ACOLLECTION of 315 photographs with commentary and text in both Arabic and English, is entitled “Young Saudi Lenses”. The book was officially launched by Prince Sultan, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, at Jeddah's Virgin Bookstore last Wednesday. “I am overjoyed every time I come across young Saudis enjoying and taking interest in the sites of national beauty or historical significance in this country, and even more so when I see them, camera in hand, capturing images to share with others by publishing them in magazines or books or through various technological means such as the Internet,” the prince said at the launch The original idea for the book came from photographer Kamil Hawa. “The book represents a period in which a significant turning towards photography is being seen,” he said. Snapshots of talent Zaki Ghawas, one of the participating photographers, remarked that photographers featuring in the book have ventured into the streets and alleys of cities and villages in Saudi Arabia. They have “moved between buildings and landmarks and people in schools, mosques and lanes, and also traveled across the deserts, plateaus and valleys. All to take (such) great pictures”. “The photographers have stayed away from traditional photography, and this shows in the book's collection of photographs,” Ghawas added. According to Abdul Latif Alobeidae, another photographer, the importance of the book is embodied by its “incitement to open the photographer's mind”. “This taste leads the photographer to more deserving scenes, worthy of being shot. The book also sends a message that the art of photography is to capture what the eye beholds,” he explained. The book includes an introduction written by Prince Sultan bin Salman, who is also an amateur photographer. “I have an increasing faith in Saudi youths that they are able to excel wherever they move, and photography is no exception to this faith,” he remarked. “The pictures and images in this book have proved that young photographers offer a diversity of beautiful shots that represent aspects of our dear homeland through the eyes their cameras.”
