We salute our keen readers

Clicking a photograph has never been easier and Gulf News readers use that to their advantage.

With the advancement of technology, it has become very simple for people to document their memories in the form of a photograph.

Many readers then send us these recollections to be considered as the reader picture of the day on the Your Turn page.

In the month of June, three photographs were selected by the Picture Editor K. P. Devadasan as the best in their league.

Featured reader photographers of the month: June

"Even though these are amateur photographers, they are trying very hard to capture the best shots. Almost everyone either has a digital camera or a camera in their mobile phone. Technology has improved and helped those people interested in photography to a large extent," Devadasan said.

The criteria for selection are composition, perspective, clarity, framing, contrast and light.

Devadasan said: "When there is some breaking news, like a fire in a building, our readers' first instinct is to take a picture of the scene."

Today, Gulf News salutes such active readers who have an eye for a picture and make an effort to get closer to their passion for photography. The winning readers are asked to send in their five best photographs, which are then displayed on gulfnews.com.

Niyaz Ahmad, one of the winning photographers, said: "I am really glad and thank Gulf News for this opportunity to display the skills of amateur photographers."

The winners are:

First place: Faisal Omar Al Jabr
Picture published on June 6

Profile: Faisal Omar Al Jabri, a Yemeni expatriate, considers photography a part of his natural impulse to explore the world. It is a self-teaching process with no borders.

He said: "I have realised that it is far more than simply recording a lasting memory".

Al Jabri said his passion for photography grew in his early teenage years when he took his first photograph using a professional camera he borrowed from his uncle's auction shop.

"A few years later, I bought my first camera and since that day I keep my camera by my side. I take pictures of my favourite things or anything that catches my eye," he said.

He takes a variety of photographs such as portraits, fine art and "unique pictures that go beyond the image and deep into a personal journey through life".

He said: "My images transcend place and time and evoke emotion for any viewer".

Reason for winning:  Picture Editor K. P. Devadasan said: "I chose this picture because you can see the wildness in the cat's eyes. The close-up shot is great and the background is out of focus. It makes the cat look like a lion."

Second place: Amit Gupta
Picture published on June 9

Profile: Amit Gupta, an Indian expatriate, has been living in Dubai for the past four years.

He is an IT professional. Photography has been a passion for him and he used to take pictures even when he was a child.

In January he purchased a new camera to capture the launch of the Burj Khalifa and that is when he said he started understanding photography better.

He said: "I asked the person standing next to me to help me with the settings on my camera so that I could capture the memories".

He then started learning from tutorials on the web and formed a group for photography enthusiasts. They share their ideas, which could be useful for other amateur photographers.

Reason for winning:

Picture Editor K. P. Devadasan said: "The photograph has a good perspective. All the photographers are shooting the same subject, that is, the sunset. But the reader keeps an eye on what is happening around him. The angle of the picture is also good."

Third place: Niyaz Ahmad
Picture published on June 5

Profile: Niyaz Ahmad, an Indian expatriate, has been taking photographs for a long time but decided to focus on his passion seriously only a year ago.

He said: "It was the first time that one of my photographs got published in Gulf News. I am really happy that it happened to be amongst the Editor's choice for the month."

The reader has been residing in Dubai for the past 10 years and is currently working in a private firm in Jebel Ali.

Reason for winning:

Picture Editor K. P. Devadasan said: "It is not common to come across such a sight in the UAE. I think the reader has a good eye for pictures. This specifically is an unusual shot, which is why it caught my attention."