Home is a strange word for many of us. In the past it might have referred to the house or street where you grew up, or simply the place that you were from. In the society we live in now, however, the idea of 'home' couldn't be any further from that. I was recently sat in a coffee shop at Emirates Airlines HQ in Dubai, when I felt this sudden surge of nostalgia. I felt so at home and I didn't know why. Growing up in the UAE, I watched this mammoth company develop, and the familiarity I experienced upon seeing company personnel dotting about and hearing the recognised advert theme tune, made me realise what an impact it's had on my upbringing. It really struck me at that point that the feeling of 'home' can come from just about anything.
I suppose what home ultimately refers to is the idea of familiarity. It's amazing how tiny sounds, smells, pictures and places can evoke intense nostalgia, causing reminiscence for reasons that might seem completely unrelated. What I love about photography is the role it plays in taking you home. With technology now, we all have the chance to document our favourite moments, giving us the opportunity to be transported back to that familiar time, should we ever feel away and alone.
Below are some images I took down by the creek in Dubai, my home! It's one of the few places in the city where you actually get the chance to photograph subjects and objects that make up part of the core culture and history of the UAE, far, far away from the perfection of the concrete jungle the rest of us live in...
This is my favourite advert right now for Emirates' "Hello, Tomorrow" campaign - I just love the way it depicts the world we live in!