Turning the Lens on Qatar Places

If you are an architecture aficionado based in Qatar, you must have chanced upon the Instagram page of Qatar Places, with its over 48K followers and a stunning array of neatly designed grid of architectural imagery. This page is run by a passionate photo-journalist Regiane Salvadori who shares her inspiring  journey with SCALE.

Meet Regiane Salvadori from Campo Grande, Brazil who has made Doha, Qatar her home for over a decade and takes it upon herself to focus on architectural buildings in and around Doha and present it to the world in the most beautiful frames and angles. Her Instagram page is a revelation. Pure, simple, and classy, it focuses on architectural photography. Nothing more and nothing less than that on her page; no self-promotion, no images of herself, no paid promotions, just a passion shown to the world in its pure form. In a world where people only talk about other products or people if paid, Regina’s page is pure joy. It is architectural photography taken by an amateur who is in the process of making her skills professional by mastering photography and its mysteries. Let us get to know her more and understand this passion of hers.

Regiane’s passion for architecture started from her childhood when she used to be mesmerised by architectural books collected by her parents who had a background in engineering. She also remembers the umpteen trips they made around their county, always admiring buildings, bridges, roads, buildings, and designs during the journey.

She came to Doha in 2010. Since then, she has been fascinated by the culture and sights of the Middle East and made it her mission to learn, absorb and admire.

By 2015, social media was gaining popularity and Regina decided to share her passion for the sights and the culture of the country on this platform.  “In 2017, I started sharing information about the buildings inspirations and the relation they had with the culture of the country,” she says.

She remembers her first post: on Souq Waqif and how she was fascinated by it.  “It was the first place I visited in Qatar. The traditional market is a masterpiece of traditional architecture and it is a unique experience to walk in the charming labyrinth of narrow streets, paved pathways as we can see many traditional architectural elements. For example, in the Souq, was the first time I saw the wind tower, a traditional cooling method used in Qatar,” she says.

She takes us through her process of writing and imagery: “I like to spend time in the building, visit the place in different times (morning, night, summer, winter). I like to observe how people interact with the building. I read the project description and the articles about the place,” Regiane explains. What is interesting is that Regiane captures all images through her iphone and yet seems to catch the details of the building in all its grandeur.

With over 48K followers, Regiane’s page is special for its lack of blatant consumerism that is visible in most Instagram pages with “Influencers” becoming a newly acquired profession with high marketing skills to sell images and experiences.

So, what next for this creator? Regiane is serious about photography and intends to continue improving her skills in this direction: “Yes, my plan is to work in this field. I started photography because my passion for architecture,” she says. So much so that if she was not putting up images on architecture, she would be immersed in nature photography and try to find the same patterns that she keeps an eye out for in architecture.

“I would go for nature photography, looking for symmetries in nature, colours, textures, and patterns. This is where I get inspiration for my posts,” she says.

In Doha, she has not one but many favourites, in fact, we just cannot get her to focus on one favourite of hers. “This is the most difficult question, each post or picture that I share is so special for me. It is about learning something new and feel the emotion of taking the perfect images that make each building or architecture special.”

But there is one architectural spot she revisits, the “Lusail Towers,” for she says, “it is incredible to see one city being built from zero. I remember that this area was deserted and now it is a fantastic city.”

And that is Doha for all of us who have come here to make this desert country our home, a city built from nothing but passion, determination, and good intentions. A home for expatriates till we move on.

All Images Courtesy Regiane Salvadore