DUBAI - At a time when anyone with a phone camera can hold their own as photographers, the artistic process of photography, from selecting subject matter to developing the film, seems outdated, if not almost mythical.
Yet, with the arts scene burgeoning in Dubai, many young photographers are going back to the basics with the medium, showcasing their talent at university-wide competitions and workshops.
Murdoch University, Dubai, held a series of photography workshops leading up to their annual photography competition on April 27. The media-inclined students at the university are immersed in a culture that promotes the arts, appreciating how technology can aid and complement the creative process. For first year Journalism major Hamna Ahmed, photography is a passion that is beginning to grow on her. “Most of us take photography as an elective, not expecting anything life-changing to come of it. But when you realise how photography gives you the ability to see ordinary things in an extraordinary way, it’s very empowering,” she said. Hamna’s portfolio focused on the little things in life that goes unnoticed, capturing beauty in the mundane. Her photograph, ‘Beauty Tools,’ was a close up of makeup brushes that managed to clinch 3 rd place in the intra-university category in the competition. “I’ve never considered photography as a career choice. It’s definitely a passion, and I’m hoping to invest in this skill.”
Rahul Talwar’s portfolio embraced a larger theme of life as reflected in the faces of residents in old Dubai. “I went to places with a historical connection, like Mina Bazaar and Karama, and took a closer look at the people in the neighbourhood. Their facial expression, body language and relationship with the space really fascinated me, because these tiny things add up to tell a story,” he said. His pictures included an elderly fisherman retiring under a shade and a disheartened labourer down on his luck. Using black and white photography, he managed to capture the nuances of expression as reflected in light and shadow. As for the legality of photographing people on the street, Rahul admitted the difficulty of having to get permission and recapture the moment that called out to him initially. “It was very hard to make sure the pictures don’t look staged. It’s supposed to be a spontaneous moment in time, which really can’t be re-enacted. I tried my best though,” he said.
The winning entry from Murdoch came from Ghazal Tavanaei, a Journalism and Screen Production double major, who presented a close up of an old, discarded water bottle wedged in sand near her neighbourhood. “I call it ‘dirt and thirst.’ I noticed how a single raindrop had fallen near the neck of the bottle, leaving a pattern in the sand,” she said. Ghazal received a Nikon D3000 professional camera with accessories for winning the competition. The main inspiration behind her work was the duality between nature and culture. “I like taking pictures which are unique. Therefore I chose to do abstract photography for my final portfolio in order to capture things in a way that would make them seem very unique and special.”
The competition for non-Murdoch students came with a theme: ‘standing out.’ Al Diyafah School students Sachi Kumar and Aaron D’cruz were finalists in the High School category of the contest, which was a huge achievement for these amateur shutterbugs. “A lot of my friends are into photography and when I saw my friend standing next to the window at my house, I noticed the way the light entered the room and thought it would make a nice shot,” Sachi said. Her entry was a black and white photograph that focused on balancing light and shadow as her subject faced away from the camera.
Aaron’s photograph was also an impromptu entry. “My friends and I were celebrating the last day of the mock exams at Jumeirah Beach Residences. I wanted to capture the cityscape and the relationship people who love Dubai have with the city, which is why I got my friend to pose against the backdrop of high rise buildings,” the 17-year-old said. “As a budding musician, I guess I’m artistic. I wanted to see if that creative energy spilled over to other arts.”
The ubiquity of cameras — from phones with high megapixels to pocket cameras — has created a new type of amateur photographer who are ever-prepared to display their portfolio online. Most soi-disant photographers have never seen a dark room, yet they churn out aesthically-pleasing experimental work. Traditionalists still cling onto SLR cameras and home-made dark rooms, although they too grudgingly admit the limitless potential of photo-editing software. 24-year-old freelance photographer Craig Shaffer moved to Dubai in January and is currently in the process of remodelling his one-bedroom apartment to include a make-shift dark room. With two degrees in photography under his belt, he is a true traditionalist in the field. “Image editing software is a god-send for amateurs and that’s great. It cuts down a lot of time photographers would usually need to spend on framing and working with light. But I think it supplies anyone with a camera with the delusion that they can produce something artistic and meaningful. Sometimes I feel as though I have invested years of hard work, money and time in something that seems easy enough for anyone to do,” he said.
Regardless of the tools available to photographers in the golden age of technology, the artistic vision and eye for seeing what stands out is something that can never be mass produced or digitally made, which can allow those with a passion for the art to reach new heights. —
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