The Padma Bridge opened to traffic on Saturday, 25 June 2022, and by Sunday every Facebook feed in the country was a bridge photo. Samsung Mobile Bangladesh moved the same day, announcing a photography campaign with a Galaxy S22 Ultra, the company's Tk 2 lakh flagship, for the best picture of the bridge taken on a Samsung phone.
The rules
- The photo must be taken with a Samsung smartphone; shortlisted entrants will be asked for the original file and the phone model, and Samsung says it will verify both through software.
- Post your best shot on the Samsung Bangladesh Facebook page with the hashtags #withGalaxy and #Samsung in the comment.
- Deadline: 15 July 2022. A preliminary selection is followed by a final round that picks the top ten.
- Prizes: first place a Galaxy S22 Ultra; second to tenth a Galaxy Tab each.
"The Padma Bridge is a huge achievement for Bangladesh, and we are proud and delighted," said Md Muyeedur Rahman, Samsung's head of mobile. "This is our way of sharing that joy."
The rule that matters more
Within 48 hours of the opening, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority had banned walking, stopping and taking photographs on the bridge itself, after crowds got out of cars and buses on the deck, and the police began fining people for it. So the winning photo will not be a selfie at the mid-span. Where you can shoot:
- The approach roads on the Mawa and Jajira sides, where the full 6.15-kilometre span lines up behind you.
- The river. Trawlers and speedboats from the Mawa ghat give the classic low angle with the piers marching to the horizon; go at golden hour, an hour before sunset.
- Shimulia and the Mawa fish market at night, when the bridge lights come on and reflect in the water.
- Not from a drone. Flying a drone near the bridge needs permission from the Civil Aviation Authority and the bridge authority; several were confiscated in the first week.
Phone tips for a bridge
Use the ultrawide lens from close to the approach for the sweep of the structure, and the telephoto from the river to compress the piers. Turn off HDR if the sky is blowing out, tap the bridge to lock exposure, and shoot at 48 or 108 megapixels if your phone has the mode, because the judges will see the original file. And whatever phone you use, the bridge will still be there next week when the crowds are not.
Read the terms before you post
Photo competitions run by brands almost always carry a clause granting the organiser a licence to use submitted images — in advertising, indefinitely, usually worldwide, and usually without further payment. That is not a scandal and it is not hidden; it is simply the price of entry, and it is the clause nobody reads.
It matters if the photograph is good. A frame you might later sell to a newspaper, a stock library or a client has a different value once a phone manufacturer also holds a licence to it. For a casual entry none of this is worth worrying about. For a photographer who takes the work seriously, the rule is simple: enter with a picture you are happy to give away, not with the best thing you shot that day.
