Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority launches photography lectures, seminars and workshops to foster new generation of UAE photographers

Sessions will be offered in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain as part of the Emirates Photography Competition’s Education and Outreach Programme

Abu Dhabi, UAE 14 May 2016:  Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) today announced its public offering of tailor-made workshops, interactive meetings and seminars centred on the theories, themes and elements of photography. The sessions, held as part of the education and outreach programme of the Emirates Photography Competition, are set to inspire a new generation of avid photographers and promote photography in the UAE.

The two-hour sessions will be held at Al Marsam Al Hor in the capital’s National Theatre, Manarat Al Saadiyat on Saadiyat Island and at Al Qattara Arts Centre in Al Ain on consecutive days in May, June and July.

The hands-on workshops invite participants to explore techniques and themes covered in the 9th Emirates Photography Competition Exhibition that can be viewed at Manarat Al Saadiyat until 13th July, and aims to motivate the country’s future photographers. The educational sessions focus on a variety of skills such as creating imaginary landscapes and judging criteria for photography submissions. Adults and youngsters aged 13+ are welcome from 12th May to 16th July to join in engaging photography practices led by a field of experts. 

The workshop schedule started in the capital with afternoon sessions on Thursday 12th May at both Al Marsam Al Hor in the National Theatre and Al Qattara Arts Centre in Al Ain, which were followed by a workshop at Manarat Al Saadiyat the following afternoon. All weekend activities will wrap up with a morning workshop on Saturday 16th July at Al Ain’s Al Qattara Arts Centre.  

In addition to the workshops, K-12 and university students are invited to view the exhibition at Manarat al Saadiyat.  Teachers can book their classrooms in for a guided tour and hands-on art activity by emailing ManaratAlSaadiyat@tcaabudhabi.ae

The 9th Emirates Photography Competition saw an astounding selection of more than 30,000 submissions and in the ceremony held in March, awarded a FIAP gold medal and AED 100,000 cash prize to Chinese photographer Chengliang Liu for his ‘Love on the cooking bench’ portfolio of eight Environmental Portraits depicting domestic scenes shot within family kitchens of rural Chinese homes.

This year’s main theme - ‘Family Album’ - was chosen to reflect the community values of the family, and connect a variety of individuals and cultural environments so as to serve modern, creative artistic ideas in the field of photography.

The winning photographs are on display to the general public in a three-month exhibition, which opened on Monday 28th March and runs until 13th July at Manarat Al Saadiyat exhibition centre on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. Over 200 selected images are exhibited in 10 sections.