ALKHOBAR: From the iconic rock formations of AlUla to wildlife conservation efforts in the northwest, Saudi Arabia marked World Photography Day on Wednesday by highlighting how local lensmen are documenting the Kingdom’s natural and cultural landscape.
The annual event, which is observed globally on Aug. 19, coincided with initiatives across Saudi Arabia celebrating photography as both an art form and a vital tool for preserving heritage, wildlife, and everyday life.
For 35-year-old Saudi photographer Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, the shift is visible behind the camera.
“When I started photography, there were fewer opportunities to exhibit work or connect with other photographers. Today, there are competitions, exhibitions, workshops, and much more interest in photography as an art form,” he told Arab News.
He added that this expansion had coincided with photographers looking beyond familiar landmarks to document the broader spectrum of Saudi life.
“Saudi Arabia gives photographers completely different environments within the same country. You can photograph mountains in Asir, historic architecture in AlUla, the coast of the Red Sea, and desert landscapes, and each requires a different way of looking at the place,” Al-Ghamdi said.
He emphasized that the significance of this work extended far beyond aesthetic appeal, and added: “For me, photography is not only about creating a beautiful image. You are documenting places, people, and details that may look completely different 10 or 20 years from now.”
That growing engagement is mirrored in the Kingdom Photography Award, highlighted on World Photography Day by the Visual Arts Commission.
Since launching in 2022, the award has received more than 2,000 submissions and selected nearly 41 winners across three editions. Each iteration has taken participants to a different region — beginning in Tabuk before expanding to Al-Ahsa and Asir — giving artists direct access to contrasting landscapes, architecture, and cultural heritage, alongside skill-building workshops.
Saudi photography is also making its mark internationally. Selected works from the award were featured in the “In a New Light” exhibition at the Abbazia Building in Venice, introducing contemporary Saudi photography to a global audience.
The Kingdom’s varied geography remains central to this visual narrative. In AlUla, photographers capture everything from archaeological sites to agricultural oases. The region has also built a strong following among astrophotographers, who utilize its low light pollution to capture the Milky Way against ancient desert formations.
While technology has lowered the entry barrier, Al-Ghamdi noted a distinct division between casual shooting and visual storytelling.
He said: “Phones and social media have made photography much more accessible. You don’t need expensive equipment to begin anymore. But taking thousands of photographs is different from learning how to tell a story through an image.”
In the northwest of Saudi Arabia, photography is increasingly serving environmental conservation.
The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve marked World Photography Day by concluding a six-month training program that equipped local team members to document the protected area.
After initial smartphone training for 36 staff members, 13 participants — nine men and four women — were selected for advanced instruction with professional DSLR cameras under international photographer Angela Buckland. The cohort included environmental inspectors, biologists, and community development specialists.
Over six months, participants documented reserve life, heritage, and conservation efforts, including the reintroduction into the area of red-necked ostriches, Arabian hares, and Asian houbara bustards.
Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of the reserve, said the goal was to enable the people living and working within the protected area to tell its story.
Participants included environmental inspector Abdullah Al-Huwaiti, who photographed field inspections and wildlife, and marine inspector Salma Aziz Al-Qusair, who documented coastal species and turtle nesting sites in Duba.
Ali Al-Faqih, the reserve’s biodiversity and research director, also utilized photography during field studies, recording the first sighting of a white-tailed eagle in Saudi Arabia in more than two decades in 2025.
The participants’ work has since been exhibited in Duba and Al-Wajh, alongside winning submissions from a school art competition involving over 1,000 local youngsters. The reserve is now preparing for a national photography exhibition in 2027 and plans to introduce video production training.
For Al-Ghamdi, the medium’s true impact deepens over time.
“World Photography Day makes me look back at photographs I took years ago. Some of the places have changed, and some of the people are no longer there. That is when you understand the value of documenting ordinary moments as well as major ones,” he said.
