Category: Series

Places to visit in Muscat and Oman Part 2 ( Cultural and traditional markets )

Oman is known to be famous for its cultural and traditional heritage. Oman has various tourist attractions, especially in the area of Islamic architecture and places known to have oldest traditional values. If you are coming to Oman and wondering where should you go, you are at the right place.

The broad categories of locations which can be visited are as follows. Each link below has a separate post related to that category. This post covers Cultural and Traditional markets.

  • Islamic Architecture and Buildings (Part 1)
  • Cultural and Traditional markets (Part 2)
  • Mountain Ranges (coming soon)
  • Wadis (valleys) (coming soon)
  • Beaches and coastlines. (coming soon).

Cultural and Traditional markets

1. Muttrah Souq

The word Souq in Arabic literally means market. The Muttrah Souq is perhaps one of the oldest marketplaces in the Arab world. It is located at the Corniche of Muttrah. It’s one of the most popular tourist attraction in Muscat. Al Dhalam Souq (Darkness in Arabic) is the local name for the Muttrah Souq. It has been named after darkness because of the crowded stalls and lanes where the sun rays do not infiltrate during the day. The shops are mainly selling gold,household goods, shoes and ready-made garments. Further inside, there is a sale of frankincense, perfume oils, fresh jasmine, and spices.

Good for: Gift items and souvenirs. Also to see local culture and traditions. The souk can be somewhat deceptive at first acquaintance: it’s a lot larger, and a lot more confusing, than you might initially suspect. You could spend many enjoyable hours here, haggling over handicrafts and attempting to make sense of the maze. Off course it’s a heaven for photography. Also locals here are accustomed to photographers so do capture some traditional and environmental portraits.

Visitor Timings : 8am-9pm everyday

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  • Mutrah Corniche, Oman

2. Muttrah Fish Market

Muttrah fish and vegetable market is an ideal place where you can start your tour as it is very close to Muttrah Souq and Corniche. While it was once upon a time an open-air bazaar with dozens of stalls, it has now been replaced by a state-of-the-art indoor complex that has modern food preservation machinery and freezers. Still if you are curious enough, you can go to the dock where actual boats come and go for fishing. You can witness that activity very early morning at the time of sunrise.

Good for: Witnessing the activity of fishermen as they arrive and go during first half of the day. You can get absolutely fresh fishes from here. There are some good restaurants nearby offering fresh sea food.Last of all, it’s a heaven for photography. Again locals here are accustomed to photographers so do capture some traditional and environmental portraits of fishermen.

Visitor Timings : from sunrise to noon.

  • Mutrah Fish Market by Imran Zahid
  • Mutrah Fish Market by Imran Zahid
  • Mutrah Fish Market by Imran Zahid
  • Mutrah Fish Market by Imran Zahid
  • Mutrah Fish Market by Imran Zahid
  • Mutrah Fish Market by krishnakumar photography

3. Nizwa Souq

Nizwa city is around two and a half hour drive from the capital Muscat. Nizwa is previously know as the cultural capital of Oman. So be ready to witness some of the most sought after cultural sites of Oman in Nizwa. It is quite different from Muttrah Souq. Most of the market, however, is dedicated to pottery, antiques, textiles and other paraphernalia. Nizwa is particularly famous for crafting the silver khanjar (traditional curved dagger). Nizwa has a famous Cattle market as well but it only opens on Fridays.

Good for: It is good for purchasing gift items and souvenirs. Also to to see local culture and traditions. It has a very good market for dates,vegetables and cultural clothing. Photography is a must. Be ready to take breath taking shots.

Visitor Timings: It is open daily for two trading sessions—except on Fridays, when the souq is only open in the morning. From Thursday to Saturday, things kick off at 6am. The day trade winds up at 1pm when people break for lunch and prayer. It gets going again at 4pm, and the souq stays open until 10pm.

  • Nizwa market in Oman

This post is still under construction. I am adding more cultural sites as I am getting further info and pictures. All pictures in this post are by Author – Imran Zahid (the shades Photography) unless otherwise stated. Do visit other sections from top listing.

