middle east Feb 2019

SNAP14 Productions has worked with top international and local companies, including Vogue Arabia, Vogue Man Arabia, GQ Middle East, Town & Country, TIYI, Baraka Retail Group and more, as well as photographers like Alvaro Beamud Cortes, Mariano Vivanco, Jack Waterlot, Boo George and Sebastian Kim. SNAP14 has helped clients and creative teams feel right at home with their professionalism, hospitality and smooth coordination.

SNAP14 provides a personal boutique-style service, working closely with the client and creative team to ensure the delivery of high-quality engaging content.

NM Productions is full service production company with core teams in London, LA and Dubai and a network of fixers based in Mexico, Portugal and New York.

Drawing upon a wealth of experience from across the industry, the company provides a bespoke, dynamic and cost effective approach to meet the needs of its clients.

Recent projects include work with clients such as Puma, Nike, Karen Millen, McCann, Universal Music, Chevrolet, Skoda, TAG Heuer and Moncler to name a few.

Magnet is a collective of multi-talented film-makers, storytellers, and experienced producers from around the world.

Magnet’s journey began in the UAE in 2002 and over the years has evolved to become a one-stop-shop for holistic content creation. "From creative, production, to post-production, your film and stills production finds a home at Magnet where your project is executed from A to Z."

Magnet sources both local and international talent based on the scope of the project to match every story’s needs. Having won awards like Clio, Loeries, Dubai Lynx, and Cannes Lions, Magnet is always striving to raise the bar higher and work with passionate people who share their love for compelling storytelling.

Services include creative, film, photography, talent, facilitation and post-production.

Mental is an international service production company with long-standing experience servicing clients from all over the world.

"Partner this with experienced production personnel, the latest technology, and a cost-effective exchange rate, and you have a ready-made solution for all your production needs. Trust us, we’re Mental!"

Partners include Grayskull, Primo Barcelona, Landia, Moonlighting Films and Bandits.

Clients include Unilever, Turkish Airlines, Beko, Nissan, Citroën, P&G, Nestle, and Coca-Cola.

Blickfang is a highly specialised digital content creation, post-production and interactive media service provider for industry photographers and agencies. Gearbox-Studios is the biggest and most reknowned photo studio in the Middle East.

Gearbox and Blickfang have the same roots (photography) and some of the same clients, only separated by being in their own locations. In addition, both companies share the same mindset about the development of the media business. "In this fast-changing business, we see our chances for the future in collaboration and building a bridge between the two markets. Therefore we've been working in partnership since 2013 with merged manpower, skills and opportunities."

Photo productions largely depend on the creative support of post-production service providers. Tightly organised production schedules, high-cost pressure and a corresponding demand for high-quality standards require optimal production workflows.

"The most important point is the interface between photographer, post-producers and agency. It is exactly here that our team sets the course, together with the customer, regarding creative realization, quality and reproducibility of the artwork."

Mandy Toh is a commercial photographer who loves photographing food and interiors. Originally from Singapore, she moved to Dubai in 2004.

Over the course of her career, Mandy has worked with some of the top restaurants, brands and advertising and PR agencies. Her food photography clients include international brands like TGIF, PF Chang’s and Ogilvy.

As well as food photography, Mandy is also an avid interior photographer. She has shot for Dubai real estate developers like Emaar, high-end retail shops and overseas design house like Atelier Du Pont, based in Paris.

Markus Heimbach was born near Cologne in 1960 and lived in Amman, Jordan for the first seven years of his life. The region fascinates him still to this day with its light, solitude and aridity.

His customers include major industry and automobile corporations, ship owning and general aviation companies, as well as magazines, agencies and media publishing houses.

He recently worked for Mobilis, Medical Manufacturing, (with Paralympic World Champion Heinrich Popow), Mercedes-Benz, EQ Silver Arrow, and Dubai Properties.

Markus lives in Dubai.

