Canon EOS R
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens
Shutter Speed
1/1000 sec
Aperture
f/2.8
Focal Length
160mm
ISO
100
EAST-WEST / WEST-EAST by Richard Serra
@parisverra
At this sculpture, the earth is art! Spanning over a kilometer and comprising of four steel plates (which are each over fourteen meters tall) EAST-WEST / WEST-EAST by Richard Serra towers over visitors. Surrounded only by the desert, this installation exemplifies the power and tranquility of the desert landscape at sunrise.
Plan
Overview
Skill level
Easy
Accessbility
Public Location
Hours
Anytime
Fee
Free
Pack
- Telephoto lens (160mm)
- Model
- 4x4 car (recommended, but not required)
- Drone (optional)
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Water
- Snacks
How to get there
N25° 31' 01.6896"E50° 52' 13.0512"
This photo is of the art installation called EAST-WEST / WEST-EAST, which was built by Richard Serra.
Located 90 minutes from Doha, the best way to reach the installation is to take Dukhan Road using Waze (digital map service). Do NOT follow Google Maps, as it will be inaccurate.
As the drive is off-road and bumpy, having four-wheel drive is essential. This location is not recommended to visit if you have back problems.
For this place in particular, It's also not a good idea to hire a taxi because they're not 4x4s and there's no public transport available to reach this spot.
If you hire a car from a rental company, always ask if your insurance will cover you as some Insurance companies do not cover certain desert areas.
Tips
When to go
Best season
All months
Best time
Sunrise
I photographed EAST-WEST / WEST-EAST by Richard Serra in April, which was perfect. If you prefer avoiding the heat, I suggest visiting in the winter months (December-March), but realistically, you can visit this location during any month.
Sunrise is definitely the best time to go to this place. The sun will align perfectly with the installation and you'll also have the place to yourself.
Field tips
The way to achieve a similar look is by using a telephoto lens (70-200mm)—doing so compresses the distance between the four steel plates. It's such a strange sight in the middle of nowhere, so feel free to mess around with different focal lengths to see the variety of artsy images you can come up with. For reference, I used a 160mm lens. I would've loved to try and shoot with a 400m lens.
Try some out-of-focus portraits, or drone landscapes, to experiment with additional perspectives.
Pay attention to the position of the sun. Depending on the time of day, you might be able to frame the sun in between the steel plates.
Current weather
Broog
Clear
63o
F
Thu
70o
63o
Fri
70o
65o
Sat
70o
67o
Sun
68o
65o
Mon
73o
66o
Blue Hour
02:57
63o
Clear
Sunrise
03:22
63o
Clear
Golden Hour
13:21
63o
Clear
Sunset
13:55
63o
Clear
Do nearby
Bring along a picnic basket and swimwear if you want to get a tan or swim in the secluded Zekreet Beach, which is very close to the installations and popular with kite surfers.
Film City is an abandoned film set that consists of mud houses. You can drive around the area and take photos of the rock formations, but please note that you can’t go inside the reserve where the large rock formations are at this time.
Locations nearby
