Wow. This is insane! The photo is absolutely beautiful. That building looks so surreal... doesn't even look real... really. Great capture.

I didn't realize this thing was actually being built yet. Amazing.

Hey, good idea the chain and the building! This tower is incredible, but useful ?

fabulous use of framing.

the city look odd... mostly because, i think, it looks like the whole thing is being built from scratch and a lot of it isn't finished. the sandy ground punctuated by tall buildings.

the monochromatic nature of the photo works to its advantage, because otherwise i think it would look too busy to take in. its almost more about the texture of the city than the skyline.

i'm not sure what to make of the only foreground piece, but it just makes me happy that it frames the durj dubai so perfectly.

Interesting use of the chain. Dubai is an unbelievable place and the height of some of these buildings are a bit ridiculous. Dubai is an imaginary place in my mind and this photo helps with a slightly illustration feel to some of the buildings.

Outstanding image. Love the chain great compo, looking forward to seeing more of this Building.

Due to the crispness of the photo, the color palette, and scale, it feels very much like a sketched drawing to me. It's a great photo, and it communicates a sort of quiet serenity being above the city at that height.

Fantastic!

Wow, Wow, Wow and Wow again (each wow is hand made! No copy paste here :))
Fabulous image, stunning.

Hey, you pretty close to my place, why not have a short trip to the Holy Land?
You are officially invited :)

Incredible shot and fascinating composition!

Lucky you! It seems you did get to a better location in the end. Nice framing with the chain...

Great shot. The chain just adds to the 'work in progress' effect with all of the constant building work.

I guess it's changed a bit since you were there last time!

Holy cow Dave..Did you have one of those moments when you saw that chain and went "oohOOH I know...." :D

WOW.

Can I say only wow? Cause I'm speechless.

This view is truly amazing. Thanks for letting us have a look at this unusual place.

WOW breathtaking view.

The Photo rocks as usual! The building is just crazy high.

Looks like a futuristic scene in a movie. Great job! Composition is splendid!

Wow! Is this HDR? I'm going to guess no, but I can't tell. Would be great to know some details on the post processing. Amazing shot. I can't stop looking at it.

Amazing picture ! It's a truly fantastic view.

NO WAY! Looks like something from Bladerunner.

Love how you captured the grand scale of this wild landscape.

Carlos

It's a surreal image: looks like it'd been taken on Mars. Or somewhere like that.

I think I see Yoda!

Wow, like a scene from star wars ... excellent work and technique again. Well done David!

this is magnificent! the position of the crane is perfect with the cityscape...i love it!

W
O
W
!

This shot is just perfect in every sense! Love the composition, the detail, the color tones, the chain. Everything. The HDR effect makes it look a bit unreal, which works perfect for this shot, since Dubai is as close as you can get to unrealism, even for us living by western standards. We're also currently working on an advertising project where Burj Dubai is featured. That building is just insane.

This shot is the epitome of the decisive moment. Great work.

I definitely have to agree with all the previous posts and that is AMAZING PIC and second looks like a sci-fi scene. As usual, curious about the post-processing details. How did you get the image to represent both an HDR and an illustrative-like effect? I find the colors to be great. Would you be willing to post the color curves? Did you increase the yellows and green in the midtones and decrease the amount of red in the highlights? Great pic again, Chris

You have my admiration just for being up there! Besides that the framing in the chain is a great idea and the height has given this a look of an aerial shot or perhaps a model layout. That's given me an idea, I'm off up into the loft to make a start :) Enjoy your trip.

The city looks so futuristic--in a creepy, not real kind of way. Makes me uneasy. I think I'd faint if I were that high with no walls around me.

That. Is. Insane.

Amazing shot of an amazing scene.

A beautiful shot. I think the haze (looks like sand) creates the surreal look. There's no clear horizon to provide bearings, just a gradual blending of ground into sky.

A very futuristic shot. It's incredible beautiful! One of your best! Would make an awesome poster on the wall.

this is very cool. I thought of a sci fi city scene with flying cars.

You won't get that view today as it is raining in Dubai

Amazing height with an amazing perception. Positioning of the building is perfect and the detail is amazing.
It almost looks unreal seeing a city from this height, As if it was a model.
Well done for not wasting an oppertunity like this over your fear.

I like the view into the dust of the desert. That´s where it came from and where all that will go back one day again.

This is an incredible shot in all the possible aspects. Congratulations

That tower in Dubai is really amazing, but also the perfect target for terrorism. Beautiful image.

wow!

