Young women pulled out their cameras Thursday in a two-week photography training session to take snapshots like pros and to make a history of women photography in the Kingdom at the Jeddah Advancement Club. The camera shutter sound has moved 21 women, between 18 and 31, mostly college students, to compete in man's charted territory in the Kingdom. The first day at the session clicked fast by training to take fast action shots of guys ice skating. The women said once their training is over, they will zoom in the future of a photography career in the Kingdom. They said they would try to zoom men out of the picture. “Their image in the profession will be soon blurred,” said one woman. Their participation in this profession is starting to confirm of their smashing the social barriers that have repeatedly hindered them breaking out of the domestic sphere. As women becoming more independent in the Saudi society, they start to look for job opportunities out of the nursing and teaching domain. Now photography has come to show that the sky is the limit for women to compete for professions in the Kingdom. The training will allow them to even start their own studios; not of the Universal Studios caliber, but it is just the beginning. “These girls are impressive,” said a woman who has given up her life to advance the woman's cause in the Kingdom. “They were able to present their creative works in this field like pros,” said Uhood Abdullah, manager of the Club, said. Upon completion of the course, the women will be given recognized certificates in photography, which can help them start their own photography business. The girls have shown keen interest and an ambition to learn the art of photography, Uhood said. Manal Filimban, the girls' trainer, said the club has organized a trip for the girls to a recreation center to learn the skill of speed photography at an ice skating ring. Next week the girls will be taken to an equestrian club to learn new skills and techniques.
