Winter is the ideal time for photography in the desert, mountains and wadis of the Emirates. The sky is blue and the air is clear, resulting in crisp and bright images. Three things are vital to good landscape photography.

Composition: Vast expanses hold many small surprises. Remember to look at the details in things such as plants, the ripples in the sand and rock strata. Every colour is enhanced against a dull, barren landscape. If you look hard enough you’ll see a prefty pattern.

Time of day: The best time for landscape photography is in the early morning or late afternoon. When the temperature is lower, the light is subdued and the colours are warmer. Midday gives a bluish, hazy hue to pictures and in winter you get a good contrast of bright colours. Try a light-blue filter for the late afternoon to cancel the extreme warmth of the light while an amber filter at midday will enhance the warmth.

A polarising filter enriches the colour of the sky. The sunny, tranquil days of winter are a photographer’s dream. Stormy days can produce some dramatic images, but take care not to expose your camera and lenses to blowing sand. The consequences ot this could be scratches on your film or, worse still, expensive repairs to your equipment.

Subject mailer: Intriguing forms and patterns can be found in the desert. Visual distortions and mirages can also be artistically exploited. Because of its vastness, smoothness and depth, even the smallest detail stands out in the desert. In summer, the extreme heat outdoors can spoil your film. A cool-box is recommended to carry and store both used and unused films. Slide film is more susceptible to the effects of heat than colour- negative film for prints. Sunrise and sunsets in the desert are dramatic, while capturing the play of the moonlight can create amazing images.