Tag Archives: photography

Full-throttle photography 14,000 feet above the ground

Full-throttle photography 14,000 feet above the ground 25 March 2014 With an office 14,000 feet above the ground, Juan Mayer sits down with Kelly Clarke to talk about the stomach-churning chill and thrills of being a skydive photographer and his dreams of breaking a world record in Dubai. The dreaded nine-to-five slog is part and parcel of a typical working day for most people around the world, but for Juan Mayer, his daily ascent via a small propeller plane to his office in the sky makes his working day far from typical. With a penchant for photography from a young age, Argentina-born Mayer decided to turn things up a notch 13 years ago, and with his Nikon camera in tow, left his job in the army and took to the skies to become a skydive photographer. Now, with 9,000 jumps under his belt — reaching world record heights of 24,000ft in the process — Mayer reminisces with Khaleej Times on the heart-thumping moments before throwing himself out of the plane for his first solo jump. “It was terrible. Seriously terrible. My only motivation at the time was the photography, so that’s what kept me going.” The initial fear didn’t keep him from his dreams, and after becoming hypnotised by his first few dives, Mayer says he knew he wanted to pave out a career in mid-air photography. “Skydiving is a beautiful thing. When you are up there, you are alone and free. It’s a challenging environment for a photographer, but an extraordinary one.” With the vision of being a high-flying photographer firmly in his sights while living in Argentina, Mayer says he had to “suck it up” and make a few hundred jumps before officially getting on the payroll. “I had to make a minimum of 200 jumps before doing it professionally, but the money made it difficult to start skydiving,” he says, with each jump setting him back $30. Tapping into his inner entrepreneurship, Mayer managed to get the majority of his costs covered by persuading people to dig deep and pay for his jumps in return for some free-of-charge, mid-air shots. And it was a bold move which proved successful. “I couldn’t keep forking out after the first year, so this worked well for me. It was a win-win situation for me and them. ” From Brazil to Venezuela, and New Zealand to the USA, Mayer’s passion for adrenalin-pumping photography has seen him stack up the air miles over the years, with most of the world’s continents checked off his list.   Back in Dubai Now the official photographer for Skydive Dubai, Mayer and his team returned to a warm welcome in Dubai back in October 2013 after bagging a gold medal at the 15th Asiania Parachuting Championships at the China International Open. Since moving to Dubai more than two years ago, Mayer’s photography has seen him bag awards all over the world, including several accolades for his videography work, but he says he has his sights set on breaking a record right here in Dubai. “The current world record is 400 people in free fall, but sometime this year, we’re hoping to break this record by having more than 500 people in free fall.” With no date set in stone for the record-breaking challenge, Mayer says he is hopeful it will happen at Skydive Dubai’s desert base later this year, with about 10 photographers tasked with the job of snap-shooting history in the making. Hoping to take the lead when the day finally comes, Mayer says he can’t wait to be a part of the epic milestone. “This is my main aim at the moment, so I just hope it happens soon.” Completing a staggering 24 jumps in one day while working out in the USA a few years ago, Mayer says a typical day in Dubai sees him leaping from the plane’s door about 10 times, all “depending on mother nature’s mood”. And when asked if he ever gets bored of the job, it’s clear, after 13 years that the fervour still rages within him. “When I train on-ground for too long, I definitely get grumpy if I don’t jump for a few days,” he says. Mayer’s two-year stint in Dubai has seen him add about 2,000 jumps to his ever-growing resume, and with only 60 seconds to get that perfect picture during free fall, he says the job can often be tricky, and the outcome disappointing. “People will look at my shots and like them, but I won’t be happy with them. You have such a short time space to capture that image, so it doesn’t always happen. But when it does, the sense of satisfaction is immense.” So what is his favourite shot? Mayer says capturing the expressions on people’s face, mid-air, always raises a few smiles and really sets the scene when it comes to skydiving pictures, but in terms of a favourite, the answer is simple: “For me, my favourite shot is the one I take tomorrow.” So after giving up a secure job in the Special Forces and switching to a daredevil day job, is the passionate photographer risking it all in pursuit of that crowning moment? The answer, according to the “photographer first, skydiver second”, is no. “Believe it or not, skydiving is actually safer than driving a car.” kelly@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading

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Khaleej Times sweeps five DSF awards

Khaleej Times sweeps five DSF awards Staff Reporter / 3 February 2014 Besides prizes in four individual categories, the paper also won the best editorial coverage, which is a tribute to the reporters, editors, designers and photojournalists. Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, presents the DSF Journalism Award to Suresh Pattali. And right, M. Sajjad, Dhanusha Gokulan and Arti Jhurani with their awards after the ceremony in Dubai on Sunday, — KT photos  Sweeping five awards, Khaleej Times , part of the Galadari Brothers Group of Companies, continued its winning run at the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2014 Journalism and Photography Awards. Besides prizes in four individual categories, the paper also won the best editorial coverage, which is a tribute to the reporters, editors, designers and photojournalists whose work collectively contributed to make Khaleej Times the winning team. The awards were presented to the winners by Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority at a gala closing ceremony on Sunday. Night Editor Suresh Pattali bagged the second place for the best feature published by a local newspaper for his article ‘Green Vision, Rosy Future’. Aarti Jhurani, reporter and sub-editor, Wknd magazine, won the first prize for the best magazine feature for her article ‘Confessions of a DSF first-timer’ while the first place for the best feature by a promising journalist went to reporter Dhanusha Gokulan for her story A look back into the future of the DSF.   M. Sajjad, Khaleej Times Senior Photographer won the third position in the Photography Award, celebration category.   The DSF 2014 Journalism and Photography Awards are part of the efforts by the Dubai Festival and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and the organiser of DSF, to honour the efforts by journalists to raise awareness about the varied aspects of DSF. The awards are held under the patronage of Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The 19th edition of DSF, themed “Shop at Your Best” started on January 2 and concluded on February 2. The DSF 2014 Photography Award allows press photographers from local publications to submit their entries under two categories — DSF Celebrations and DSF Shopping. The closing ceremony was attended by Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, DTCM and Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO of DFRE among other guests. Almarri said: “The 19th edition welcomed tens of thousands of families and tourists, further consolidating Dubai’s reputation as a destination of choice and demonstrating the position of its retail and entertainment sectors as key visitor drivers.” In her speech, Laila said: “As we conclude today the 19th edition of DSF we would like to pause for a moment and reflect on the successful 19 years journey that we had together, making DSF the longest running festival of its kind in the world.” The 20th edition of DSF will be held from January 1 to February 1, 2015. — news@khaleejtimes.com > THE WINNING ENTRIES For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading

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Real estate for sale in Yorktown Virginia – MLS# 1321938

121 Hautz Way Yorktown Virginia 23693 MLS# 1321938 For more info visit http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1334683.html Upscale condo community – the Villas at … Continue reading

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