JEDDAH: A Saudi photographer is hoping exposure of his uplifting images amid the gloom of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak will move him one step closer to realizing a professional dream.
Ever since taking his first pictures on a mobile phone, Ahmed Al-Hamwan has harbored an ambition of photographing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Capturing the royal on camera would be the crowning glory of the 30-year-old lensman’s career. And it is a dream he believes will one day come true.
With public movement restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic the snapper, from the municipality of Jouf, sees hope for the future through his lenses.
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After six years as a professional cameraman, Al-Hamwan takes great pride in the photograph that he took of his father.
His passion for photography began as a hobby taking photos for his friends using a mobile phone camera and archiving them, before his focus turned to landscapes.
Al-Hamwan’s first camera was a Canon 7D but he has since spent thousands of riyals on photography equipment. However, he said picture taking could generate handsome profits.
FASTFACTS
- Ahmed Al-Hamwan’s first camera was a Canon 7D but he has since spent thousands of riyals on photography equipment.
- Al-Hamwan recommends novices to follow professional photographers’ social media sites to help develop their skills and learn about the latest camera techniques.
His work has been recognized in a number of photography competitions.
In 2018, he came fourth in the “excitement” category of the Ezz Al-Khail contest against more than 100 contestants, and last year he was runner-up in the Jouf Society of Culture and Art’s photo event for best shots of the city’s tourist attractions.
He advises novices to follow professional photographers’ social media sites to help develop their skills and learn about the latest camera techniques.
Ahmed Al-Hamwan’s work has been recognized in a number of photography competitions. (Supplied)
The more exposure an amateur snapper can get to the work of experts the greater their visual feedback, which enables faster learning and more creativity, he said.
He pointed out that the use of filtering apps in the processing of photos gave them “a good shape,” but added that however technically advanced a camera was it could never fully replicate the natural vision of the human eye.
However, photo editing apps such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom could help photographers produce stunning images.
Al-Hamwan said he prefers to shoot during daytime, as light allows him to achieve the quality effects he looks for.
