Limited-edition photobook of Oman published by veteran photographer

Muscat: A photobook featuring pictures that embody the very best of Oman has been limited to just 100 copies, all of which are signed and numbered by the man who clicked the photos.

Released by Polish photographer, Dr Jerzy Wierzbicki, who spent more than five years in Oman and later made many more trips to the country while staying overseas, the photographs feature the diverse landscapes, varied wildlife and rich culture that Oman is known for.

“My first project in Oman was in 2007. It was about Ras Madrakah, a town located some 500 km from Muscat,” recalled Jerzy. “Of course, now that place has changed a lot. When I got a job in Oman, it provided me the space to extensively research subjects and places for potential projects. While exploring the country, I found many hidden gems that the public had not yet discovered in the deserts, mountains and along Oman’s shoreline.

“That I might have been the first photographer to shoot these locations was one the biggest excitement for me,” he added.
The wonderfully varied landscape of Oman also gave him plenty of opportunities to make a very symbiotic connection with the land and enabled him to take back plenty of memories through photographs.

“In the summer of 2013, I went to Dhofar during the Khareef season, where I witnessed strange weather near Muqshin, in the form of a massive dust storm. I also experienced heavy rains behind Taqah,” recalled Jerzy.

“I have some great photographs from this trip! I also undertook some solo trips to the Empty Quarter, where I was able to photograph the rare ‘shadow effect’ of sand dunes.”

So fascinated by Oman and its layers of history that stretch back to thousands of years, was Jerzy that he did his doctorate on the country, using Oman as a case study, titled “Eroding Traditions, Eroding Presence” that looked at how people around the world had evolved while often putting aside the traditions of their forefathers. His PhD was based on photos of the abandoned settlements he had photographed in Dhofar.

Although he had tens of thousands of digital photographs with him when he left Oman, he was able only to properly catalogue and organise his work in the spring of 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, and several countries around the world went into lockdown to prevent infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths.

“After intensive work with my graphic designer, I published a photobook which contains my favourite locations across Oman,” explained Jerzy. “This book is printed on very high quality material and is a collector’s item. Only 100 copies were printed, all of them signed and numbered. It is also my personal tribute to all the wonders I have witnessed in this country.”

A second book on Oman brought out by him is more focused on cultural state of affairs, the migration of people and abandonment of settlements and the reality of our modern world. Jerzy calls his publication “a modern kind of documentary photography book. I would definitely like to publish more copies of this book than my first one.”

Currently employed as a photography lecturer in Poznan in his native Poland, photography came to Jerzy at a rather young age: His father was a journalist, which meant photographic equipment was almost always found in his home when he was growing up.

“I love exploring places that humans are rarely come across; Oman is the perfect place for someone who loves using his camera to capture natural, pristine landscapes,” he explained. “I found the people of Oman very special and kind.

“Of course, I would love to get back to Oman in the future to continue my adventures with photography,” he added. “I enjoy the diversity of the world that can be seen through my camera; photojournalism lets me experience the richness of life through people and places. But for now, I would like to see the COVID-19 pandemic out and come to the end of these uncertain times.”