Somewhere I read that we only see about 90m in 3D when the brain compares the images from our eyes, after that the difference between the two images of the left and right eye are too minimal. So we can only 'measure' distances up to 90m.
Looking down from 30m means you really see the height but not from 300m or 3000m.
Oh, and of course this is a great shot!

Perfect composition and incredible scene! Beautiful shot indeed...

What great composition. Fantastic framing!

Beautiful composition, love how you framed the building in between the chains! It incredible how huge these buildings are...

I had a hard time understanding whether this was really a photograph or computer graphics. For a second I thought you jumped ships and started doing matte painting. The fading of the background contributes to this overall sense of surreal and the treatment of the buildings on the left which seem to have had their contrast raised to a point that they shine. Really an amazing scene...
The only thing that bothers me a little is the chain. I mean, I can see where were you going, and I can even see it as the focal point of the image, but somehow I'd rather see the image clean in its own beauty.
You work is more and more spectacular every time :-)

Brilliant shot - fab comp. Dunno how you managed though - I feel giddy sitting here!

Woah! amazing David! it really puts the Burj Dubai in some kind of context. Just look at the huge buildings around it totally dwarfed by it. Nice framing and capture though the smog spoils the view a little it is still am impressive image all the same.

nothing but sheer excellence!

The more I think about it, how is the chain hanging out on an angle and not straight down? Was it swinging and perfectly timed?

Wonderful capture! I've been looking forward to your postings from Dubi. I agree with another poster about it looking like a drawing, but still really like it! The level of detail is incredible.

Wow! This is stunning on so many levels! To be that high must have been like being in the heavens, and I think you can even make out some clouds below you. The framing of that building-in-the making is excellent - and the chain is the perfect frame. Not only are you talented, but my-oh-my the opportunities you receive.

Can't wait to see the rest of what you shoot buddy, and looking forward to our road trip to Bulgaria when you get back... time is ticking by.... csj

Excellent composition. I'm waiting for the next shot of Angelina Jolie to jump out in her flying-catsuit.

Can't believe it's been a year since the last Dubai shots! Excellent composition and execution as always :)
(I noticed you got a mention in Joe McNally'sthe other day blog too)

Amazing perspective here. This is breathtaking. Of course the use of the chains frame the tall building well, or do they compete? Not quite sure. Took me a while to see the building as first as the eye initially takes it to be another chain.

The detail you have captured is pixel perfect too. The lines of the buildings are great.

wow! this maybe one of the most breath taking shots i have seen in a really long time. great framing! it just almost looks surreal.

Thanks everyone :) As for the post-production: it's not an HDR, but I did spend quite a bit of time enhancing the local contrast as I wanted to bring out as much detail as possible.

Holy Shit!!! Pardon my language ... I very rarely comment on any images on any blogs... but this one HAS to be commented! It is definitely one of these "holy shit" images! So unreal, so "never-seen-before", so fantastic! That's a real stunner David!!

Wicked shot man.

Wow, outstanding image!

can you post the original version?

Oh my god.
Incredible.

Great processing, really exceptional work. I hate that chain though!

i really like the idea with chain. cool shot and beautiful processing. nice one!

I'm so curious. Did you have to wait for the wind to blow the chain into the right position? Gravity tells me you waited patiently for the should be plumb line to frame that building. Wonderful shot. Your creativity inspires me.

Holly.....!!!! This is surreal! This can` t be today! in 2120 may be, but not today! Thank you for sharing this

Oh My God .. it will be one of the rarest photo for Burj Dubai .. amazing .. its really breath taking from this hight ;)

This is my 2nd comment and the more I see this image... well honestly it could be a future classic . Who else is capturing images like this of the rapid development of Dubai and capturing such a sense of scale? David this could be timeless. If there is any possibility at all of continuing this as a project it could easily become a serious part of modern history.

Well done David, this is a great shot, everything looks so clear but surreal/futuristic at the same time (as I think is appropriate from my impressions of the city).

Pretty magnificent! Such a beautiful quality to this picture, the details are delightful but still so soft to regard. Wonderful :-)

Fantastic shot. Wonderful composition. Dubai is a great place to shoot, but tricky with the haze, and I think you've done really well here.

I'm going to take some time off to write a lot of very nice comments on your other new work soon (hardly know where to begin), but this one I couldn't leave without saying: simply amazing!!

The amount development in Dubai is unreal. This shot, mainly the rawness of the chains, reminds me of America during its industrial explosion. Thank you for sharing.

interesting shot! for me, the chain represent the city always on contruction. nice compo