This photo was taken in one of my favorite locations in the Oman mountains: Sharaf Al Alamein in Jebel Hat. In the past, it was only possible to get there via graded roads using a four-wheel-drive vehicle, but today you can travel there in a saloon car, driving along a safe tarmac road. That is, if you choose to go up the mountain from its southern side, because access from the north is still via one of the most scenic, graded, and narrow roads that I have ever driven on.
Regardless of the route taken, once you arrive you will be impressed by the dramatic panoramic views over Wadi Bani Awf nearby, and Wadi Sahtan further in the distance. I have been to this place many times before, but I always enjoy the views and the tranquility. A few tourist housing developments are being built nearby, but so far without much impact. The terrain is rocky and rough, but there are still some good places to set up your tent.
Sunrise is one of the highlights of the stay. Waking up early, I simply sit on the edge of the mountain, looking down into a drop of more than 1,000 m below. To my right, the first light of dawn appeared, and I waited for the sun to crest the distant mountains. On the left-hand side, it is possible to see a few houses belonging to the village of Hat; believe it or not, the road in the middle of the frame is the one that comes all the way up.
I decided to underexpose the camera to preserve the highlights and the colours in the sky. In the past, when shooting slide film, I would probably have used a graduated neutral density filter, but by shooting Raw I had enough latitude to bring up the shadows during processing.
