By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter
The “Simply Beautiful” photo exhibition, being hosted by Qatar Photographic Society (QPS) in Building 18 of Katara – the Cultural Village until February 14, literally lives up to its title.
The 52 photographs on show in seven categories, all featured by some of the best National Geographic photographers, are absolute stunners in every respect.
Opening the exhibition on Wednesday, HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari lauded the efforts of the QPS for organising what he described as a very distinctive event.
“This is a distinctive exhibition because National Geographic as we all know is a very respected institution and it brings a new perspective to photography as an art and as a technique,” stressed the Minister, who also took time to view each of the pictures.
HE Dr al-Kuwari cited the beauty and quality of the pictures taken artistically with perfection by the artists. He said the exhibition covers all fields of photography.
Hisham Qaddoumi, a photographer from Toronto and a member of QPS, who was among the attendees at the exhibition, told Gulf Times that he was inspired to see the images.
“They are inspiring because as you can see they have been taken from nature. Some of them were taken from very simple places around us,” he noted.
“Beauty is all around you but you do not notice it. These photos are like a reminder that you live in a very beautiful planet,” said Qaddoumi while complimenting the photographers, whom he prefers to call artists.
He pointed out that anyone can take a photograph but the way the pictures in the exhibition were taken needs an artist’s eye.
“I do a lot of photography and I realised it is not just the effort, it needs some talent, it needs some good eye, and to take such beautiful pictures you need to love the beauty around you,” stressed Qaddoumi.
He recalled telling his students not take a photo but instead capture a moment “which these guys (National Geographic) are actually doing”.
Like Qaddoumi, another photographer, Alex Campbell was also impressed with the exhibition and the pictures.
He described them as vivid images covering a broad spectrum of photography from landscapes to people.
Campbell likes a picture taken from Paris which features an underground scene lit by rays of the sun.
He cited its composition and the focus on the reflection saying it is a flat image but has a 3D effect. The pictures are from across the world.
