Walled City: Photographers get tips on snapping buildings

200 participate in workshop to promote tourism, prep for competition.

LAHORE: Some 200 amateur photographers got tips on taking pictures of historical buildings at a workshop organised by the Walled City of Lahore Authority here at the Lahore Museum on Sunday.

The workshop was aimed at helping entrants to a photo exhibition and competition planned by the WCLA from January 4 to 9, as well as to promote ‘camera tourism’ in the city’s historic quarter, said the organisers.

“The Walled City is Lahore’s cultural hub and our young, enthusiastic photographers can promote it. We welcome all the photographers who have a love and passion for Lahore to visit the Walled City and experience the life here,” WCLA Deputy Director Tania Qureshi told the workshop participants.

“Our photographers are the ones who project the heritage we possess, so it is the need of the hour to train our young and upcoming photographers and today’s workshop is aimed at that. I’m delighted to see the response,” said WCLA Director General Kamran Lashari. The photos taken by the young photographers may persuade some people to visit the historic sites, he added.

Photographer Muhammad Azhar Hafeez gave a lecture on framing shots of buildings. He advised the participants to keep their shots simple and not use long range lenses. He added that he hoped the WCLA would restore historic buildings to their original form and colour.

Zubair Ali Chughtai of the Lahore Photography Club, which helped organise the workshop, briefed the participants on the photography competition planned by the WCLA, which is titled ‘Wekh Lahore’ and will include picture of the Walled City. Entrants can submit photos in two categories, ‘street life’ and ‘magnificent monuments’. The photographs would then be used to raise awareness of the city’s architectural heritage using social media. “The contest is being held to depict the heritage in the Walled City and promote it among the youth,” he said. The deadline for submissions is December 15. Entrants may be professionals or amateurs aged at least 18. The winner may get up to Rs50,000, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th,2013.