I conduct Photography tours and vacation shoots mostly in Muscat and sometimes other parts of Oman on a regular basis. If you are coming to Oman for few days and want to visit places best suited for photography, checkout my Oman Photography Tour page and if you just want a quick vacation photo shoot in Oman, do check out Book a vacation photographer in Oman. Feel free to reach me on im.zahid@hotmail.com.

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Places to visit in Muscat and Oman Part 1 ( Islamic Architecture and Buildings )

Oman is known to be famous for its cultural and traditional heritage. Oman has various tourist attractions, especially in the area of Islamic architecture and places known to have oldest traditional values. If you are coming to Oman and wondering where should you go, you are at the right place.

The broad categories of locations which can be visited are as follows. Each link below has a separate post related to that category. This post covers Islamic Architecture and Buildings.

  • Islamic Architecture and Buildings (Part 1)
  • Cultural and traditional markets (Part 2)
  • Mountain Ranges (coming soon)
  • Wadis (valleys) (coming soon)
  • Beaches and coastlines. (coming soon)

Note: I will create a separate post for all type of activities that you can do in Oman. But right now, let’s start with famous places worth visiting in Oman.

Islamic Architecture and Buildings

1. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is located in the capital city of Muscat. It is one pof the most photogenic locations for photography. The dome and the main minaret and four flanking minarets are the mosque’s chief visual features. A major feature of the design of the interior is the prayer carpet which is the largest single-piece carpet in the world. The chandelier above the praying hall is 14m tall and it used to be the world’s largest chandelier.

Good for: Witness Islamic architecture at its best. Amazing photography location for outdoor portraits. Beautiful arches and traditional lamps. Audio tour is available if you are more interested in its history. Do check out the visitor library as well.

Visitor Timings : 8AM-11AM from Saturday to Thursday (No tickets required)

Note: People have to dress modestly and ladies have to wear head scarf while visiting.

  • Grand Mosque by Shades Photography
  • Grand Mosque Muscat
  • Grand Mosque by Shades Photography
  • Grand Mosque by Shades Photography
  • Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque by Henz B Solih
  • Grand Mosque by Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography
  • Grand Mosque by Shades Photography

2. The Royal Opera House

The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is Oman’s premier venue for musical arts and culture. It reflects unique contemporary Omani architecture, and has a capacity to accommodate maximum of 1,100 people. The opera house complex consists of a concert theatre, auditorium, formal landscaped gardens, cultural market with retail, luxury restaurants and an art centre for musical, theatrical and operatic productions.

Good for: If you are fan of luxurious architecture/auditoriums and ancient and most exotic musical instruments/dresses, this place is for you. A decent guided tour is available. Photography is absolutely allowed so you can have a good shoot inside or outside building.

Visitor Timings : Daily House Tours: 08:30 am – 5:30 pm (Ticket : 4 OMR)

  • Opera House by Shades Photography
  • Opera House by Shades Photography
  • Opera House by Shades Photography
  • Opera House by Shades Photography
  • Opera House by Shades Photography
  • Royal Opera House Muscat
  • Opera House by Shades Photography

3. Al Ameen Mosque

Set high on a hill in Bausher, the Al Ameen mosque (known to some as the Bahwan mosque) is very famous. Its beautifully illuminated domes have already come to feel essential to the Muscat skyline. The lovely place of worship is admired by many residents from the exterior alone. The interior spaces feature a contemporary Omani style with rich carved woods accenting crisp white marble.

Good for: Its completely white marble construction is very unique and a must watch during the later times of the day. Its ideal for photography during sunset and blue hour because of its beautifully lighted dome and minarets.

Note: No specific visitor timings and tickets. Just avoid the prayer timings during the day.

4. Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque

Sultan Said bin Taimur Mosque was built in the memory of the father of Sultan Qaboos in 1999. It is built in the architectural style of Ottoman mosques and looks very reminiscent of the Sultanahmet Mosque and the Hagia Sofia of Turkey. The mosque stands imposed on the backdrop of the mountains of Muscat in the buzzing heart of Al Khuwair. The mosque features a number of copper-coloured domes and two 50 meters high minarets.

