(MENAFN- Gulf Times) For the Qatar-based Filipino photography group that is often seen at the helm of fundraising events through the year, it was a night of well-deserved celebration and revelry.
Web Alliance of Radical Photographers (WARP) recently held their sixth anniversary at the Century Hotel Doha and topped off the feast by announcing the winners of their photo competition.
While anniversary gatherings of any community group make for an occasion to bond and connect with fellow members, WARP believes in also giving something back to their clan "because they deserve the best". While there are around a dozen Filipino photography groups in Qatar, WARP along with Doha Pinoy Shooters Club, Pinoy Lente Qatar, The Light Catchers Qatar, and 21 Elements, are most active in raising funds for a good cause through their craft.
Loi Olivar, pioneer member of WARP, told Community, "This year's anniversary celebrations focused on the work of our members. The most awaited part of the evening was the Photo Exhibit Competition. This year, we received a total of 42 entries showcasing the theme of FACES. We picked six winners as a reference to WARP's sixth anniversary."
There were also special awards to be won. Emerson Manuel and Rose Vasquez were crowned Radical Stars of the night, for dressing up the most fashionably in line with The Kicks Theme Party (formal wear teamed up with kicks/sneakers). Vasquez was also awarded WASTIG of the Year 2015 for actively participating and supporting WARP's activities. Wastig is derived from the colloquial Filipino word Astig, which means cool, and the W of WARP.
Allan Navarro, one of the founding members of the group who left Qatar four years ago and returned to Doha a few months back, was the guest judge. The winning photographs are a bunch of stunning portraits of the highest aesthetic and technical finesse. Here's what the winners of the competition had to say about their pictures:
Mike Torres, who won the top prize of Platinum Award and WARPmates Choice Award, said, "This photo means a lot to me since this was my first portrait shot taken in the middle of the street. When I got home, I couldn't contain my excitement over how well the picture had turned out. This picture tells me so much that I thought only I could understand what all it had to say. Later, I realised that taking pictures of people in an open street brings out my passion and eagerness to see more about different faces and the stories that lay behind them."
Ariel Catanyag, who won the Gold Award, said, "I took this photograph during our family getaway in Batangas, Philippines. As an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) father, it inspires me so much to see my sons and daughter growing up so fast. I took this picture when my daughter kept asking if she can jump in the water with her brothers. That angelic look of her made me say yes!
Erick Espinosa, who bagged the Silver Award, said, "This portrait of a porter in Souq Waqif is part of the pictures I took during my early learning days of photography in March 2010. Back then, I would usually roam around Doha to capture the local culture and the street scene. In Souq Waqif, you will often find a hamaali or a porter who carries customer's goods. You can pay QR20 to have your purchases ferried to your car in a wheelbarrow, and the porters are usually happy to pose for photos for a tip.
Torres, who also picked up the Bronze Award for his photograph of an Australian model, said: "To me, it's her eyes that make this image special. They speak to me every time I look at the picture. For me, portraiture isn't just taking images of people but it's about bringing out the subject's soul. That's what makes it more interesting."
Analie Tagud, whose mesmerising portrait won the ManCom Choice Award, said, "When I shoot portraits, I make sure to feel what I photograph and feel the soul behind the face. It's a silent conversation between the subject of my portrait and the viewer and it truly says more than any words ever can. I believe it is necessary to interact and get to know the subject of your portrait before photographing him or her. This man is one of the many porters in Souq Waqif. Despite his tough life, he looked happy. By flashing his precious smile to a total stranger like me had me smiling all day."
WARP prides on being the only photography group in Qatar that throws all the norms of running a group, out the window. Not being professionals is, in fact, what takes any photo enthusiast to become part of WARP. In an interview to Community, last year, Olivar had said, "Unlike other groups or clubs, WARP does not have officials or heads as we see all our members as equal. We don't have membership or any other fees. We believe in attaining mastery of individual craft through a continuous share-learn cycle." The group has upwards of 300 members and more than 100 of who are active.
While all nationalities are welcome to join, Filipinos are preferred. Olivar says, "We prefer Pinoys because when we get together, we speak in Tagalog and those belonging to other nationalities may feel out of place. That said, we have Malaysian, Indonesian, Indian, and Mexican members as well, and they join us for the big events." For fundraising programmes too, WARP happens to be approached mostly by the Filipino community of Qatar.
From regular free seminars, weekly tutorial and hang out sessions, to indoor/outdoor photo shoots, monthly photo contests, and several charity drives, WARP's members try to get pretty much everything done at a low or no cost.
For Eid al-Adha holidays, WARP members get together for an annual event that they call "Shoot to Death." The group gears up in the morning and hits the road in a convoy, photographing through various parts of Qatar. They try to capture scenes across the country from morning till early evening, and keep clicking till their
batteries die.
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