Most photographs of the UAE stop at the skyline. Behind it sits a quieter country, shaped by its people, its heritage and its natural contrasts. Huawei built a nationwide initiative around that gap. “The UAE. A Closer Look.”, developed with the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA), sent photographers into all seven emirates to shoot what the familiar images leave out.
The project ran in a year when national identity was already in wide public view. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s “Proud of UAE” campaign had called on the country to celebrate its people, heritage and national spirit. Huawei’s initiative challenged photographers to find that beauty somewhere quieter, in the corners of the country that rarely make the frame.
Tourism boards across the seven emirates provided access to cultural landmarks, natural sites, heritage sites and local communities. HIPA mentored the photographers and gave them photographic direction, so each destination came back as a story. They shot on Huawei’s flagship HUAWEI Pura 90s Series and its 200 MP Ultra Large Sensor Telephoto Camera, which gave them detail and flexibility in each scene. The brief was to photograph each emirate on its own terms rather than reproduce the familiar postcards.
The photographers kept finding things out as they went. Many were surprised that Huawei’s latest flagship shot uncompressed RAW. With the Pura 90s Series’ Ultra Lighting HDR camera and True-to-Colour Camera 2.0, they had files they could work on properly afterwards.
Huawei set nine XMAGE Awards categories, among them So Far So Close, Colour & Shade, Good Night, Faces, Action and A Heartwarming World. They worked as prompts. Each one pushed photographers towards focal lengths, low-light exposures and macro perspectives they would not usually reach for.
Across the seven emirates, photographers interpreted the XMAGE categories through their own work. Sharjah gave them the country’s cultural depth: archaeological sites, heritage villages, contemporary architecture and busy public spaces, and stories that covered history, innovation and community. They photographed the Mleiha Archaeological Centre and Najd Al Meqsar Heritage Village, the House of Wisdom, the Heart of Sharjah, and the waterfronts at Khorfakkan and Kalba.
Ajman holds heritage, culture and mountain scenery in one emirate. Photographers worked through the Ajman Heritage District, its historic architecture, museum courtyards and cultural landmarks, then drove to Masfout for forts, oases and mountain country. The emirate extends well beyond its coastline.
Umm Al Quwain was the quiet one. It asked photographers to slow down and work minimally, through its coastal scenery and maritime heritage. They photographed the UAQ Fort, Mangrove Beach and the waterfront.
Fujairah is a different country again, with mountains, protected reserves and old landmarks in close range. Photographers covered Al Hayl Fort, Fujairah Fort, Al Bithnah Fort, Masafi Fort, Dibba Fort and Al Bidya Mosque. Heritage, resilience and nature all came out of the same emirate.
Ras Al Khaimah runs from desert to coast. Photographers went from the dunes at The Ritz-Carlton Al Wadi Desert to the lagoons of Mina Al Arab, Banan Beach and the emirate’s corniches. Abu Dhabi put culture, heritage and architecture in the same frame at Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Dubai covered its own range, from the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and Textile Souk to the Museum of the Future, Dubai Frame, Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab. All of it was shot on a phone.
The initiative leaves a visual archive of the country’s heritage, terrain and people. Huawei, HIPA and the tourism partners photographed the UAE past the familiar images, one frame at a time.
