When a married man chooses to sign up for a job in the Kingdom, he usually views the move in a positive light. He is looking forward to an improvement in the family finances and a bit of adventure. For his spouse however, the move might not seem so delightful. She’ll probably be unable to work. She won’t be able to drive. The children are often sent to boarding schools. The poor woman can’t imagine what will fill the hours, day after miserable day.
Some women balk at the thought of living in Saudi Arabia and refuse to come to the Kingdom except for brief visits. Others do make the move and quickly get sucked up in an endless round of coffee mornings and shopping expeditions. There’s nothing wrong with such a choice except that it can become rather dreary after a while, especially for women who previously had their own careers.
“Just short of two years ago, I accepted a position in Saudi Arabia and my wife’s initial reaction was one of devastation,” said Dean Polley. “We were living in Dubai at the time and the folklore put out over there was that by coming to Saudi Arabia she’d basically be giving up her freedom. My wife feared the worst.”
Unhappy, but determined to make the best of her lot, Robeya Polley decided that she had to find something to do so her time in Saudi Arabia would be bearable.
“I’d taken up photography as a hobby a few years before. My husband is an avid photographer and in our homeland, South Africa, there’s a lot of interesting wildlife. For a while I just went along with him to the bush, sitting nearby and watching him photographing birds and beasts. Eventually, he bought me my first camera and then I really enjoyed going out and taking beautiful pictures,” explained Polley. “Sometimes it was frustrating though because when the film was developed, I didn’t get the results I’d hoped for. When we lived in Dubai, I took a course on photography, and black and white film developing. It was very exciting to shoot better pictures and then see my own results in the darkroom. I found though that film developing was time consuming and I began thinking about getting a digital camera. While I was waiting for my visa to Saudi Arabia, I attended a course on studio photography and it opened a new avenue of creativity for me.”
When Polley came to the Eastern Province last year, she brought lights and backdrops in her luggage. Soon she was taking photos of friends and everyone admired her talented portraits. She did find photographing people quite a bit different from capturing wildlife on film.
“Well, in the first place, in a studio I control the environment,” said Polley. “I don’t have to wait for the right light or for the subject to move to a good position. Believe me, it’s tough to tell a lion to say ‘Cheese’ and photographing animals can be dangerous, too. On the other hand, animals are much less critical of my work than people. It’s disconcerting at first when the subject of a photograph has an opinion about it.”
While Polley was enjoying improving her skills behind the camera, she got fed up with the hassle of film developing in the Kingdom. This gave her the final push she needed to investigate the possibility of going digital. Eventually, with her husband’s input, she selected a top of the range digital camera from Canon. Unlike compact aim and shoot devices, this camera, targeted at professionals, shoots eight frames per second. It’s excellent for photographing wildlife in motion or rambunctious children.
“Using a digital camera is a wonderful experience. It’s 100 percent better than shooting with film,” said Polley. “I can immediately see how the photos look and make changes in the lighting or composition if necessary. It’s very cost effective. I can snap 100 frames and it’s not a concern if I only select 10 or 20. No one would do that with film. In a conservative Islamic society like that of Saudi Arabia, the digital camera has the advantage that the photographs can be immediately burned to a CD so no strangers are given a view of a family occasion. One of the nicest things too is that it’s very easy to retouch the digital images using my computer. I can erase a pimple or under eye circles. One of my friends was so pleased with the minor retouching that I’d done on her portrait that she asked me if digital liposuction was possible. She wanted to look a bit thinner in the picture.”
Polley thought her friend looked just fine in the photograph, but she has noticed that people are very critical of the person they see in the mirror. Life can look different too when it’s seen through a camera lens, as Polley herself discovered after coming to the Kingdom.
“Dubai was a challenge for me because it was the first time I met people from so many different countries,” commented Polley. “But here in the Kingdom I have learned how to function within a new culture and I have grown more patient and tolerant. I have also learned that life offers many opportunities and it’s up to each one of us to choose what to take from each day. In Saudi Arabia, some women can’t see the opportunities because they only focus on the restrictions. I am pleased that through my choice to try studio photography I have created a path for positive interaction with others. My photographs give people memories that they can see. My camera allows me to capture the moment — whatever it may be.”
Arab News Features 25 April 2003