BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
The exquisite beauty and unique charm of Doha as a flourishing city has been captured in stunning photographs by thousands of residents using only their smartphones at the recently concluded second edition of ‘SeeMyDoha’ photography competition.
The three-month contest which used camera-enabled smartphones and the social media platform Instagram saw a record 8, 014 photo entries, totaling to 109,242 photos under #SeeMyDoha on Instagram.
‘SeeMyDoha’ is an offshoot of ‘SeeMyCity,’ an international city marketing initiative based on advanced and creative mobile photography and social media adopted by Jaidah Automotive.
“Our aim is to engage the people of Doha to see the beauty in little things because when you normally go on vacation you see everything is beautiful, but where you live you spend 90 percent of your time and you need to appreciate that. So we want the people to appreciate the place they live,” SeeMyCity founder and manager Marianne Hope, told The Peninsula at the recent awarding ceremony at Souq Waqif Art Centre.
Since the participants were only allowed to use their smartphones in taking photos, the competition generated a lot of interest and participation among residents. Qatar is known to have one of the highest percentages of smartphone penetration in the Middle East.
“Because the competition focuses on the use of mobile phones, everyone can participate so we ware able to reach everyone. You don’t have to have a big expensive camera to take part. Everyone with an eye or a bit of passion in photography can participate. That’s what we want. We want everyone to have the possibility of winning,” added Hope.
This year’s competition revolved around three key themes namely “Doha in Motion,” “Lines of Doha” and “Colors of Doha” providing an expanded opportunity of capturing images from the mundane to the unfamiliar giving fresh perspectives on otherwise common sights around the city.
“We wanted to see new angles, new views, new ways of seeing things. We wanted people to be creative to see and capture the movement, the energy, the details, everything about the city,” she explained.
From the thousands of entries submitted, three finalists per category were chosen monthly by a jury who narrowed them down to the grand winners through a rigorous selection process. The jury comprises experts and a team of professional photographers, iPhoneographers, artists, graphic designers and creative minds.
Twenty-six photos which include the winners and finalists are displayed at an exhibition which runs until Wednesday at the Souq Waqif Art Centre.
Aysha (IG@esh0o) won the “Doha In Motion” theme with her entry titled “A Wanderer’s Haven” which depicts a bird’s eye view The Pearl Qatar, an iconic Qatari landmark, taken from an aeroplane. The photo was praised by the judges for its impressive technical quality despite the fact it was captured with a mobile phone through the plane’s window from a great height while moving at great speed.
The winner in the “Lines of Doha” theme was Indonesian Mirna Mahyudin (IG@mirna_mahyudin) with the photo titled “Knowledge and Enlightenment” showing a breathtaking view of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies mosque taken after Friday prayers. The photo highlights the two imposing minarets jutting out of the recently inaugurated structure in Education City. The The jury dubs the photo “a beautiful representation of the contemporary Doha.”
As for the “Colors of Doha” theme, the winner was Iman Heaphy (IG@imanheaphy) with her photo titled “Three to the power of the One,” depicting three green mosque domes. The photo, according to the jury stood out for its “originality and simplicity” which exudes mystery. “The repeating colours and shapes make it visually pleasing.”
Each of the winners received QR10,000 while the finalists were awarded trophies.
Many of the entries, Hope said, dealt with architecture. “Obviously, this is a very modern architecture city. That was expected.”
The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) appeared to be a favourite subject by the participants being the most photographed structure since the first edition of the contest.
“MIA was represented this time as well but also new things I haven’t seen before,” she added.
“We are very pleased to be bringing back a competition with such artistic value, and hope to continue receiving the same amount of quality images that this competition keeps generating,” said Mohamad Jaidah, Group Executive Director of Jaidah Group.
“We hope to continue organizing this unique competition that reflects our continuous commitment to provide meaningful social contributions to this wonderful country,” he added.
The Peninsula
