Shooting that perfect picture of Burj Khalifa

Dubai: The race was on ... 300 shots and after several attempts to find the right location, Ala'a Kahel was finally at peace. He had managed that perfect picture — the entry in the Gulf News Burj Khalifa reader picture competition.

Exhausted by his quest for that perfect capture of the world's tallest tower lighting up, the creative director from a Dubai-based branding agency had to "climb and jump over many structures" all within a space of a few minutes. He won the top prize from the newspaper.

Click here to look at the winning readers' photos

When the opening ceremony of the Burj Khalifa lit up the night sky on January 4, Gulf News reader photographers were on the scene, ready to capture the magic.

Click here to read the in-depth report on Burj Khalifa

In response to the newspaper's reader picture competition, over 500 entries were sent to gulfnews.com.

James O'Hara, Picture Editor — Photo Syndication Desk, said selecting the top three images was tough, "especially difficult since the subject of each image was the same."

He said the decision was based on "the aesthetically pleasing compositions and their originality".

K. P. Devadasan, Picture Editor — Gulf News, commended the amateur photographers.

"Night shots are especially difficult because of the lack of light. Your camera would need a longer exposure and you need to have steady hands, especially if you are not using a tripod."