Ozlem Dinc is a portrait and documentary photographer and video producer based in London. She specialises in editorial and commercial portraiture and in portrait series accompanied with interviews; shooting stories around people, food and art.

Her local/international shoots and interviews have been published in Turkish Airlines' magazines Skylife and Skylife Business for four years. Ozlem realised half of 46 Magazine's printed cover interviews, and in 2014 and 2015, she took over the main exhibition of Yapi Kredi Afife Theatre Awards for two consecutive years as guest photographer of the year.

She is the co-founder of Loyka Visual Arts, a documentary production and publishing company also involved in the creation of cultural and creative events.

Ozlem lives in London and fluently speaks English, French and Turkish.

Maha Nasra Eddé is is an established and award-winning photographer and creative director with 15 years of professional experience in the field.

Specialising in interiors as well as fashion, lifestyle, and high profile portraiture, her drive to create the ideal creative work space led her to establish what is today one of the leading photography studios in Dubai.

Maha’s aesthetic can be seen through her different specialties as she applies the same visual vocabulary based on intuitive composition and lighting sensitivities. Her high calibre clients count on her expert technical skills and unique outlook to consistently produce stunning and iconic visuals.

Maha lives in Dubai but travels globally for interesting projects. Follow her on Instagram.

Ali Haji started as a car photographer for a local automotive magazine back in 2007 and is now an experienced food, product, events, portrait, commercial, and sports photographer.

He has been a Red Bull photographer for five years, covering a variety of Red Bull sports and culture events as well as athletes visiting the region. His latest projects include an extensive shoot of Bahrain International Airport, artistic endeavours into street and conceptual photography, and regular event coverage for City Centre Bahrain.

With a constant craving for experimentation, Ali is always looking for his next muse.

"Hi there. So you’ve made it this far and want to know a little about me. You’re probably expecting some really well thought out tagline about how I can bring your vision to life at a reasonable budget, right? Well, that doesn’t do much, so let me tell you my story.

I live in the United Arab Emirates, born and raised here actually. The first thing everyone asks is usually where I’m from and I never answer that on our first date. I might tell you over a cup of coffee later though. I’m a Chemical Engineer by education, started my career working in the oil industry and slowly discovered my love for photography.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with the finest establishments in the entertainment industry, talented local artists and international legends passing through the UAE, and some of the coolest fashion brands out here. I hate to name drop in conversation so there’s a client list on my home page. My journey got recognised by Fujifilm Middle East and I am honored to call myself an Official Fuji-X-Photographer.

That’s me in a nutshell. I do urge you to get in touch with me regardless of how big or small your project is or even if you’ve just got an idea that you want to kick around. I’d love to talk."

Centrally located in Dubai’s creative hub, Al-Quoz 1 and in the heart of the city, 8th Street Studios is a fully equipped Profoto studio that meets the highest standards of rental and content production studios.

The 4400 sq. ft. space is comprised of two ingeniously designed drive-in studios, a massive infinity cove, high ceilings, modular spaces and with all the facilities and amenities you could hope for in a studio. We also offer an extensive inventory of photography and videography equipment as well as a collection of props and backdrops that are available for rent in studio and on location. 

For full production requirements, our in house team can piece together all the necessary elements for your photo or video shoot. We work with talent from our large network of trusted industry professionals and suppliers to bring your production to life, from vision to reality.

Our clients include Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Bulgari, IWC, Max Factor, Vogue Arabia, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Architectural Digest, Amazon to name a few.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook."

Gearbox was founded in 2007 and is based in Giza, Egypt.

Gearbox has two studios available:

• Studio 1: 17m x 19m with 6.25m height, air conditioning, sound proofing ideal for TV programmes and large set-up photography. Continuous lighting is also available.
   
• Studio 2: 7m x 11 m with 4.25m height, fully equipped and ideal for photography, fashion shoots, food and products.

Visit the website for more information.