MARLBOROUGH – For Rehan Qadri, photography in Marlborough has become much more than a simple hobby.
“Whenever I’m traveling, my eyes are continuously looking,” he said in a recent interview. “[I’m thinking] ‘Oh this is good, let me take a photo.’”
Qadri has photographed Marlborough for years, developing his personal photography into a passion project. His primary focus remains natural photography – with a strong preference for the Marlborough skyline and its unique sunsets.
“We are very fortunate we are living here,” Qadri said. “Many people don’t realize that twice or thrice a week, you will see those sunset hues around the Marlborough sky.”
Photographer notes familiar spots
Qadri also enjoys photographing Marlborough’s downtown, particularly around Main Street and Union Common.
“I could take a hundred or more photos everyday,” he said. “Every time I go there, I find a new angle or perspective to shoot.”
Typically, Qadri will spend a half hour to an hour per week taking photographs during the evening. He tends to spend much more time on his photography work during the fall season, enjoying the unique colors of Marlborough’s quintessential New England autumn.
“From my perspective, the colors we will see in fall, you can’t beat them,” Qadri said. “It’s like heaven for photographers.”
Qadri enjoys sharing his pieces in community forums on Facebook, appreciating opportunities to showcase Marlborough’s natural beauty.
“Many people are at work [or] eldery and can’t go out,” he said. “Sometimes all you need on a bad day is a good photo.”
“Not everyone is able to see the sky, so why not include everyone’s joy and share it with them?” he continued.
Photographer enjoys sharing joy
Qadri finds sharing this joy to be one of his greatest motivators for continuing his photography.
“It gives me so much relaxation,” he said. “It gives me so much satisfaction to share with everyone. It gives me motivation.”
He hosts a substantial library of works that he has photographed. While noting that he can always improve, he finds pride within his older pieces as well.
“My personal library is getting bigger and bigger, and, to be very honest, I love my work,” Qadri said. “Everytime I go through my old files, I relive my memories.”
Passion for photography continues
Even after years of photography in Marlborough, Qadri said he has no difficulty finding new subjects.
The most common places, he said, can host an interesting and compelling photo.
“Even in a parking lot, you will find something you will appreciate,” he said. “It could be a small leaf, or a flower. It’s all about how you present it.”
Though Qadri has dedicated much of his time to his hobby, he said has no plans to monetize his work and work full time as a photographer.
“I don’t feel I should go full time with this,” he said. “Down the road, who knows. It’s just something I like and actually love shooting here and there.”
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