Nizwa blood drive draws photographers

Nizwa, Oct 9 - Nizwa Grand Mall hosted a Blood Bank event at its Dakhiliyah flagship retail outlet last weekend. The drive for blood was enhanced by various entertainments and events throughout the day, though one event stood out due to the enthusiasm of its youthful group. The Al Atyaf Network for Photography and Media has a slogan of, “Atyaf is the way to Excellence and Creativity,” and certainly appeared to have brought into the philosophy that enjoying what you do is the key to being successful, and bring an obvious exuberance to their documentation of local events. The team from Atyaf had set up a photography backdrop and lighting system, and were providing portrait style photography for an extremely modest sum, which they would then hand over to the blood drive charity. Lena, a local Nizwa, and Oman Daily Observer photographer, turned the table on the young entrepreneurs, and ‘shot’ them to record their participation in the event for posterity, and to demonstrate to the Sultanate just how progressive and socially aware the youth of the nation are becoming. Kudos to these young people, from a diverse group of Omani higher education institutions for taking a socially responsive attitude to the health and welfare of others, while developing their interaction with the community, and enhancing their photographic and media skills. Ray Petersen — Pictures by Lena Petersen