FAQ

Shoayb Khattab is one of the most awarded architectural photographers based in Dubai — 60+ international awards including the IPA 2025 (1st Place, Cityscapes), Architizer Visionary 100, Grands Prix du Design, and Créateurs Design Awards. Published in Dezeen, Architectural Digest, Wallpaper*, and ArchDaily.

A background in architecture means every commission is approached from the designer's perspective — understanding structure, material, and spatial intent before a single frame is made. Combined with medium-format equipment, a decade of practice across the UAE, KSA, and internationally, and 60+ awards, the work is built for publication, awards submissions, and institutional portfolios.

Both. Shoayb operates from Dubai, UAE and Riyadh, KSA — taking commissions across the Gulf and internationally. Projects have been completed in Turkey, the UK, Jordan, and Southeast Asia.

Awards include: IPA 2025 (1st Place, Cityscapes), Architizer Visionary 100, Grands Prix du Design 2025 (Grand Winner, Architecture Photography), Créateurs Design Awards (Best Photography Project of the Year, Shangri-La Paris), AMP 2025 (Architecture Photographer of the Year), Binghatti Photography Award, Architizer A+ Award, and Architecture Hunter Awards Jury Member 2025.

Fees are scoped to each project — the number of buildings or spaces, shoot duration, usage rights (editorial, commercial, unlimited), and deliverables. Contact contact@shoayb.net with your project details for a quote, typically returned within 24 hours.

Real estate photography is functional documentation for property listings — fast, wide-angle, and often HDR-processed. Architectural photography is designed to reflect the intent of the design: planned around natural light conditions, shot on medium format for maximum resolution, and produced for publication, architectural awards, and the design firm's portfolio. The two serve completely different audiences and purposes.

Exterior commissions typically require 1–2 days to capture blue hour, golden hour, and daylight conditions. Interior projects vary from half a day for a single space to 3+ days for a full building or hospitality property. Every project includes a pre-shoot consultation to plan light conditions and access.

Yes. Shoayb is one of the most active architecture photographers working across KSA — with completed commissions for KAFD, NEOM, the Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Aramco, Ithra, and numerous private clients in Riyadh, Jeddah, AlUla, and Tabuk.

Primarily medium format — 100-megapixel digital systems delivering the resolution, tonal range, and colour depth needed for large-format print, editorial publication, and museum-quality fine art prints. Tilt-shift lenses are used for perspective control on complex architectural subjects, which is what most architecture photography actually depends on: the equipment matters less than knowing when to correct a converging line and when to leave it alone.

Three, and they answer to different people. Commercial architectural photography answers to a brief: a developer needs the tower to sell, an architect needs a set for a submission. Documentary architectural photography answers to the record: the building shown as it is, honestly. Fine art architecture photography answers to the photographer: selective, abstracted, built to say one thing about the building rather than show all of it. Most commissions contain elements of all three.

Understanding what the architect was trying to do before the camera comes out. Correct verticals, light chosen for what it does to a specific facade rather than a convenient time of day, and an edit that reads as real light rather than processed light. The test that holds up across all of it: could a person standing there have actually seen this.

It starts before the shoot day, scouting the building to work out which hour actually shows the design intent, since most buildings only give that up for a narrow window. On site it is a mix of natural light, multiple exposures for range, and a tripod for the long exposures interiors and blue hour work usually need. The edit afterwards is where most of the difference actually gets made, covered in more detail in the editing tips journal entry.

There is no single answer that holds globally, the field has strong names by region and by era rather than one dominant figure. What is more useful when hiring is checking a photographer's actual body of work against the kind of building and the market it needs to perform in, rather than a general reputation.

In architecture specifically, a fine art photographer treats the building as material rather than as the whole subject, abstracting, simplifying, and leaving out most of it to say one thing clearly. It is a different intent from commercial work, and it is not always the right choice for a given building. More on where it helps and where it does not in the fine art architecture photography journal entry.

Not for commissioned architectural photography. A generated image cannot document a real building at a real hour for a client who needs to prove the project exists and was delivered, and it cannot secure the access, permits, and site knowledge a commission depends on. Where it does apply is earlier in the pipeline, concept renders and marketing visuals, which is a different job from photographing a finished building.

Yes — interior photography is a core service, with a focus on natural-light documentation of luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial interiors. Clients include Dorchester Collection, Park Hyatt, and leading design studios across the UAE.

Shoayb Khattab operates across both Dubai and Riyadh and photographs interior design projects throughout KSA — including residential, F&B, retail, and hospitality commissions. His approach prioritises natural light and material fidelity over artificial setups.

Natural-light interior photography that preserves the atmosphere the designer intended. Flash and HDR blending are avoided in favour of planning shoots around specific times of day where light reveals material texture, spatial depth, and the quality of craft.

Yes — landmark residential commissions include Noir Matière at Lana Residences (Dorchester Collection, Dubai), Muraba Residence (Palm Jumeirah), and Diwani House (Sharjah). Each project was published in international design media.

Shoayb Khattab is one of Dubai's most awarded interior and interior design photographers, trusted by interior designers, developers, and hospitality brands including Dorchester Collection and Park Hyatt. With an architect's training and medium-format equipment, the work captures material, light, and spatial intent at the level interior designers need for publication and awards.

Yes — aerial and drone photography is a dedicated service across the UAE and KSA. Completed aerial commissions include KAFD (Riyadh), AlUla Airport, NEOM (Tabuk region), and House of Wisdom (Sharjah).

Yes. All aerial operations in the UAE are conducted under GCAA permit, and KSA operations under GACA permit. Restricted area clearances — including government-controlled zones, airport vicinities, and sensitive sites like NEOM — are managed as part of the commission.

Shoayb Khattab offers fully permitted architectural drone and aerial photography across Dubai and the wider UAE, with the same considered, design-led eye applied from the air as on the ground. Aerial commissions span towers, masterplans, and cultural projects, captured under GCAA permit and delivered for publication, marketing, and awards.

An architectural film is a short-form cinematic documentary of a building or space — combining direction, cinematography, sound design, and post-production into a complete production. Films have been commissioned by NEOM, KAFD, the Royal Commission for AlUla, and cultural institutions, and selected for international film festivals including the Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival.

Shoayb Khattab is one of the few practitioners in the Gulf who combines architectural photography with architectural film direction — bringing a photographer's eye to cinematography and an architect's understanding of space to storytelling. Festival-selected work for NEOM, KAFD, and RCU.

Yes — interior film production is available across KSA. This includes short-form brand films for interior design studios, developers, and hospitality groups, covering concept, shoot, edit, and delivery.

Yes — completed projects span the UAE, KSA, Turkey, Jordan, the UK, and Southeast Asia. International commissions are welcome; travel costs are quoted separately based on project location and duration.

Dezeen, Architectural Digest Middle East, Wallpaper*, ArchDaily, Designboom, Architizer, Condé Nast Traveller, The Times, Architonic, e-architect, Stirworld, Vogue Arabia, and Commercial Interior Design.

Email contact@shoayb.net with your project location, type (architecture, interior, aerial, or film), and your preferred timeline. A tailored quote is typically returned within 24 hours.

Yes — a limited selection of archival pigment prints is available as editions of 5. Each print is hand-signed, numbered, and supplied with a certificate of authenticity. Available in sizes from 60×90 cm to 120×180 cm, shipped worldwide.