DIGITAL IN AL-MADAM

This place has been a well-kept secret up until recently, when photographers and companies started showing it off on social media. Still, there are some who haven't heard of the abandoned village of Al-Madam.

They stopped the moving sands - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

Al-Madam, Sharjah, is located at the intersection of the Dubai-Hatta road (E44) and the E55, just a 20 minute walk from the road. It used to be home to the Al-Kutbi tribe, but it was deserted more than a decade ago. From what I read, its abandonment was due to the village being too isolated from the world, while there is a legend that says a 'djinn' actually drove the people out.

Overlooking the 'Big Red' - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

I first heard of it before last summer, on an article written by GPP (https://gulfphotoplus.com/blog/503/Top-10-Places-to-Shoot-in-the-UAE). I made a note of it and I waited for a chance to go there.

Symmetrical building - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

I then began to plan my equipment. I had just bought the Nikon D7200, and it was the perfect opportunity to test it out. I grabbed a tripod, my 18-55mm kit lens, and a 50mm F1.8, shoved it in a bag, and I was ready. I had organised with some friends to go one afternoon once the holidays began so that I had some subjects to shoot while I was there.

Ruined symme-'tree' - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

We reached the village just before golden hour. The ghost town has been a popular place for photographers in recent times and looking around, I could see why: the place had decayed beautifully. The peeling wallpapers, the cracked floors, the left-over furniture, and the slow-moving sand tides that swallow the buildings created an eerie atmosphere, emphasised by the fact that we were completely alone (in hindsight, we were quite lucky: the place seems to be full these days).

Frame within a frame - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

After around an hour and a half of shooting, I thought I had the images I wanted, and we were ready to leave; however, I now want to go back and look for more pictures, as well as to correct the ones I took.

Several images have overexposed highlights, since I had taken a light reading for the shadows; partially due to the camera's metering system, partially my fault for not having bracketed my exposures. This led to the brighter areas of the photo lacking detail. In addition, I didn't use the 50mm lens, which is a shame, nor did I shoot any film while I was there.

Next time, though, I hope I will get it right.

Simón.