Selina Farooqui

Before I start I’ll clarify to those who are reading from other parts of the world. I am based in Qatar, a little country next to Dubai. No not Dubai, NEXT to Dubai. It’s developing vastly and it is holding the 2022 world cup.

The Designer

Inspired by her Indian roots, a Masterpiece was created. Selina Farooqui a young fashion design graduate has just ventured in to the wild unpredictable world of Fashion. Her clothing line is Indian influenced with a modern twist! Her vivid choice of material sets her different from all the rest. Intricate designs and patterns flood her clothing line, and bursts of colour catch the eye. It’s the whole concept of the modern twist and the traditional creativity that really creates the atmosphere of top end fashion and something anyone would want to buy. That’s when I came in. Selina and I both teamed up to create a visual showcasing of her clothing line, rather than everyone seeing her clothes hung up on a manikin, why not have a location, models, and lots of atmosphere! So that’s exactly what we did.

Day One, Souq Waqif. 

Souq Waqif is traditional place where a lot of people come to relax with friends and family, a lot of people eat at the traditional restaurants and sheesha is offered too.  The location has a traditional atmosphere to it as the buildings look aged with lots of old doors.

6:30am on a Friday morning, I set off to Doha anxious; and hoping all the models were awake getting ready for the 8:00am start. This was the day Selina and I had been planning for and it was actually happening! Garments, camera, models and water- Check. The models looked fabulous and now all they needed was the extravagant unique garments Selina had selected for them to wear. I had to shoot fast before the temperature would escalate and we’d all end up dehydrated. After walking round the Souq finding locations and choosing models to pose for the shot, we ended up going to a nearby horse farm. The place was magnificent and this would defiantly test the models patience working with the horses. I could see the fear in some of the models faces and some just had a natural connection. It was around 11:00am when we finished, exhausted yet content with the outcome of the photo shoots. This day definitely taught me time, efficiency and preparation for the next day ahead.

Day Two, Qatar’s best kept Secret.

“Dukahn”.. Everyone’s faces dropped as I told them that would be the next location. Dukhan is one of those places most people try to avoid going because it’s just too far to even think about. It’s situated around 40minutes from Doha and it’s a long and tiring drive, not to mention the location was another one hour from Dukhan. It took some negotiating and eventually we had a set plan.

Fortunately I lived in Dukhan so I woke up early and set off to the location with my mother and sister, just to make sure I knew the way, as it was literally in the middle of the desert and I knew I’d have to lead the girls to the set location. 1 hour went by and we still didn’t find the location, 2 hours went by and we still didn’t find the location, as you can imagine driving in the middle of the desert with no sense of direction or guidance could be the ultimate stress booster before the girls arrived in Dukhan. Eventually on the third hour we could see it in the distance and smiles across our faces emerged. The girls finally arrived in Dukhan and it was my turn to show them the way. Thankfully I flagged the location on the Sat Navigation so I just had to head to the flag.

The location is known as the Ras Abrooq better known as the ‘Film Set’.  It was made for a film and then left there for people like us to explore. The place is just beautiful and breath-taking, apart from the fact it’s in the middle of nowhere. We all set up and the place was vacant for us to use. Time again was against us, we needed to shoot all the garments and leave before it got dark.

Before you knew it, it was dark and we had to navigate our way back out the desert and back to civilization, we all began to worry if we would ever get out alive. Imagine desert, no roads, pitch black, and only the flag on the Sat Navigation to head too. It was worrying but at last we found our way out and it proved to be a successful day.

As you can see her clothing line is just breath taking and so unique -

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Check out my TUMBLR  for the photos of her W Showcasing and some other Photos of the Photoshoot !


Frozen Vanity -