Photos: Tourists lie down, bend for Burj Khalifa shots

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Dubai - Everything for the perfect photo of the world's tallest building.

By Keith Pereña

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Published: Thu 22 Feb 2018, 3:56 PM

Last updated: Wed 12 Oct 2022, 3:13 PM

Many of us have been there - trying to take a full photo of Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Indeed, it is a huge challenge for both residents and tourists to capture its complete view in one frame. More often than not, Burj Khalifa photos are almost always just half of the entire building.

That being said, shutterbugs have tried to use various techniques to take a complete, top-to-bottom photo of the Burj Khalifa. These desperate techniques have varying levels of success but even though they lack in effectiveness (as far as the outcome is concerned), they bring out the acrobatic streak of the photographers - that's nothing short of a gymnastic spectacle...Freeze frame!


These 'acrobatic' efforts were captured by Dubai expat Joy Caasi. Taking to social media, she posted photos of several tourists and residents as they make various attempts to fit the Burj Khalifa in a photo. The photographs chronicle some of the measures taken to get the perfect snapshot. The series shows photos of shutterbugs sitting on the ground, kneeling and even lying down! All this happens while others around them struggle to do the same.

If you've ever taken a selfie with only a quarter of the Burj Khalifa behind you, then you know it's tricky to get it all in one frame. So much so you that you need to do something like this...


or this.

These acrobatics tend to happen almost daily at the landmark tower. After all, everybody wants a picture-perfect snap of the building that Dubai is known for. Having a photo of the Burj is part and parcel of the Dubai experience - even if that means only having half of the building inside the photo.

Talking to Khaleej Times, Caasi recalls how she got the idea for the series. "At the time of taking the first photo, I was in fact sad because I had misplaced my wallet in Dubai Mall. Yet at the same time, I felt like laughing because I came upon these people around the Burj Khalifa struggling to take a full photo. To take my mind off things, I started photographing this daily experience that both tourists and residents share."

She also admits that while she also takes photos of the Burj, she hasn't yet gone to the point of using the acrobatics made by some of her subjects. She does hint that she "might consider" such lengths for the perfect snap.


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