With a picture of a boy and a dove, Saudi photographer Noha Al-Ghalib won the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) silver award at the February 2004 Adana Rotary Club International Photography Exhibition in Turkey. She took the picture four years ago on a trip with her family to Asfan which is near Jeddah. “I found in the way the shepherd boy took care of the animals in his flock, his attachment to them, an expression of love,” she said. “It is one of my favorite pictures.” The subject of the exhibition was love and for Noha, the picture expresses something about preserving the natural environment as well as the affinity between humans and animals.
She considers her launch as a serious photographer to have taken place six years ago, but her passion for photography and art has been part of her life since childhood. Although she has a bachelor degree in computer science, she continues to expand her knowledge of photography and develop her skills by taking photography courses in Jeddah and in the US.
“The more pictures you take, the better you will be and the more you will learn,” she said.
By becoming affiliated with the House of Photographers in Jeddah she moved into the Saudi field and by becoming a member of FIAP in Switzerland representing Saudi Arabia, she entered the international arena. Since 1995, she has participated in more than 140 collective exhibitions locally and internationally. In 1999 she held her first personal exhibition in Jeddah followed by others in Syria and Qatar. In 2003 she joined Princess Reem Al-Faisal in an exhibition at the annual Avignon Arts Festival in France; theirs was the first Arab participation in the event.
From the start she has proven herself a talented photographer and has won many awards, including FIAP Artist of 2001, which is considered the first international title given to an Arab artist by FIAP. As a result, she had her work published in FIAP publications. Despite all this, she still considers photography a hobby. “Even though I might have reached professional level, I’m still in the process of learning.”
Among her earliest achievements was receiving the highest number of points by the judging panel at the FIAP 24th biennial competition in China in 1997. In this competition, 3940 photographers from 67 countries participated and only 356 photographs out of 22,256 were chosen by a panel of expert judges.
With her camera with her wherever she goes, her pictures reflect different subjects and styles. “Sometimes I choose my subjects depending on what I want to photograph, the place I’m in or a specific idea I have, but most often my pictures are a what I see and the country I’m in and my trying to capture its culture and nature,” said Al-Ghalib. She is very interested in cultural images, in natural ones and especially in people in their environment. She uses a Nikon camera and has not made the transition to digital cameras yet because she finds a regular film cameras has a special quality that many professionals still prefer.
As a female Saudi photographer, she does not find any difficulties or inconveniences in practicing her hobby. “I choose times when there isn’t much traffic and few people are around for taking pictures. Still, it is easier abroad where I can enjoy photography more and most of my work is done during my travels with my family.” Two months ago she was in Britain where she took pictures of Muslims there and images of the Islamic presence in Britain. “It was a wonderful trip in which I met many people and artists such as the British Muslim photographer Peter Sanders. I was happy about this experience; I learned so many useful things.” That is how she views every experience and she continues to develop her talent, making a place for herself among internationally recognized photographers.