Mobile photography will open numerous opportunities, says ‘SeeMyDoha’ winner

By Joey Aguilar/Staff ReporterMobile photography will open many opportunities for people who want to make it a part of their lives, “SeeMyDoha” top winner Ghada Ali al-Khater has told Gulf Times.“It is starting to give a place for people to explore different opportunities, various aspects of places and cultures,” she explained during an interview after the awards ceremony of the photography contest at Katara – the Cultural Village yesterday.Al-Khater bested four other finalists with her entry titled “For every path taken, there is a path untaken”. HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari graced the event along with Mohamed Jaidah, executive director of Jaidah Group, and representatives from Katara and Qatar Tourism Authority.“Mobile photography is really opening up a dialogue between other countries, making the world a smaller place,” noted al-Khater, who started pursuing her passion when she was still in Design School.“This is something really unexpected and I feel honoured,” she said, lauding the initiative as it has opened various opportunities for all mobile photographers who seem to explore different aspects of their passion. She will receive a “surprise trip” to a mystery destination worth QR15,000 plus air fares, accommodation and other expenses from Jaidah Group, the sponsor and organiser of the event.The photograph was taken during the Holy Month of Ramadan somewhere in Gharaffa when al-Khater and her friends were looking for old houses. “I just saw this door with a sign, it was beautiful and I captured it. It was sudden,” she recalled and also complimented the entries of other finalists, saying they have produced excellent works.The other winners include Hassan Anass Laoui (first runner-up), Lubaib Gazir (second runner-up), Aisha al-Misned (third runner-up) and Mohamed Kamaluddin (fourth runner-up).“SeeMyDoha has been adopted from the ‘SeeMyCity’ concept, which focuses on the use of two of today’s hottest trends – a camera-enabled smartphone and the social media platform, Instagram,” said Jaidah, who led the awards ceremony.He stressed that the initiative has gathered some of the most amazing images that showcase Doha and Qatar to the whole world “in a splendid way”. Out of the tens of thousands of entries, 18 finalists were selected before the judges decided on choosing the final five.The Jaidah Group also conducted photography workshops using smartphones to further enhance the existing skills and talents of local residents. Photographs of the top five winners, along with the other finalists, will be on display at Katara Art Cenre until February 1.The panel of judges included Johan Madarasz, creative director at Madcats; Marianne Hope, founder and manager of SeeMyCity; Yvonne Bouman, a freelance photographer and manager of Instagramers Holland; Herbert Schröer, a renowned mobile photographer from The Netherlands; Dirk Bakker, an iPhoneographer and SeeMyCity member from Amsterdam; Jeroen Moor, an iPhoneographer and freelance photographer from Rotterdam, Holland; and Tim Hatton, an iPhoneographer from the UK.