very challenging to use by hand. But in this case I didn't have much of an alternative: if you use a tripod on Red Square you get stopped by militsia within seconds. You can download your personal copy here

Starting today: FREE online workshop for Apple Aperture 3

2010-05-17T20:43:00.013+04:00

I am looking forward tonight to tune into the world's first live, FREE creative classroom. Scott Bourne will teach the fundamentals of Aperture 3 (today is a part 1 of a 3-part class). This is a great workshop for anyone interested in a smooth, efficient workflow, which allows you to edit and manage your photos with one piece of software. Creativelive.com classrooms were invented by innovative

One year later: a look back on an exciting week in Tehran (I)

2010-05-10T20:41:00.042+04:00

As we are nearing the 1st anniversary of the controversial presidential elections in Iran, I want to dedicate June’s “photo of the month” to this part of the world. And you are welcome to help me making a selection! Until the end of May I’ll post 1-2 times per week images from Tehran – simply leave a comment and let me know which one you like best (the one with the most votes will become the next

Winner of our 1st photography auction announced!

2010-05-05T14:36:00.012+04:00

Mr. Christian Gmuer, a Dubai-based financial adviser, is the winner of our 1st photography auction. Christian is now the proud owner of a limited-edition print, which depicts one of Russia’s leading ballerinas, Svetlana Lunkina, moments before entering the stage. Julia Kim, studio manager at Martin von den Driesch photography, hands Christian the photograph and the edition certificate.The image

Dubai World Cup 2010 - big, bigger, Dubai?!

2010-03-29T17:59:00.012+04:00

Last Saturday Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum invited the world to discover how his latest vision worked out: the state-of-the-art Meydan racecourse, announced less than 3 years ago, opened its doors to the wider public. You still can't bet on any of the races (it's illegal here), but if you were a jockey you had a chance to win big: the richest race saw its prize money increasing from last

Art Dubai online photography auction: countdown is running!

2010-03-20T10:15:00.015+04:00

To commemorate the Art Dubai 2010 we’ve initiated on Facebook an online auction of this fine-art photo-print (currently displayed at the Tashkeel Gallery Dubai): it shows principal Bolshoi ballerina Svetlana Lunkina minutes before taking stage – in the Swan Lake role of Princess Odette – at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi. The photography is 75×50 cm and part of a limited 10-prints-edition. You

Crisis? What crisis? Art Dubai opens its doors

2010-03-16T20:03:00.008+04:00

Art Dubai: the art of partying - Images by Martin von den DrieschDespite the worldwide economic turmoil of the past months, the Art Dubai 2010 - running from March 17 to 20 - has a bigger manifesto than ever. Expect a mix of Arab and western art buyers at the most important art fair in the Middle East ... and many after-parties!

GPP 2010 workshop movie: red Lamborghini, stunning DIFC architecture, wide desert

2010-03-14T16:25:00.014+04:00

GPP 2010 Student Workshop Video from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.Vincent Laforet has posted our group effort on Vimeo, please check it out. Amazing what you can produce with the new bunch of DSRL cameras like Canon's EOS 5 Mark II. Our class was a quite international mix - with students coming to Dubai for GPP from as far as Thailand and Nigeria. Think we all agree that it was worth every buck.

From Stills to Video - Gulf Photo Plus workshop with Vincent Laforet

2010-03-01T20:02:00.011+04:00

Currently I am attending this intense workshop - a completely new world to me. But a very exciting one. This could be a challenge for any DSLR-shooter who wants to get more out of his camera. But if were you thinking that shooting digital means traveling light, you better rethink: this might be true for stills, but professional HD-DSLR video productions will quickly require lots of gear you may

Blast from the past

2010-02-25T20:40:00.011+04:00

Currently, Vanity Fair online features a full account of “the unlikely life and sudden death of The Exile, Russia’s angriest newspaper”. Ah, those were the days! Remember the special body features they attributed to tennis queen Anna Kournikova … ?! The portrait of Ames and Taibbi I took at metro station Ploshad Revoluzii, and I was paid right afterwards in a barter at American Bar & Grill ...

Dubai: broke, but not dead

2010-02-01T20:26:00.008+04:00

With much fanfare the new Meydan racing complex was opened last Thursday and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the UAE, could engage in his favorite pastime: the inauguration of mega-projects. It goes without saying that Meydan has the biggest grandstand in the world. Still, the ruler seems to be in a contemplative mood amid the crowd of visitors.

Masdar City - the green city

2010-01-27T08:05:00.014+04:00

Here a shoot from Masdar City, described as the world's first carbon-neutral city. Right now it's basically a huge construction site. Taking environmental portraits of several CEOs and architects. Main issue is the light - noon sunlight might be good for these solar panels, but it's definetely a problem for getting a nice portrait. Sunset lighting works much better, but lots of testing required

panoramic Burj Dubai photo

2009-11-30T10:33:00.022+04:00

at the newsstand now: the business magazine IMPULSE published my Burj Dubai pic - as a 4-page-panorama fold-out! The pic looks great ... and it fits just perfectly into the IKEA panorama frames! :) Now I hope that the Burj will be soon better illuminated in the evening, to get a striking sunset image ... right now it's rather a dark monolith at night. Another photo-story in the journal covers the

Friday the 13th - not always a bad day

2009-11-14T21:46:00.011+04:00

These pictures were taken with the first rays of sun on Friday the 13, 2009. Without time to apply for an official location approval - needed e.g. for a helicopter flight around the Burj - we decided to check into the luxurious The Address Downtown Burj Dubai hotel. With the help of a friendly Scotsman we were then able to get the shoot we wanted. To be published as a 4-page fold-out panorama in

Moscow Never Sleeps ... and Dubai??

2009-11-09T21:44:00.011+04:00

On November 7, the Moscow Motion party on The Palm in Dubai saw Russians and expats alike having a good time. DJ Smash, Gorod 312 and Russian music sensation Emin performed on a stage set on a private beach in front of the magnificent Atlantis hotel. Dress code was glamorous (which excluded local Arab dresses). More photos for viewing and purchase you find in our vast photo agency archive (click

Arab-German Family Business Summit 2009 in Bahrain

2009-11-03T14:55:00.011+04:00

Just returned from 3 interesting days in Bahrain, where I went on assignment for German business magazine IMPULSE. Here's a first selection of images. More to be posted soon on my site.

Dubai Fashion Week, backstage shots

2009-10-30T12:51:00.013+04:00

Leaving now for a weekend assignment in Bahrain, back on Monday. Dubai Fashion Week ended last night with a Grand Finale. I spent most time backstage - check out this updated Facebook slideshow with portraits of models and designers.

glimpse backstage at Dubai Fashion Week SS2010

2009-10-29T12:03:00.009+04:00

Today DFW closes with a Barbie-themed show. Check out this slide show with backstage images from last night.

Dubai Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 - Day 3

2009-10-28T12:09:00.010+04:00

It's not only black abayas in Dubai. The event runs from October 25 till 29 - see more photos here.