Photo from Qatar desert scoops first place in international contest

Brazilian photographer, Leonardo Wen, has won a renowned international photo award for a picture taken in the deserts of Qatar.

The photograph captures the crowd gathered around “East-West/West-East” – that’s Richard Serra’s famous desert sculpture near Dukhan

Dukhan, a tiny desert outpost on the west coast of Qatar, is a 60-minute drive from Doha.

Wen took part in the Qatar museums Qatar Brazil 2014 Year of Culture photographic exchange project.

This photograph won the first place at the Repsol Photography Awards at the Lima photo international Fair.

Wen, and Andre Jaoquim from Brazil, were both invited to Qatar and two Qatari photographers were welcomed by Brazil to explore its unique culture.

Qatar Brazil 2014 was Qatar Museums third consecutive Year of culture – this year it is Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture.

Turkish Photographers Ali Muhammet Bayraktariglu (Izmir) and Hasan Yelken (Gazyantip) have created powerful images of Qatar through a visual photographic journey.

Qatari Photographers Sara Al Obaidly and Saleh Al Marri have done the same in Turkey.

The event will span a period of three weeks.