Before I went to Dubai, I had few questions about them, especially about tripod use, so I hope that this list will still help some of you, who plan to go there. So expect no surprising spots here :). Will need few more visits to get to those.
I will stick to places that are freely accessible in this list. You can also see all my photos from Dubai here.
Don’t forget to check out other available lists:
As I revisited Dubai recently, there will be few updates and new spots here, as some of the original ones are no longer accessible, or even existing.
At the top / Burj Khalifa
Of course, I have to include this one. It’s so unique to be able to be so high up. The view is just great. But there are few things one has to prepare for.
First of all, buy your ticket at least two weeks before online. Without it you either won’t get up at all, or you will have to pay for the much pricier ticket on the spot. They also sell only specific number of tickets for a certain time, so they can get sold out very quickly. I would suggest doing a sunrise instead of sunset. You get up much quicker, and it’s cheaper. The number of people is smaller, but they will stay around more, so grab a window, and wait for the sun by it.
Secondly, be prepared for an airport-style security check. They have no problems with camera gear or tripods, but they suggest you don’t take a big bag with you. I had a camera, 5 lenses, and a tripod with me, and they only wanted to look inside the bag. There were no issues.
Thirdly, get a Lenskirt or something to cover your camera. The slits in the wall, that were available before, are still there, but not there is a metal railing in the middle of them. None of my lenses would fit through. The only solution was to take photos through the glass. Also, the flooring is not the best there, and every time someone walks by, your tripod will shake. So get ready for that.
Dubai Marina
Of course, the second place has to be the Dubai marina. If one likes photos of skyscrapers, it a must. It’s the best late at night and early in the morning, where you meet almost no one there. The security guards here are really annoying, and they will stop you randomly around the marina. You can see them riding around with small golf carts. They will not bother you on the bridges in the area or if you use a clamp (strangely).
Also get yourself an ND filter. The daytime photos looks so much better from there as long exposures.
Palm Jumeirah
They should have something like this in every city. A great place to get a nice photo of the cityscape. From one side you get a great view of Dubai Marina, from the other of the Burj Al Arab. Just take a longer lens with you, as it’s a little further away. There is also a new walkway around the perimeter of the marina, so while you can’t get easily to the rocks anymore, you get a nice stable platform to shot from, quite close to the water.
Business bay
The original spot I shared here is still accessible, but not longer worth it. The new constructed building now block the view of the Burj Khalifa, so it does not looks so nice. But the whole business bay changed a lot in the last years, and you can get some great skyline views in the area anyway.
Jumeira Public beach
The original spot I shared here does not even exist anymore. The progress in Dubai is just so fast. Instead, I would suggest a different spot (the name of the beach is the same, as it’s all called the same :)), one next to the Burj Al Arab. You can get a really nice sunset here.
Under Burj Khalifa
You will need a wider lens to get a nice shot here, as the tower is just so high, but it’s worth it. If you go too close to the tower, be ready for security guards. I was stopped even a bit further (close to the opera) but there I was only informed that video is not permitted, but no problem with photos. Who knows why. I don’t.
Btw. if you see those dandelions still there, check out the authors, Mirek Struzik, website here: https://struzik-art.com/en.
There of course are many, many, many more spots, and I hope I revisit Dubai as soon as possible, to get many more shots.
Other available lists:
hi, nice pics and review. Next week i fly to Dubai and i would like to buy tickets too Burj Khalifa but there are 2 options. Which one 124 or 146 floor has slits in the windows?? Maybe gorilla pod would havebeen better to avoid floor shake?? What do u think??
Hi Sebastian. When I was there, only the 124th floor was open, so that’s the one with the slits. I’m not sure about the 146, but what I have seen, there are no slits there. Also, I’m not sure where you would attach the gorrilapod. The railing that is in front of the windows is quite low, so away from the slit. And you can see on the second photo from the top how the glass wall looks. It’s quite think to attach anything.
hi Miroslav, thnx for tips.
Do you know if they would allow me to use a suction cup on the glass? Also is it better to go up during the day or night? Thanks!
Not sure about the suction cup. I don’t have one, and haven’s seen anyone use one. But you can try :). I would go in the evening, blue hour is the best time to take photos in Dubai, as the sun during the day is very strong, and usually there are no clouds.
I was there a couple of weeks ago. I took my gorilla pod with me, after cleaning the windows with an old lens rag, I curled the legs and hung my camera upside down from the top of the glass. It seemed to work really well I I got some half decent shots.
I had the canon 6d with the 24-70mm lens and also the 14mm samyang and the gorilla pod coped with it ok.
