An ongoing wildlife photography exhibition at Eiwan Al Gassar is drawing attention as it displays unknown and unexplored facets of Qatar, as well as highlights well-known ones.
The month-long exhibition, 'Behind the Camera' by Qatari photographer Azzam Abdulaziz al-Mannai, features images of whale sharks, camels, oryx, mangroves, migratory birds and others.
“The largest gathering of whale sharks in the world happens here at the north of Qatar at the international waters,” al-Mannai told Gulf Times.
“On record, we have registered around 360 whale sharks at the same spot at a time,” he added. “The season starts from May to end of August, with the best time between mid-July to mid-August.”
Al-Mannai is the chief executive of the Sports Accelerator at Aspire Zone.
He is into photography and drone photography, and is widely acclaimed as one of the best drone operators in the region. Al-Mannai’s works have been featured at a number of exhibitions and media entities, such as CNN, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and the New York Times.
He goes on-site 4-5 days a week during the season to photograph whale sharks.
“It is about 150km from Doha, where the depth of the sea is about 60m,” al-Mannai said. “I spend around 12 hours a day for the whole expedition during the season.”
“As a photographer, I need to study and understand the behaviour of the whales for (taking pictures of) them,” he added. “I wait till I get a clear signal that I can enter into their territory.”
“Then, through eye contact, I get the acceptance from them. I focus on the ambient light (before capturing their image) underwater,” al-Mannai said.
He noted that generally the whale sharks have their feeding time from 8am-11am.
“Once they have their tummy full, I enter the water and start engaging with them,” he said. “I stay in water for 3-4 hours, and underwater for 1-2 minutes at a time.”
Al-Mannai explained his motivation: "I want to showcase the beauty of Qatar, especially some fields which are still almost unexplored.”
“I started in 2019 with aerial photography and moved to classic photography on ground level, before going into underwater photography," he said.
The *Behind the Camera exhibition includes some of his photographs taken abroad.
Al-Mannai said that he has so far visited countries in four continents.
“Every time you go out, you use it as a chance for learning,” he said. “If I can come out with 10-15 clean good photos in a year that can be displayed, I am happy.”
He said he is planning more trips abroad.
“There are many projects in the pipeline … immediately after the World Cup in Qatar, I will be travelling to Dominica to photograph the sperm whale, to Norway for the killer whale, and to Tonga for humpback whale,” al-Mannai said. “After that, I will get ready for the next season of whale sharks in Qatar.”
The month-long exhibition, 'Behind the Camera' by Qatari photographer Azzam Abdulaziz al-Mannai, features images of whale sharks, camels, oryx, mangroves, migratory birds and others.
 Azzam Abdulaziz al-Mannai |
“On record, we have registered around 360 whale sharks at the same spot at a time,” he added. “The season starts from May to end of August, with the best time between mid-July to mid-August.”
Al-Mannai is the chief executive of the Sports Accelerator at Aspire Zone.
He is into photography and drone photography, and is widely acclaimed as one of the best drone operators in the region. Al-Mannai’s works have been featured at a number of exhibitions and media entities, such as CNN, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and the New York Times.
He goes on-site 4-5 days a week during the season to photograph whale sharks.
“It is about 150km from Doha, where the depth of the sea is about 60m,” al-Mannai said. “I spend around 12 hours a day for the whole expedition during the season.”
Whale sharks in the north of Qatar
“As a photographer, I need to study and understand the behaviour of the whales for (taking pictures of) them,” he added. “I wait till I get a clear signal that I can enter into their territory.”
“Then, through eye contact, I get the acceptance from them. I focus on the ambient light (before capturing their image) underwater,” al-Mannai said.
He noted that generally the whale sharks have their feeding time from 8am-11am.
“Once they have their tummy full, I enter the water and start engaging with them,” he said. “I stay in water for 3-4 hours, and underwater for 1-2 minutes at a time.”
A photo taken in Iceland.
Al-Mannai explained his motivation: "I want to showcase the beauty of Qatar, especially some fields which are still almost unexplored.”
“I started in 2019 with aerial photography and moved to classic photography on ground level, before going into underwater photography," he said.
The *Behind the Camera exhibition includes some of his photographs taken abroad.
Al-Mannai said that he has so far visited countries in four continents.
Mangroves in Qatar
“Every time you go out, you use it as a chance for learning,” he said. “If I can come out with 10-15 clean good photos in a year that can be displayed, I am happy.”
He said he is planning more trips abroad.
“There are many projects in the pipeline … immediately after the World Cup in Qatar, I will be travelling to Dominica to photograph the sperm whale, to Norway for the killer whale, and to Tonga for humpback whale,” al-Mannai said. “After that, I will get ready for the next season of whale sharks in Qatar.”