Qatar is a beautiful place, and if you look through the lenses of these photographers it will appear even more fascinating.

You’ve probably already seen the great images they have captured of Qatar, on social media, in magazines or newspapers. What got us curious was the story behind these images and their owners. So ILQ reached out to these shutterbugs and found out what it takes to capture such awe inspiring pictures. Here are the stories they had to share.

Faye Ragasajo - @faye_qtr

It’s fun to imagine what the cities of the future will look like. With Qatar's capital city developing rapidly, not just in terms of the economic aspect but also with skyscrapers, the Doha skyline is fast changing. The current skyline is no doubt beautiful but who knows what will it look like in 50 years’ time.

I started shooting Doha almost 2 years ago and shooting every centimeter of the city became a routine (in an amateur way). The main concept of my pictures is: Qatar-through TIME.

I like the concept on how everything in the heart of the city is so flourished and lucrative but when you go out of Doha, timeless desert and artifacts are being preserved (e.g. abandoned village in Al Shamal & glorious rock formations in Zekreet). The bond between the past and the present is still very strong in the culture here and that inspires me to preserve it in my eyes through my lens.

Right now, my current favorite spot is 81 km out of Doha, which is Zekreet.

Christine Espinosa - @espinosachristinelyn

I don't have a certain concept or main idea while taking pictures, most of my pictures are random clicks. But I make it a point to take pictures from different angles with different compositions, so that people see it in different ways. It's like story telling, to tell people what Qatar has to offer.

My inspiration is my family back home, the people around me, my job and the country itself. I just love photography, it's a simple way to express my feelings and dreams through the picture I take.

Each places in Qatar offers different tastes. Like at Corniche, I can't resist to capture the beautiful buildings, the city in front of the sea. At Souq Waqif I like the old ambience, nice stores for souvenirs and restaurants from other countries that serve delicious food. I also love the architecture of the famous Fanar Mosque and the Museum of Islamic Art; the design/architecture inside and outside these buildings are very amazing, truly picture perfect. The Aspire Park, Katara and The Pearl, all portrays a different picture of the country. Yes, Qatar is a small country but it has so much to offer.

Kim Wyatt - @mama_baba_ganoush

I am a food editor and writer so a lot of my photographs are about the amazing food in Qatar and around the world. I also love travel photography and my photos of Qatar are places that I love to visit as I am always on the lookout for new stories to write about. I don’t have a set agenda. I usually photograph anything that looks interesting, unique or catches my eye.

It’s easy to get caught up in daily life and miss the beauty in the world, so I’m inspired to show the best of Qatar. Hopefully this will make people smile and think “that’s beautiful, I want to go there”. I am really interested in showing the local culture as bright and vibrant – there’s beauty all around us - from the spices at Souq Waqif to the dhows at the Corniche.

Looking back through my instagram account I can see that many photos are taken near the water. I grew up in Australia so the ocean is part of who I am. One of my recent favourites was at the Corniche, on a beautiful morning drinking coffee with a Qatar Airways flying in the distance. I remember I had missed taking a photograph of a plane flying directly overhead. It was so close you could see the logo on the underbelly of the aircraft. That kind of represents my attitude to photography– it’s so easy to miss the moment so try to capture the most beautiful images and hopefully people will enjoy it.

Andrea Buenafe - @buenafotos

I love beautiful backgrounds and connecting lines of different elements in the picture. I love sharing the beauty of things and places I see in a creative perspective.

I've been in Qatar for four years but I never get tired of capturing different angles of the Museum of Islamic Art - every line, every shape just complements the sky of any season in Doha.

Shalim Uddin - @shalimu

My main concept and reason for taking pictures is really just to share with my family and friends back in the UK, to show them where I live and my experiences in Doha.

I try to show the fantastic architecture that has been built in the West Bay area and the rest of Doha. A real form and function perspective has been taken with the buildings in particular.

I've tried to show, the different viewpoints of West Bay. Also, I like how the city is very much centred around displaying that magnificent skyline, whether you're looking at it from the Pearl, the Grand Mosque, MIA park or even Sheraton park.

One of my favourite spots for clicking pictures is actually my balcony in West Bay, there's a lot of construction still happening there and there's something quite fascinating about watching a city develop right before your own eyes at such a pace. I've taken morning shots, afternoon and evening shots over time to track it's progress.

Lauren Granger - @misslcgranger

I love travelling, so the photos I share on Instagram mostly aim to showcase the sights and communicate the atmosphere that exists wherever I am visiting. I share behind the scenes moments and snapshots of what you can see, eat and do if you travel there yourself.

I love photographing architectural elements, nature and slices of life, so my feed is mostly filled with shots of interesting buildings, intricate floors, sunset skies and the delicious vegetarian treats I encounter on my explorations. I look for striking colours or patterns, opportunities to capture a different perspective by looking up or down, and plain backgrounds (like clear blue skies) which can highlight the main subject of the image.

There are so many great spots to photograph in Qatar, from the desert to cityscapes, to the mangroves to the sea, but I've found that the Corniche always delivers. From the peaked grassy hills at the Sheraton Hotel Park, to the angular lines of the Museum of Islamic Art, to the tips of West Bay's fantastical buildings to the dhows on the water, there is so much to capture and share. I've also recently fallen in love with The Pearl’s Qanat Quartier - the gorgeous pastel buildings remind me of Italy and are ridiculously photogenic.

Salman Mohammad - @sam_forever0

To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place; for me photography is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures. For me the whole point of taking pictures is so that I don’t have to explain things with words.

I take a fresh look on the places to photograph, I study the location, the best time to shoot and the necessary equipment needed. My interest is in landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes.

Qatar has a lot of beautiful places that are interesting for photographers. Qatar's culture reflects the majestic combination of ancient and modern perspective. I'm always fascinated by architectural structure and amazing designs.

I like to shoot pictures of the beautiful Souq Waqif as the building has a feel of tradition and culture, and it's one of my favorite spot for photography.

These stories that the photographers shared with us explained that a picture is a reflection of the man behind the camera. The way they look at the world and the things around is often expressed best through their captures. Reading their stories and understanding their outlook towards life can actually inspire you to get out and create your own story through pictures.

So try it, and send us a picture of Doha, that you think will unfold a new story about the city. Don't forget to tag us at @iloveqatar #iloveqatar.

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