Immortalizing life’s precious moments.
Lionel Messi captured smiling during the Argentine vs. Brazil match held in Riyadh as part of the Riyadh Season.
Success is the achievement of a desired result – it can be experienced through many ways and forms. The ecstatic wave of emotions that can all generally fall under happiness is a moment we all wish to grasp for a long time, luckily, the art of photography has given us the opportunity to make this possible. Here are a few photographers that has successfully framed success through their work.
Saleh Al Hadhlul started off documenting trips with friends and family. As an architect, Saleh’s interest in photography revolves around the unusual approach in photographing everyday things but in a more interesting and intriguing angle as well as old structures and iconic buildings that our eyes have gotten used to looking at. Most of his photography work is within the world of architecture.
According to him, no matter how many times you plan to take a certain photograph, the result may differ from how you envisioned it to be, but that is all part of the process and as long as it serves the purpose of a great photograph, “…it should leave them speechless, if a photograph captivates you to the point of being overwhelmed then I have successfully delivered. Photographs for me are like poems without letters, my pen is my camera and my inspiration is the surroundings.”
Instagram: sale7des
A child’s joy captured while running in puddles of rain after months of summer heat.
Helmy H. Al Sagaff is one of the pioneering photographers when digital format was introduced in Saudi Arabia. He always has been a curious soul, observing the world and life around him at a young age, appreciating the lines, the symmetry and inspiring imagery that his eyes rendered. His love for photography stems from the same curiosity, observation and the passion to document everyday things that piqued his interests.
“I love the challenge that comes with the process. Photography is like an extension to my memory, one of the things I love about it is the nostalgic purpose it serves.” The idea of having the ability to document or encapsulate a moment in time and immortalize it through photographs drives Helmy to store archives of material he had shot in both film and digital formats since 1999 to today.
As a professional photographer, his portfolio is diverse in terms of content but the element he tries to keep consistent in each picture is preserving the reality surrounding his subject at the moment the photo was taken. “How and what the photograph you take makes you feel is an important part of taking a great photograph, the other part is if you manage to evoke your audience to feel the same way you do about your photograph.”
Instagram: helmy_alsagaff
At a traditional wedding in the Najd area.
Omar Al Nahdi is the Brand Ambassador for Fujifilm Saudi Arabia and the chairman of the photography committee of the Society of Culture and Arts in Jeddah. He was born to a family that owned a business selling cameras. Naturally, he developed a liking for the artform, but the interest in photography peaked when he finally got his first professional camera in 2006. Then, a desire to capture the heritage behind historical Jeddah was evoked.
Omar loves to take photographs of a city’s landscape, the life in the streets and people’s facial expressions. To him, the artform is his most effective way of expressing how he feels inside. A perfect picture for him is “to capture a subject that tells the story of a person or a social issue, to showcase that photograph in hopes that it could touch people’s emotions and lives.”
A recipient of the Saudi Colors Award in Cultural Heritage, Omar has a collection of photographs documenting the recent positive changes and developments in women’s lives in Saudi Arabia. His instagram account contains posts depicting the country’s progress. To him, this is one form of capturing “success.”
“I love the challenge that comes along with the process. Photography is like an extension to my memory…”
Instagram: @nahdiomar
The Hijazi art of Ta’sheer.
Abdulrahman Aldgelbi’s mostly known for his regional photography exhibitions, but his love for the medium started off with the simple fact that he lives in one of Saudi Arabia’s most photogenic cities, Taif, a place locally known to have an abundance of roses. Ten years later, Abdulrahman has honed his skills enough to know what makes a photograph great, “I love photos that touch your heart, mind and affects your emotions. However, a picture taken for no particular purpose means nothing.”
He understands the many challenges that a photographer needs to overcome to walk away with the desired outcome. To him, there are many ways to capture success with a single click, but a different way of photographing one of the truest forms of success is through capturing special moments like when a person realizes a dream, or the overcoming of a challenge after a number of repeated failures and most importantly, self-discovery. Abdulrahman believes that every photographer has the ability to capture these through their own lens and style.
Instagram: @aldgelbi