Good for: Outdoor Photography in late evening. If you go during off peak hours, you might get a chance to see this mosque from inside. Its construction is very unique from other mosques in Oman.

Note: Sadly, this mosque is not open for non-muslim visitors.

This post is still under construction. I am adding more architectural sites as I am getting more and more info and pictures. All pictures in this post are by Author – Imran Zahid (the shades Photography) unless otherwise stated. Do visit other sections from top listing.

I conduct Photography tours and vacation shoots mostly in Muscat and sometimes other parts of Oman on a regular basis. If you are coming to Oman for few days and want to visit places best suited for photography, checkout my Oman Photography Tour page and if you just want a quick vacation photo shoot in Oman, do check out Book a vacation photographer in Oman. Feel free to reach me on im.zahid@hotmail.com.

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Oman – Moments in Time ( Timelapse video )

Oman – Moments in Time is the time Lapse of Oman mainly Muscat region and its surrounding places. Background Music by Komiku – Action Epic.

Oman is famous for its cultural heritage and architecture that is still intact in its most pure form in various cities. It has plenty of  catchy landmark that captures that attention of all the tourist who want to see the true culture of Oman in its purist form.

This video was shot completely on Canon 6D and iphone 6.

For dedicated Photography Tour in Oman click here. For Photography Workshop in Oman click here.

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Photography Composition Essentials : Depth or Perspective

This post is second part of the series ‘Photography composition essentials‘. You can find other parts here.

If your photograph engages a viewer more than 5 seconds, it means it has something for the viewer to look into. If we keep aside the story part and strictly look into the aesthetic aspects of a photograph, what composition rule or principle actually responsible for all that viewer’s attention? It is Depth or Perspective in a photograph.

As we all know, a photograph is a two dimensional plane and normally it doesn’t fully recreates the actual emotions of what we saw at that time ( and it never will. That’s why we should enjoy the process of taking photographs whether we get a shot or not). If anything that can help viewer to feel a little bit of reality in a photograph, then it is DEPTH. It is the THIRD dimension of a photograph and one of the key composition rule in photography.

What Depth really offers to the viewer is an artist’s preferred way to look into the picture. The user starts from foreground, moves towards the subject and then the rest of the information is filled in by the background. The only thing that is important is actually the relation of all these elements to fill in all the missing parts.

I actually didn’t notice that much about depth before I decided to write a post on it. I was merely using it for the aesthetic aspect of my photographs. But when I actually start thinking in more detail, I started to embrace its value even more. It prepares a ground for every picture and convince the viewer that this picture is a piece of artwork and not just another snap. It separates a good luck artist from a photographer that is consistently producing good pictures.

I am a landscape lover and I do agree that a lot of the time I get good photographs by chance 🙂 and instead of taking consistently good pictures by doing my homework, I am used to increase my chances by taking MORE pictures. That’s how I used to cheat my luck because it gives me the same net results. But this approach actually hurts you when you try to go PRO because you can’t come again and again to same location and try your luck when you do professional work. That’s why people willing to hire professionals because they give them sure results the first time they get a chance.

So if you want to be a PRO then start taking it more seriously and try to conceptualize the photograph before lifting your camera to your eye. Check whether you got enough DEPTH in your photograph that can engage viewers and if not, move towards some different angle or location until you find a decent spot to convey a reasonable DEPTH.

SO now I am going to show you some of my images that in my opinion have decent depth aspect. Keep in mind that I am not a PRO and I am still working on my stills.

1. Muttrah Corniche Sunrise , Oman

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Muttrah Corniche by Imran Zahid

It starts with a boat (foreground) moving through the restrooms / parking (middle ground), all the way to the distant trees mountains and beautiful clouds (Background). All these things are related and complement each other. They depict the typical setting of a beach-side resort. The shoreline here is connecting all these levels together making it one complete picture.

