It was a ‘click’ of the moment for Shamsa al Harthy when her father gave her a camera during a holiday trip to explore her hobby in photography. It happened during her school days. She pursued her hobby while in the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS), and today she is a professional photographer.
By honing her skills on the camera given by her father and supported by her uncle, she became head of the photography club while pursuing secondary education.
“We had gone on a family trip to Jordan and my father and uncle encouraged me to explore photography. We were in Petra when my father gave me my first camera,” Shamsa remembered.
Today she is a press photographer, a profession she took after majoring in photography at the University of Technology and Applied Science.
The number of photographs she has clicked in the last 12 years would be in six digits, she admits.
“I had joined Business Studies but my passion called me and soon I moved to photography,” she said.
Since graduation, she has been working in the news media as a press photographer.
Her profession and interest in photography took her to Europe, Singapore, India, China, Korea, and Turkey.
Shamsa is intrigued by faces and tells, “Each face can say a million things.” While press photography is all about facts, her personal passion is for abstract photography.
“Cultures of the land excite me,” she reflected.
“In the Sultanate of Oman, I like to visit villages. Two of my favorite places are Al Manzafa in Ibra and Harat Al Aqr in Nizwa. My profession has given me immense opportunities to explore the Sultanate of Oman- the land and people, from camel and horse races to news and business,” she explained.
Shamsa has won many national and regional prizes and had the opportunity to attend training to further her knowledge.
“It is a very exciting profession and each day I look forward to learning something more. I do self-study as well to keep up with the latest techniques in the field,” pointed out Shamsa.
She is of the opinion that digital media has made photography exciting but old techniques were equally good. “When I am given an assignment, I am eager to execute because each one is a new experience. Photography is all about memories that last forever and this gives me more push,” said Shamsa adding, “being a press photographer has made me an independent woman. At times we can be on our feet for four hours but it is all worth it.”
