FujiXWalk: Street Photography in Al Satwa

I had the opportunity to join a Photowalk in Dubai when Fujifilm Middle East posted an invitation on their Facebook page about an event. They called it #FujiXWalk and was aimed to focus on street photography in Al Satwa area.

I’ve been wanting to improve my photography skills cause I feel like I’m in a plateau where I get complacent and let automatic settings dictate how my photos turn out. I want to venture into technique so I can maximize the camera and how it’s been built. Given that I had a free weekend, I immediately signed up for the photowalk.

What surprised me during the event is that you can borrow a camera the organizers will provide, depending on the availability. This was something I looked forward to so I can get a feel of the next lens I’m planning to buy which is a wide angle lens – either a Fuji 10-24mm f4 or a 14mm f2.8.

Dubai Photowalk in Al Satwa by Fujifilm Middle East

We gathered at the parking lot beside the Emarat Petrol station in Satwa around 4:30pm. Organizers were already handing out cameras. I brought my Fujifilm XE1 with me but wanted to try another camera and lens. They handed me a Fujifilm XT10 with a Fujinon 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens.

They gave us a brief orientation on which spots in Satwa to go and advised us to be back in 2 hours. There were plenty of us, probably 50 plus. This would be a great opportunity for you to mingle with other photography enthusiasts and learn from each other. However, I was too shy and ended up taking pictures by myself and at my own pace.

Based on the number of photowalk events I see that are posted online, common places of interest in the city are in Deira or Dubai Marina. It’s my first time to hear about Satwa, which is more of a challenge as I didn’t know what to expect.

I explored the neighborhood houses and took photos of a few residents, mostly Pakistans who were more than willing to pose for the camera. It was a Friday weekend after all and they were on their regular day off from work. Here are a few photos:

handing out Fujifilm gear

a peek of the Nassima Towers

stealth mode

closed window

These guys called me to take their photo. I gladly obliged.

People busy with errands on a Friday

One is brown, the other is blue

some of the plants I passed through had thorns

I asked the guys to smile. This is their smile

towers along SZR

Dubai World Trade Centre and the UAE flag

path to Sheikh Zayed road

Pakistan men relaxing on a weekend

the missing pair

Nassima Towers as shot from Satwa

UAE Flag – National Day is coming up!

jewelry shops

Al Ghubaiba bus – double-decker bus

Iranian bread with cheese at 3.50 AED

Al Satwa

Group shot – Fujifilm and photo enthusiasts in the Dubai!

I’m still learning this whole Street Photography which is why ended up taking photos of the street. Lol. Really,  I should learn to talk to the residents more and be more comfortable in asking permission so I could take more “people” photos.

This Fujiwalk event overall, was a good experience to practice your photography skills. Fujifilm Middle East mentioned that they will conduct more events like this to foster the Fuji camera community in Dubai and the UAE.  Like their page if you want to get more updates!  Facebook.com/FujifilmME