A pioneer in his own right, he has provided the Kingdom with its first full-fledged photography production house for the purpose of raising the quality of photography in the Kingdom. He is also a co-founder of sister companies: 181 Degrees and Post Production.
His print on canvas photographs were recently on display at the Young Saudi Artists Exhibition at ATHR Gallery.
Arab News caught up with the royal photographer:
I would mainly call myself a photographer. I am passionate about photography and have been pursuing it for the past three years. I like to express my feelings though my pictures. I try to indulge in paintings sometimes, but I would rather keep that to myself.
Many people think that external beauty is everything; people are constantly judging by what they see on the outside.
When people looked at my photographers, they thought they were taken at a place of repose where one could sit for hours. When I told them they were taken at the Jeddah sewage, they were shocked! When I went to Bahairat Al Musk (Musk lake), I saw something really beautiful. I started photographing it, and I was stunned myself as to how beautiful it turned out even though in reality it is a sewage area.
Not everything that is beautiful from the outside is beautiful from the inside. So, my thoughts are, NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER.
A lot of my friends who are photographers outside Saudi Arabia asked me if there was anything I could photograph here other than deserts and camels. By coincidence, I found the most beautiful pictures coming out from a place that would be least expected. The idea of the photograph was very personal; every person in Jeddah has a story associated with that lake. Either their house was lost or their car broke down or maybe it just brings happy memories. The picture triggers one towards narrating a story or starting a conversation. It’s like an icebreaker!
Not really. To be honest, I used to be a painter, but one day, I fell in love with one of my friend’s photographs. That’s when I decided to venture into photography. I then started learning from all kinds of people who had something to teach me. The more I see people grow around me, the more I learn from them and the more I understand.
One kind of photography is the artistic sort where you don’t really limit yourself. It has no boundaries. The other is the kind that runs by rules and guidelines.
I prefer to capture the beauty of a picture in its natural form, so I don’t really like bothering it with technical alterations. However, sometimes, I may Photoshop an image to enhance its sharpness. It all depends what mood I want to convey in the picture.
I have been painting since I was six or seven years old; however, this is the second time I have exhibited work in Saudi Arabia. I will be continuing with photography.
The reception that we artists received at the Young Saudi Artists exhibition at ATHR gallery has encouraged me to explore my work a little more. So, hopefully, you will be seeing a combination of both painting and photography in my future work.
The beauty of making mistakes is the opportunity they provide in learning from them…
