Roggo's freeze frames for a better tomorrow

Abu Dhabi: Whether in the Amazon or the deserts and mangroves in the UAE, his focus as a professional photographer is to capture the best frames without any distraction.

Michel Roggo, the world famous Swiss photographer, is concerned about man's destruction of nature. Roggo hopes his photographs will help save nature.

The beauty of Nature reflected in the photographs may raise awareness about environmental conservation which may save the planet from destruction, he told Gulf News on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of his photo exhibition recently in the capital.

Value of water

The exhibition titled ‘Desert Water' was held at Ghaf Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi until yesterday. His expeditions to the wadis in the deserts in the UAE have helped him realise the value of water.

"In Switzerland when I open my window, I can see the Alps, the forest and rivers… the abundance of water. So we are not aware of the value of water."

When he went to the wadis in the UAE deserts, after seeing sand and stones only, it was amazing to hear the sound of water in a desert ecosystem.

Mohammad Kanoo, the owner of the Ghaf Art Gallery, said the photos reminded him of the UAE's fragile ecosystems and the need to protect them for future generations.

Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart, the Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, said Roggo's pictures captured the beauty of virgin desert ecosystems. "The water [in the wadis] is crystal clear… like air," he said. The pictures gave new insights about rich biodiversity in the mangroves, Bruelhart said.

The embassy of Switzerland and Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF, in association with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) organised two exhibitions simultaneously, one in Abu Dhabi and the other in the Higher Colleges of Technology in Fujairah.

The exhibition had 40 pictures and a video presentation with pictures of Wadi Wurayah and Wadi Shawka taken by Roggo.