Dubai · Guide for photographers and filmmakers
“In Dubai the light is the hardest part. Pick the location for its shade, not just its view.”
Dubai has five kinds of location that work again and again for fashion and beauty: hotel and palace colonnades, gardens at golden hour, private residences with big windows, studios, and the city at night. Each has its own light, its own permissions and its own best time of year. Here's how to choose, with real shoots from Palazzo Versace, Damas, Waterproof and a night-time jewellery editorial.
L'Officiel Baltic · Palazzo Versace Dubai
01 · Colonnades
Hotel and palace colonnades
L'Officiel Baltic at Palazzo Versace Dubai.
Covered walkways are Dubai's best natural studio. The roof blocks the hard overhead sun, the open side gives soft, directional light on the face, and the columns give a strong, symmetrical background. For L'Officiel Baltic at Palazzo Versace, the colonnade worked for both a walking shot and a close jewellery portrait in the same few metres.
Light: soft and even through most of the day, which is rare in Dubai.
Permission: the hotel's media team, a location fee, and a shoot permit for commercial work.
Tip: book a weekday morning, when the walkways are quiet.
02 · Gardens
Palace gardens at golden hour
Damas Jewellery: the garden, and the crew working with reflectors on the roof.
Gardens and terraces give colour, scale and movement: a gown in the wind, palms, white architecture. They only work in the first and last hours of the day. For the Damas Jewellery campaigns, the crew worked with large reflectors and diffusion to control the sun on the terrace, which is the norm for outdoor shoots here.
Light: golden hour only. Midday sun is flat, hard and hot.
Kit: big reflectors and diffusion frames, plus shade and water for talent.
Season: October to April. Between 15 June and 15 September outdoor work is banned from 12:30 to 15:00.
03 · Residences
Private residences and apartments
A residence with big windows is the simplest way to shoot beauty in Dubai: air-conditioned, private, and lit by the city outside. Waterproof was shot in a Downtown Dubai residence with the location's permission, by a team of three in one day.
Use the window as a giant softbox, and add one diffused light for consistency as the sun moves.
04 · Studios
Studios for full control
When the brief needs a clean background or the season is too hot, a studio removes the weather from the plan. The Celine Winter '22 film for Savoir Flair was a clean, minimal set: a Sony FX3 with an 85mm handheld, and two Aputure 300D lights with double diffusion.
Studios also make permits simpler, because you're not on public property, though commercial work still follows the usual rules.
05 · Night
The city and water at night
Jewellery editorial, Dubai.
After dark, Dubai's lights become the background. A pool, a terrace or a waterfront turns city lights into soft bokeh and reflections, and jewellery picks up every point of light. Use a fast lens, a small soft light on the face, and keep water work safe: someone on set whose only job is the model in the water.
06 · Choosing
Which location for which brief
| Brief | Location | When |
|---|---|---|
| Jewellery and fashion portraits | Colonnade | Most of the day |
| Gowns, movement, luxury scale | Garden or terrace | Golden hour, October to April |
| Beauty close-ups | Residence with big windows, or studio | All year |
| Clean product and fashion | Studio | All year |
| Jewellery, mood, nightlife | Pool, terrace or waterfront | After sunset |
Whichever you choose, read the Dubai photoshoot permit guide before booking.
Summer work hours: What's On, UAE midday work break.
Watch
Dubai locations on film
L'Officiel Baltic at Palazzo Versace Dubai
Beauty shoot in Dubai with Philipp Jelenska
Dubai luxury property film
Armani Hotel viewFAQ
Common questions
Where is the best place for a fashion photoshoot in Dubai?
Hotel and palace colonnades for soft light all day, gardens at golden hour for movement and scale, residences or studios for beauty, and the city at night for jewellery and mood.
What is the best time of year to shoot outdoors in Dubai?
October to April. In summer, outdoor work is banned from 12:30 to 15:00 between 15 June and 15 September, and the heat is hard on talent and kit.
Do I need permission to shoot at a Dubai hotel?
Yes. The hotel's media team gives permission and usually charges a location fee, and commercial shoots also need a permit.
How do you deal with harsh sun on a Dubai shoot?
Shoot in shade such as colonnades, use golden hour, and bring large reflectors and diffusion frames for outdoor sets.
Written by Joshua Swain, who shoots fashion, beauty and jewellery in Dubai and London. See the portfolio.