Remember that pink lake in the UAE? The one the internet lost its mind over? That Instagrammable stretch of pink clandestinely nestled amidst hues of desert brown? That shot was taken by Sharjah-based 20-year-old aerial photographer, Ammar Ilyas Alfarsi and it was his discovery. With a penchant for capturing awe-inspiring views of our world from above, Ammar discovered his most recent passion at the onset of the pandemic.
While the whole world scrambled to grapple with its new norm, Ammar began documenting his world from a new perspective. “Using drone technology has led me to discover places that I never knew about, and my first-ever photos that went viral featured the pink lake in Ras Al Khaimah,” says Ammar. “I was credited with discovering the lake, and I landed several interviews with the lake’s images featured on the news, in newspapers and on radio.”
The discovery only furthered Ammar’s creative thirst, prompting him to view his aerial photography as more than just a hobby. Ammar explores views the world from a unique vantage point – snapping everything from the boulders surrounded by crystal blue water at Fujairah’s Snoopy Island to hypnotic images of Sharjah’s urban infrastructure. “My goal is to showcase the beauty of the UAE, other Arab countries, and then the rest of the world,” continues Ammar. “Buying a drone was one of the best decisions I’ve made, one that has completely transformed my life.”
The young photographer manages to brilliantly shift the nature of the spaces he photographs with his idiosyncratic approach: what may seem to the average viewer, at eye-level, a plain and simple formation of rocks, is transformed through Ammar’s drone lens into a majestic landscape of aqua blues and imposing browns. And his ambition doesn’t stop at the country’s borders as he says that he’s “planning to shoot in major known locations across the world after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.”
It was once he started sharing his images on social media, and was met with success that Ammar started “exploring more elements, such as nature and buildings in the UAE, capturing them through my drone’s lens.”
Follow Ammar on Instagram @Ammar_alfarsi
