Dubai Skyscrapers Rise Above a Thick Blanket of Fog To Create a City in the Clouds

Photographer Albert Dros has traveled the world and captured breathtaking sights along the way. From Greenland’s icebergs to the ancient Fanal forest, Dros is dedicated to showcasing the Earth’s alluring natural beauty and the ways in which humans interact with it. A great example of this is his series in Dubai that features most of its buildings blanketed in thick fog. Only some of the city's skyscrapers peek above the clouds and give the appearance that we’ve stumbled upon an otherworldly floating city.

It’s a rare occurrence that Dubai finds itself in such fog. “I have been photographing Dubai for over six years and I have always been jealous of people seeing and photographing the city above the fog,” Dros tells My Modern Met. “It usually only happens a handful of days each year and I have never been lucky to catch the right timing, up until recently. I even changed my flight a few times because of positive humid weather predictions, but it never worked out.”

Dros was recently in Dubai because he won first prize in the drone category at the Sharjah Xposure Festival, and he had also lined up other work-related meetings. His trip turned out to be kismet; after many years of trying to experience the fog, Dros was able to photograph it over the course of a week. He arose every morning at 4:30 a.m. to make sure he didn’t miss it. “There was not a single morning that I’ve missed and that's why I managed to capture this spectacular series of Dubai in just a bit over a week.”

Dros shot all of the photos from high buildings without the use of a drone. “It’s not that easy to access these buildings,” he reveals. “When I first visited Dubai about six years ago, things were much different. It was easier to access the skyscrapers and by asking the management nicely you could often just go up and photograph from the roof. Luckily, I have many friends and contacts in Dubai that helped me to access the skyscrapers. And there are also a bunch of rooftop bars and hotels that offer spectacular views. By asking them nicely in advance, they often respond in a positive way.”

To Dros, the vantage point above the city—with its heavy fog cover—takes on a magical look and feel; it was even better seeing it in person. “There is just something about these spectacular high buildings,” he recalls. “This combined with the low clouds and fog makes for a surreal atmosphere. The pictures speak for themselves, but seeing it, in reality, is really magical.”

Check out the fog photos below. If you’d like to learn more about Dros' career and how he found success, check out our interview with him on My Modern Met’s Top Artist podcast.