[Onyx Panther]

I had an interest in photography since I was little. It might have been small at that time but it evolved along with me when I grew up. At grade 7, my dad bought me a Fujifilm X-A1 mirrorless camera along with a 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens and a 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 telephoto zoom lens. Me and my dad learnt more and more about photography by taking more pictures and going to different places.
Being at grade 9 now, I have learnt a lot in photography and almost mastered the camera my dad had bought me. At the end of grade 8, my dad took me and my sister, sometimes even my mom to different photographic locations in Bahrain to learn more about photography and have fun with it.

This is a short photologue on the places that I went to and the pictures that I took there.

Here are some of the places we went to:

Bahrain Royal Camel Farm
Farmers’ Market
Tubli Bay
Bahrain Fort
Al Areen Wildlife Park

BAHRAIN ROYAL CAMEL FARM
They’re ornery and malodorous, gangly and awkward. Sometimes called “The Ship of the Desert” but more appropriately “A Horse Designed by a Committee,” the legendary dromedary can be found in droves at the Janabiya Royal Camel Farm in Bahrain.



Home to 600+ camels, this Bahrain attraction on the outskirts of Manama is more of working farm than a tourist trap. Okay, working is a bit strong — it’s a hobby farm started by the uncle of the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Mohammed. But I’m right about the “not a tourist trap bit” — the hour we were there we were outnumbered by the camel farmers. And of course, by the camels.



Being a hobby camel farm, the camels aren’t raised for racing, or for their meat. They just sort of exist. In a corral and tied at the legs.



The camels are separated into groups — males on one side, females and their calves on another, and the wounded or elderly whiling out their days in shaded corrals.



It was a good place to capture birds as well, including this white one.



FARMERS’ MARKET
Botanical Gardens where plenty of local vendors set up shop for the morning to sell their freshly grown vegetables. We went there on a Saturday, which is the only day the market is open and busy. It would be a great place to do food photography of fruits and vegetables, that is, if it is not busy.


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As it was too crowded, the Botanical Gardens in which it was set up seemed to be a better option to look around.





TUBLI BAY
This place is right out of my apartment’s window. It would an outstanding place to capture the sunset if it is the right time. It seemed that I had arrived at the right time because the sun gave the sea a tone of red and blue. The sea looked so vibrant that the two colors didn’t merge very well which made the picture so unrealistic yet real.




BAHRAIN FORT
The Qal'at al-Bahrain, also known as the Bahrain Fort or Fort of Bahrain and previously as the Portugal Fort is an archaeological site located in Bahrain, on the Arabian Peninsula.




The archaeological findings, which are unearthed in the fort, reveal much about the history of the country. The area is thought to have been occupied for about 5000 years and contains a valuable insight into the Copper and Bronze Ages of Bahrain.
Qal'at al-Bahrain is a typical tell – an artificial mound created by many successive layers of human occupation.



Here is a picture of my parents standing under this beautiful archway.



AL AREEN WILDLIFE PARK
This is the perfect and only place to see and capture images of animals and especially birds in the best way. This wildlife park covers a total area of 7 km sq and was first established in 1976. Species native to Bahrain, both plants and animals, as well as species originating from Africa and south Asia are present in the zoological park.





The park features 100,000 planted flora and trees, & more than 45 species of animals, 82 species of birds and 25 species of flora.










It seems that we did a lot more birding than animal photography.

[Amrik Singh]

Surfing through Travelogues after a long time, came across this thread and am reminded of my stint in Bahrain i early 90's.

These pictures were captured on film roll Canon A-1, probably one of the best in those days. Scanned much later (Originals have been lost).
Share some pics of landmarks in those times

[saisailendra]

Originally Posted by Onyx Panther

I have learnt a lot in photography and almost mastered the camera my dad had bought me.

Mastering the camera is the first step, but do not stop there. Mastering the camera is like knowing which pedal is the clutch, which is the brake and which is the accelerator.

Now we've to experiment, fail, and learn various techniques, work on composition and master light. That's the driving part.

Great pictures. Great post-processing as well.