Yes, it is possible. Yes, it is different.
Photography Is Different Here
Photography in general is different in the middle east. Like the rest of the world, photography has exploded here due to the digital revolution and the whole cellphone camera phone ubiquity that the rest of the world experienced. However, there are still social rules that make for some unexpected challenges.
Example: innocently including a private dwelling in the frame might get you in serious trouble depending on the owner of the building. Example: photographing people even indirectly without explicit permission may be seen as extremely offensive. Example: any form of "creative" photography involving non-typical-tourist subject matter or equipment may be viewed with great suspicion.
Technology Is Different Here
In the Gulf modern technology is a more recent arrival than in the parts of the world where these technologies originated. Qatar, where I live, was a very sleepy and quiet place a mere twenty years ago which has adopted an almost hyper-modern mode of existence at an absolutely breakneck pace. As a result, technology is viewed more linearly. Once a new technology has come out, it is difficult for people to understand any reason for someone using something more "old fashioned". As a result, when film was superseded by digital here it left no survivors.
The Weather Is Different Here
Or rather, it isn't. Summer consists of 100% sunny days. Sounds nice, right? We're talking about the kind of sunny day without a cloud in the sky, with a white rather than blue sky and with temperatures of over 120 degrees on average. Golden hour? The sun rises and sets rapidly during summer through a haze that totally obscures what should be the best light of the day. In a word, frustrating.
The Landscape Is Different Here
When I was preparing to come here I thought I knew what to expect. Rolling sand dunes, rocky outcroppings. Well, Qatar has a little of that in two small areas. Apart from that, the whole country is basically one large sand bar. Due to the salt and humidity all the ground consists of beige coloured dirt so hard packed that it gets excavated with jack hammers instead of shovels. I often see building sites with holes in the ground several stories tall with no reinforcement to the sides of the pit. The ground is that hard.
Mountains? Rivers? Lakes? Forests? Meadows? No, no, no, no and no.
What To Do?
Well, I'm a great believer in lemonade. As in, "when life gives you lemons..." I'm sure I have grown as a photographer in this environment.
I have learned to be very sensitive to light, season and nuance. I look at the sky constantly. I discount nothing as a potential shooting opportunity. And I have learned the value of trusting my instincts. Since there are not many "scenic" locations I carry a camera and tripod constantly. Some of my best pictures have come from happening upon something and being prepared when the light or moment was there. These lessons are helpful in every situation.
I once took a week long business to Cannes in the south of France. The abundance of beautiful surroundings and soft gorgeous light nearly made my eyeballs ache. Coming from the sparse environment I live in I had grown super-sensitive and the beauty of the place was like an overload to my senses.
I have learned to improvise. I use labs in the US for my E6 and develop my own C41 at home. When I first started shooting 4x5 I had only a cheap flatbed that could scan one strip of 35mm because the tranny adapter had only one thin strip of light. I made myself a sliding holder/mask which I used to scan the 4x5 film in four overlapping sections which I then stitched in Photoshop for each piece of film. I made a way.
I don't know what my future holds photographically speaking. I do know, however, that my time here has really helped prepare me to make the most of whatever that will be.
