Friday 19 / April / 2024
More than 100 student photographers displayed their creative works at the Qumra Photography Exhibition on Sunday. The Qumra Exhibition, which was initiated by the Caledonian College, inaugurated its second edition in May. Seasoned photographers judged more than 500 photos by 180 participating photographers and selected the winners in three categories.
In pictures: Creative works of young photographers in Oman
At least 25 participants submitted 68 entries in the open category for school students.
The geometric shape category was created for university and college students in the Sultanate, in which 116 participants submitted 327 pictures. The open category for Qumra Student Community received 120 entries from 39 participants. The committee of experts formed to evaluate the entries included photographers Haitham Al Farsi, founder of the Oman International Lights Competition, Rasha Al Abdali, and painter Salem Al Salami.
“When I received an invitation to join the jury, I agreed immediately. I realised that such competitions have the noble goal of discovering, supporting, and encouraging emerging talent,” Al Salami said. “For me, judging a photography competition is a new experience, and without a doubt, it adds to my perspective as a painter. Visual arts, such as paintings and pictures, widen my creative scope.
“The judging process was not easy. Most of the works offered had strong advantages that would give them the upper hand. The number of works presented was relatively large, but this was a success for the competition and a strong indication of the new local talent,” Al Salami added.
Following the judging process, 10 pictures from eight winners in the school category, 30 pictures by 26 university students, and 30 photographs by 21 participants from the Qumra Student Community, were displayed at the exhibition.Younis Al Shuaili, a student from first grade at Al Habbi Elementary School, was one of the winners in the competition.
“I’m the youngest participant among the many distinguished participants in this competition.
I dedicate this victory to my parents, who encouraged me a lot and provided me with all the means to learn photography. I am thankful that this competition pushed me forward, because I have just begun learning photography,” Al Shuaili remarked.
Ali Al Ghafri, manager for Qumra, noted, “These students are motivated to search for the creativity stored within themselves. I thank the Qumra organisers for their initiative to start a competition for students to motivate them to participate.
“The exhibition also included a display of classical cameras, the first of its kind in the Sultanate, for individuals to learn about the evolution of photography. The exhibition included 28 cameras, ranging between 50 and 100 years old. The event also included an exhibition of memories, which included photographs of people from 10 years ago or older.
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