Stepping Into the Dream World and Works of Abdulla Elmaz
Stepping Into the Dream World and Works of Abdulla Elmaz
Delsey Paris x VISUALPLEASURE
NEW HORIZONS - WORLD TOUR 2024
UAE Artist of the week - Abdulla Elmaz
Name:
Delsey Paris x VISUALPLEASURE
NEW HORIZONS - WORLD TOUR 2024
UAE Artist of the week - Abdulla Elmaz
Photography:
Abdulla Elmaz
Words:
Erica Nichols
The fanciful, the free, the familiar — photographer Abdulla Elmaz works in an emotional space that always seems to touch on all three. From capturing some of the most notable names and faces in the world (Dior, Givenchy, Lindsay Lohan) to making a name for himself in his personal work, Elmaz infuses his work with a hazy, dreamlike quality that pulls you in. Learn more about his style, how he gets the shot, and what he created for DELSEY for our New Horizons World Tour collaboration.
You’ve created a playful and surrealist quality to your work. How would you describe your style?
Abdulla Elmaz : Simply, a half-remembered dream. I wanted to create the feeling of when you look at one of my images, it's the same illusion of waking up in the morning with the haze still in your vision, like you're trying to remember the dream you just had.
What were some early influences for you? And how have they impacted your work?
I used to be influenced heavily by artists such as Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo, over time I feel it changed and my main and only inspiration now is music. Music gets me to a place where I can create. Certain words, lyrics, and melodies will trigger the visuals that I come out with.
When you have freedom to shoot what you want — what excites you the most?
That there's no limitations. I can make it personal and tell a story, whatever the story may be or what I'm going through in life.
What’s your creative process like? Whether it’s for a commercial or personal project, how do you develop your vision?
If it's commercial, there is a lot more say in it when it comes to people in charge, so there's a lot of communication beforehand so I fully understand what they are after. I do this with sketches and will pitch many ideas based on the work they like of mine. When it comes to personal work, this is a lot more different, it's about only me. I like to ask close people around me what they think about the idea before it's photographed.
What’s imperative for you to get the shot?
I feel there is a big formula that contains many ingredients when creating “the shot” and lighting is a big thing for me. The composition, too. I love to create a main focus who is isolated in a big landscape, which will create the mood that comes with my work.
What do you want viewers to take away from your photography?
A feeling of a beautiful dream. Something that can draw them in and somehow make them feel relaxed.
When you need some inspiration, where do you go to find it? Any local places in Dubai that you love?
Living in Dubai, we have beautiful landscapes of cool and warm tones, such as the ocean, mountains, or desert. It gives me a canvas to be inspired by and create what I need.
How does travel influence your work and world view as an artist? Any specific travel stories that have stayed with you or informed your work?
The biggest influence is when I get to shoot on different terrains, which can have a different effect on the image. Also, when I travel, I get to work with different teams and models which also plays a big part in the end result. I have some images that I am working on currently, and I want to travel to two different places to take the two images. It does make it hard sometimes but when I have the vision, I need to do what it takes to accomplish it.
“Simply, a half-remembered dream. I wanted to create the feeling of when you look at one of my images, it’s the same illusion of waking up in the morning with the haze still in your vision, like you’re trying to remember the dream you just had.”
Talk to us about what you’re creating DELSEY.
When creating for Delsey I wanted to capture that signature mood in my work and create an element of surrealism in a beautiful landscape. Being in Dubai, I chose to shoot this in a desert which is such a timeless element. I wanted to choose suitcases that had warm and cool tones that would complement the sand and sky.
When it comes to shooting, I wanted to make it look like there were many suitcases, even though I only had one suitcase of each color. That meant taking many images of the suitcases in different positions and angles. On the day of the shoot, it was a beautiful, clear sky which meant it was going to be a successful shoot. Little did I know that by the time we got there and got set up, a mountain of clouds rolled in and took away any light we had! There wasn’t much we could do at the moment, so I relied on post-production to really get the results I wanted.
What’s in your DELSEY:
My laptop. It’s with me every day. I think I've traveled on a short trip once without it, and felt so empty and lost!
iPad mini. It's where I sketch all my work these days, and being on the move, I never know when inspiration will hit me.
A pair of torches, I never know if I will need an extra boost of light in the image.