2. Sur Sunrise , Oman

Silhouette-sunrise
Sur Road by Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography

Here the road is leading towards the main subject i.e. Sunrise (Background) but instead of just a plain sunrise it leads towards it through a person standing (foreground) and town houses (middle ground). So it conveys enough details for viewer to observe. The on-going street light gives a sense of distance between all these levels.

3. Sidaab Street , Oman

Sidaab Street by <a href='https://theshadesphotography.wordpress.com/'>Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography</a>
Sidaab Street by Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography

This is sidaab street in Oman that leads to the Royal Palace. The main subject of this picture is actually the road and the journey (middle ground) but to create enough interest I put a car tire (foreground) and mountains and clouds (background). The street lights provides a sense of distance among foreground/middle ground and background.

4. Why So Serious , Quryaat Road Oman

Quryaat Road by <a href='https://theshadesphotography.wordpress.com/'>Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography</a>
Quryaat Road by Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography

I guess by now you know that I am obsessed with roads and I accept that I love roads and I found them to be a very attractive subject when it comes to depth and perspective. Here off-course that car with a smiley spare wheel is the subject (middle ground) along with the road in front (foreground) leads towards the subject and all the way to the mountains (background).

OK, enough of landscapes and roads. Now I am going to show you some examples from street/people photography too.

5. The fisherman , Sifah beach , Oman

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The Fisherman by Imran Zahid

Here there are no leading lines but from the proportion it is clear that fisherman on left is our subject(foreground) which is complemented by the boats (middle ground) and it goes towards the sea where he used to do fishing. All levels are perfectly related and gel together.

6. Muttrah Fish Harbour , Oman

Mutrah Fish Market by <a href='https://theshadesphotography.wordpress.com/'>Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography</a>
Mutrah Fish Market by Imran Zahid-The Shades Photography

The people here are either fishermen who came from fishing trips or the buyers who wants fish. The composition is simple. It starts with harbor (foreground) towards subject( which are fishermen in middle ground) all the way to water and their ships (background). No need to explain further.

Conclusion

I hope I made my point pretty clear now that when I am talking about DEPTH or perspective in a photograph, I am referring to all these levels (fore/middle/background) and their relationship with the entire picture. That makes a photograph complete and it makes people believe what they are witnessing. It makes it more interesting and entices them to look into each and every detail of a photograph.

You have some good examples of depth in a photograph? Do share with me 🙂

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Photography Composition Essentials: Negative Space

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I am a big fan of composition articles on internet as I consider composition as one of the most important topic in photography. If there is only one thing that can create the biggest impact on your photography m then it is composition. It is the key to successful photographs. I do agree that lenses, camera bodies and other accessories do affect your photography to a certain level. But if you don’t want to spare a dime and still want to make huge difference than start concentrating on your compositions from now on.

In fact , it’s a good exercise and challenge for all of us who are suffering from GAS (Gadget addiction syndrome) is to stop looking for good and cheap deals for camera bodies and lenses and start giving more attention to our COMPOSITIONS. Just make a promise to yourself that for the next six months I will not buy any new equipment and just experiment with composition techniques to make my photographs stronger than before. After this , you will be amazed how much this will affect your photography in the long run.

So to start with myself, I am starting a series of posts on composition techniques of photography. I will try to write one post every week for each technique and attach some of my own photographs for samples. You guys can post your stuff in comments and I will add them here as well. Since I am a big fan of minimalism, I will start off with NEGATIVE SPACE.

Negative Space:

Negative space is actually a breathing space in photograph. It is a place where viewer’s eyes can rest after observing other details in photograph. It will actually calm down your eyes and ease your mind. It brings a sense of serenity to image. The viewer will feel more comfortable and can concentrate more on the subject rather than wondering around distractions. Check out some of my samples and observe the use of negative space in composition and do submit your so that I can attach them too for better understanding.

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lone survivor by Imran Zahid

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Yiti beach by Imran Zahid

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Fishermen by Imran Zahid

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Standing tall by Imran Zahid

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Why so serious 🙂 by Imran Zahid

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