Thanks a lot for this places review. Very clear and maps tag are so helpful! Just for information for others, tripods were not allowed when I was there last year
Your welcome.. and where exactly? As I had very little problems with tripods in Dubai.
Forgot to mention. It was to go to 124th floor of Burj Khalifa
Hi,
I like these all cherrypickdubai.com best places in Dubai Mostly Dubai has many places to visit. Next year, I can plan go to my family vacations in Dubai.
Today Dubai has transformed into a truly cosmopolitan metropolis, with people from all over the world working and living here, and fueling the city’s evolution as one of the fastest growing in the world. Standing tall at 828 meters in Downtown Dubai, the sky-piercing Burj Khalifa is the tallest man-made structure in the world. The glorious tower is one of the most prominent attractions in all of the Middle-East.
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Thanks a lot for this places !.
Well written, great selection of spots. I feel so grateful that I visited Dubai last month with my husband! We arranged a photographer to take us some really awesome shots.. We wanted to find the best photographer and it was sooo hard to find the right one so we sought for help to http://www.thecameracrowd.com My favourite photo is by the Marina.. Ahh, I feel so nostalgic!
thanks for this, may i know when did you visit dubai?based on your page i visited Jumairah public beach, but due to so much constructions it was kind of closed now (the location as per ur GPS position). and curious to know when exactly these buildings switch the lights on. None of them look like the way it showed in ur photoes. i will try business bay next.
Sorry for the late reply. I was there in 2014, but thats a normal problem in most modern cities. You never know when something will be fenced off due to a contraction (much easier in historical cities :)). And what I noticed, they turn on the lights rather early, right after the blue hour starts.
nice blog and nice location you have found and now watching your pics they are awesome
and many many thanks for sharing gps coordinates but i think coordinates for palm jumeirah are wrong because looking at it i assume you can see only dubai marina skyline and not burj al arab since there is big road passing between that location to burj al arab hotel correct me if i’m wrong
You are not wrong :) But as I mentioned in the description, one shot is from one side and one is from the other side of the palm. So while the gps shows the first location, the second one is on the completely opposite side of the palm.
aha got it i thought both shot taken from one location so u can roam on palm island i thought its restricted for resident only btw how did you went there any public transport ?
There is a road going around the outside of the palm (you can see it in satelite images), next to it is a pedestrian walkway, and then is a small wall and rocks up to the water. The road and the walkway are freely accessible, and in most parts, you can also jump over the wall (its not tall at all) and go onto the rocks to get closer to the water. Only on the very ends, the hotels security does not like you to be there. There is no public transport there, you have to take a taxi. Due to the hotels, there are taxis going there and back all the time, so usually you get one in minutes.
ok thank you so much for information :). have nice day and keep exploring and doing photography !!
Thanks for sharing all the wonderful photo locations. I will be visiting Dubai next week and hope get some nice clicks. I was a little worried how to get to this location and return from there after dark as there is no public transport in that area. But if taxis are available frequently to return back to the monorail station, then there should be no problem at all. Thanks for sharing the information. You are awesome!
thanks for asking the question :)
Amazing..:)
That is surely a nice photo. Glad you had a great Dubai experience.
CityCard Dubai
Hi! Very awesome pictures. Hope to shot such as nice as your photos 😎 So, in June i will visit Dubai and my idea was to rent a car especially for the night (I have done this in Abu Dhabi because the points were too far from another and there was it not a problem) because a Taxi will be to expensive for this long trip between the points. But, did I read it right that i have not really a chance on the palm to stop at your 2 points take a few shots without the security comes? Is there no parking space? Or do I have to say to my wife that she drives with the car a few meters in that time where I stand on the wall?
And what about the Business District? It looks that your are under a bridge or something else. Is there any space for parking.
But in the Dubai Marina is a public parking area?
Hi Rene. I found using taxis easier there. There are parking spots on the palm, as there are hotels all over the place, but I seen only taxis on them, no other cars. So I’m not sure if you can park there. But I also don’t think that the security comes if you stop for a moment near the wall. The hotels are from the inner side of the palm, then is the road and the wall from the outer side. So I don’t think the guard will go out of their hotel, go across the road to you. I only seen the guards at the end of the roads, as there the hotel covers the whole area on both sides. About the point in the business district, I seen parking spaces there, but not right next to the spot I shown. That was mostly a construction site when I was there, and I presume that changed since then. In the marina there were parking spots in front of the buildings. Again, not right next to the water, as thats a walking area, but little further back.
Hi Miroslav! Thank you for your helpful tips.We will see what happens in the next months. Maybe i will have a look with Google Earth at first and check some things. But I think with the car I´m a little bit more flexible than with the taxi. Or I find a guide who takes a big ride for a cheap price the whole night ;-) There are so many factors to plan.
