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Photographer Stephanie Ravel has made a head start in the world of art with a novel display of images featuring the 'ghutra' - the traditional headdress worn by Bahraini men.
Her work entitled 'Ma Ghutra est moi', which in English means 'My Ghutra is me', is one of eight exhibits of the typology exhibition Same, Same but Different' taking place at the Al Riwaq Art Space in Adliya.
Her work comprises a compilation of 15 artfully cropped portraits of men wearing the headdress. Ms Ravel, 32, who lives in Gufool, said: "The first time I observed a man adjusting his headdress had been a fascinating 10 minutes show - right, left, up, down, pinched at the front, thrown over the shoulder! There are so many ways in which the ghutra can be worn.
"The style varies with the season, the age, the family and the degree of formality required. I decided to keep only the eyes and the top of the ghutra in my display of images as it concentrates the mind on the subject.
"I had to forget my natural shyness to ask men if they wouldn't mind me taking their picture."
Ms Ravel, an international co-ordinator for the Media Centre of the University of Bahrain, has had an eye for photography ever since she was a child.
She said: "I have always travelled with a camera in my hand. I used to own an automatic camera just until last year when I decided to get a manual SLR to test my skills."
The exhibition was the culmination of a collective photographic workshop entitled 'Typology' which means 'study of the types' that was conducted last year. The curator of the exhibition is renowned Bahrain-based photographer and artist, Camille Zakharia.
Ms Ravel explained: "The exhibition and particularly the workshop which all led us to it taught me perseverance and precision.
"Typology is not an easy photographic exercise. It means taking systematically the same object with the same setting - same distance, same lens, same angle. I had the sensation of being a long distance runner!
"The emotion attached to the workshop and the exhibition is the power of a group.
"I thought photography was a lonely hobby but I realise that without the group and our committed instructor all this would not have been possible."
Ms Ravel, who is originally from France, has worked in several countries including Tunisia, India and China before moving to Bahrain four years ago.
