A series of images that captured the 'henna night' of a Palestinian wedding or pictures of children joyfully playing on the streets of Egypt: these were the powerful moments celebrated for showing people's simple ways of happiness amidst the region's turbulent times.

Fatima Shbair, 20, from Gaza was among the four photographers who won the 7th edition of National Geographic Moments competition held under the theme 'Celebrations.' The four winners from Palestine and Egypt were selected from over 19,000 entries from across the Middle East and North Africa with two new categories of youth photography and photo documentary added this year.

Shbair, who wasn't present at the National Geographic exhibition in Dubai to celebrate her piece, won the newly-introduced photo documentary grand prix category. Through a series of five images, she shared moments of a bride on henna night, the most important night that takes place a day or two before the wedding. "The picture was a challenge to myself. I wanted to show that Gaza has talents and that we are able to celebrate despite the unrest we are experiencing," she told Khaleej Times over phone from Palestine.

The series of photographs captures celebrations as the bride prepares for the night, with henna, candles, song and dance - traditions of Palestine. Photography, Shbair said, was her channel to document people's lives on the streets. Her dream is to expand this mission outside Palestine and document different cultures from around the world. "I hope in the future, our condition gets better, and that I'll be able to capture different cultures with my lens."

As part of the competition reward, Shbair will go for an 11-day trip to Cuba to meet photography coaches and take master classes. She added: "The feeling of victory is great, and I can't wait to explore a new country."

Mohammed Mahdy from Egypt won the single image category in the competition held this year under the theme 'celebrations.' With his Fujifilm X-T1, he captured a photo titled Happiness of a young boy with a chick on his shoulder, while his brother is watching him from the window with a big smile.
Winners and their prizes
> Single Image Grand Prix : Happiness by Mohamed Mahdy from Egypt. The prize is a $7,500 photography hamper courtesy of Nikon and 11-day all-expense-paid National Geographic photography Expedition Trip to Cuba
> Photo documentary Grand Prix : Palestinian Wedding, Henna Night by Fatima Shbair from Gaza, Palestine
> Youth Grand Prix Winner: Celebrating Their Little One by Barakat Khaled from Egypt. Won a $2,000 photography hamper, courtesy of Nikon
> People's Choice Award: Life in Jabaliya Refugee Camp by Mahmoud Abu Salama from Gaza Palestine. Won a National Geographic Goodie Bag worth $500

"I met this boy on the streets of Rasheed, the old city of El Borg that's an hour away from Alexandria. He told me his friend was a chick, so I asked him to get his friend. The chick was hungry so it started pecking his ear, and that's how the moment was captured," said Mahdy, 21-year-old street photographer.

Getting into photography since he was 15, Mahdy said simple moments on the streets make him feel that time freezes. "The more I study photography, the more I'm aware that the eyes can see what the mind doesn't know." He noted that he spends eight hours a day capturing random people's lives and buried cultures in a society filled with its different problems. "Photography made me feel connected to people. When I meet people especially on the streets, I take part of their soul with me because they make me realize that life is much simpler than we think it is."

Like Shbair, Mahdy will go for an 11-day trip to Cuba. He said a photograph is a gift that his subjects grant him by reflecting their feelings in the span of a moment. "They don't give their feelings to the camera, but to the person behind the camera, and it makes me feel special when they allow me to capture these feelings."
Mahdy, who studies arts and design in Alexandria, aims to integrate sound with people's photos to transfer a deeper story.

The exhibition includes 14 works from the youth category, 20 from the adults and 41 from the photo documentary, will be open for public viewing at Dubai Design District every day until October 13.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

Source: Khaleej Times