The nightview shots from the Khalifa are brilliant. In 2011 we were there to sunset time. It looked nice,the sky was little foggy and the big windows had a little mirror effect (I hope you know what I mean) and we have no Pol Filter on the Camera. Shit happens. So at first I thought that I should go there by day but now you give me a new view ;-) If I understood you right, that I can only use a tripod over there because a stative is not allowed.Right?
I know that all your pictures are HDR pictures at last but what about the 2 Wallpapers “DUBAI MARINA SKYSCRAPERS” or “DUBAI MARINA”. What exposure time do you use there for the normal shot or how are the Exif Infos? The Stars in the lights looks like F12 or something in this part. I just ask you because the exposure time is the part where I make the most mistakes ;-) Most of them are after using with Lightroom okay.
Okay,that´s all this time. Very nice site with very good tips and tricks especially for HDR and brilliant wallpapapers/pictures.
Thanks a lot again for your tips.
Greetings from Hamburg
René
Hi Rene
You know, it also depends where you stay. On my visit, I found a great room on AirBnb and I stayed right in the middle of the marina, so for a lot of places, it was very close for me. For the Burj Khalifa, yes, what I know you can use a tripod (isn’t stativ and tripod the same? ). But what I would suggest, have a look at Lenskirt (I did a review of it, just use the search in the top right corner), that really helps with shots through glass.
And, not all my shots are HDR, I use so many techniques. I just started with HDR, thats why the blog name :) If you are interested in the exif, just go to the Dubai category https://www.hdrshooter.com/category/united-arab-emirates/dubai/ , and look at my older posts. I used to share the complete exif, so older posts have that info under the photo or there is a continue reading button, that will open the post with the exif info. Or you can directly search the blog for the wallpaper name, as thats the same name the initial post with that photo had :)
Hope that helps.
Good morning Miroslav!
Yep,that helps. Now I need more time on this site that I thought at first ;-) So so so many brilliant shots with lots of specs. That is what I need. So I will try this in Hamburg in the harbour or somewhere else @night.
Okay…Tripod…That thing what I mean is a Gorillapod or Monkeypod with flexible legs. But this cannot be hold on the glass like you shot the photo @night with the glass over and under the picture. But good to hear that I can use a normal Tripod (Stativ) at the B.K.
In New York on the ESB or Rockefeller it is not allowed to take it up!
So,thanks for your help and the links. I have so much to read here now.
Have a nice weekend.
Grettings René
Truly amazing photos and a great article and blog – a wealth of good info. I am going to be in Dubai next week and would love to take a nighttime photo of the city skyline. I am pretty savvy with my Nikon D7000 but when it comes to night photos, I am at a complete loss (to a point where I just cross fingers and let my iPhone 7 do the trick). Internet is overwhelmingly full of countless tutorials on how to take night city photos.. Is there a good tutorial or a quick “dummy” reference guide you would recommend as a starting point? Another question – if you remember of course, did you have a good or favorite spot in mind from which to take a full length shot of Burj Khalifa? Thank you!
Can share what lens did u use to take Dubai Marina and Burj arab grom Palm Jumeirah…awesome click…
Hi Ahmad. The marina was with the 16-35mm f2.8 and the Burj Al Arab was with the 70-200mm f2.8.
Thanks for the reply bro…it looks quite a distance from the palm (“,)
FYI, your location on Jumeriah Beach is still closed, can’t get anywhere close because of a massive construction project on the beach that stretches for a few km.
Hi. Thank you for the information. I need to go back to Dubai, so I can update the list, hopefully soon. Thanks again.
You’re doing any readers a disservice by leaving those GPS coordinates live, they’ve built a massive shopping mall along the beach and large residential complex is just being completed on the opposite side of the road from the mall, you literally can’t see anything in your posted image from anywhere in that area beyond the tip of the Burj Khalifa. After spending 75 AED on a taxi to get there, and another 20 to get a construction worker to walk me back to the spot, there was nothing but mall visible.
Great photos and tips!! Hope to get some nice clocks in February ’18. Btw, when you say ‘go to Dubai Marina at crazy hours to avoid the guards’, what hour will you consider as crazy for Dubai? I am asking this becoz I can stay in the city only until 11 pm (need to arrive airport at midnight) and guessing this is not crazy hour for a city like Dubai.
Hi. Sorry for the late reply. I mean outside of normal working hours. Usually in the morning, before 7-8 when all is closed, and in the evening, 9-10 or later, when they are already closed, nobody will stop you.