Doha, Qatar: The first edition of Doha Photography Festival, which is held as part of the cultural season activities and is organized by the Ministry of Culture’s Qatar Photography Center, is currently in full swing after drawing record turnout from visitors, as well as workshops presented by a phalanx of international photographers.
The attendees interacted on stage with a lecture on travel and nature photography, presented by the Omani photographer, Suleiman Al Riyami, followed by a lecture titled: studio light shaping, delivered by the photographer Ali Al Rifai, as well as a lecture titled: capture your ideas using Artificial Intelligence, delivered by the Saudi lecturer Abdulaziz Al Yousef, alongside a lecture titled: in the dark: low light photography, presented by the photography expert Shadi Nasri.
As for the presented workshops, the first one was on capturing flying feathers by wildlife photographer Mohsen Jaafar, followed by a workshop on video fundamentals by the academic trainer Mohamed Al Demiri. Additionally, the photographer Suleiman Al Riyami reviewed an array of applications that help photographers capture high-resolution images of landscapes. He also showcased a collection of his artworks throughout his career in photography.
He highlighted that the festival is characterized by inclusiveness and innovation by virtue of all photographic components it features, thereby reflecting the curators’ interest in backing the photographers, given the extraordinary technological advancements in photography.
The Saudi photographer Abdulaziz Al Yousef highlighted the potential of leveraging generative AI, both by photographers and those specializing in photography in general, as well as how photographers utilize AI to prepare the essential elements of their work, underscoring that the festival largely helps advance the photographers’ performance by presenting novel ideas to them through lectures and workshops.
For his part, photographer Mohamed Jasem Al Baker, author of the book Saber, which documents and records the life of residents and migratory birds in Qatar, affirmed that the festival is one of the foremost events in the world, adding that it will potentially have a great standing at the local and global levels. He highlighted that the festival positions itself as a hub that gathers photographers from all territories to share ideas and experiences.
