Street Photography in Abu Dhabi

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the UAE, with 82 domes and white marble. Visitors may take personal photos at designated photo stops, and professional cameras need a permit from the media center, according to Abu Dhabi Travel Planner. Come in the late afternoon and stay into the evening, when the lights come on. Wahat Al Karama, across the road, gives a wider view. Follow the dress code and never photograph local women without permission.

The fish market at Mina Zayed port keeps the feel of an old village market, as Emily Broad describes, with salesmen shouting about their fish while buyers drink from coconuts. Restaurants nearby will grill your catch cheaply. Morning is the busiest. The action and color are easy to photograph, but under UAE law you need consent for close images of people. Shoot fish and hands up close, and keep people wide. Ask vendors before portraits. Visit Abu Dhabi notes that fishermen load their catch onto the quay every morning, and a fruit and vegetable souk sits across the road.

Electra Street, in the older downtown, recalls Abu Dhabi's early days, with electronics shops and cheap cafeterias in low blocks. Emily Broad calls it her old love for photography in the UAE. At sunset, workers, mostly from South Asia, rest in alleyways and gather on corners, and the shops light the pavements with fluorescent light. Use the shop light for color and long exposures of the street. Ask before photographing anyone recognizable. Electra Park, a small green patch in the Tourist Club area, is a calmer place to find families in the evening.

Capital Park, near Hamdan Street, is one of the downtown parks Emily Broad loves. Filipino families dance to Zumba while pickup basketball games run hot on the courts. Evenings and weekends are busiest. These are private moments of leisure for people who work long hours. Ask before photographing, and show people the pictures. Hamdan Street nearby is lined with older shops and signs, good for wider street frames in the evening light.

The Corniche is an 8 km promenade along the northern shore, with beaches and the skyline behind. Joggers and families come out at sunset. Wide scenes with the skyline work well. Keep people small in the frame, or ask first. Remember that the FCDO notes men have been arrested for photographing women on beaches. Frame the skyline at blue hour with walkers in silhouette on the promenade. Evenings are cooler and busier than afternoons, especially in winter.

Qasr Al Hosn is the oldest building in Abu Dhabi, a white fort built in the late 18th century that housed the ruling family. Its whitewashed walls and arches make clean backgrounds. Come in the late afternoon, when low sun rakes the walls and visitors cross the plaza. Frame a small figure against the wall for scale. The modern Cultural Foundation next door adds a contrast of concrete and glass. Photography rules inside the museum may vary, so check at the entrance.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island sits under a huge dome of 7,850 stars that filters sunlight into a pattern known as the rain of light. Visitors walking under the dome become silhouettes against the dappled light and the water. Come in the late morning or afternoon, when the pattern is strongest. Shoot figures from behind or at a distance. There is an entry fee, and the museum has its own rules for photography inside the galleries.