#PhoneArtSaudi



Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

Street art photography is a widespread phenomenon in the Kingdom, especially among aspiring photographers. Abdulrahman Saleh Abdulrahman, a 24-year-old photographer, documents everyday life on the streets of the Kingdom. The young photographer from Somalia was raised in Saudi Arabia and studied finance at King Saud University in Riyadh. AbdulRahman photographs laborers, places and vendors in hopes to capture the perfect moment and emotion.



“For me, photography is about telling stories of people or places and, most importantly it’s about having fun. I started photography after months of seeing incredible photos on Flickr in 2012, and that pushed me to get my first camera. I learned how to photograph and to edit my pictures online. I do it because it’s fun even if I didn’t get any great shots that day,” he told Saudi Gazette.



Greatly inspired by cinematography in movies, he likes to travel within the country and meet different people. “I take most of my shots in old neighborhoods. The people I take photos of are ordinary people, because art is available everywhere. Most of my photos were taken in Riyadh, some of them in the holy city of Makkah and Madina, but the best I have taken have been in the city that never sleeps-  Makkah. And this is even though I took them with my phone,” he said.



AbdulRahman works as an assistant manager for one of the leading confectionery companies in the Kingdom and hopes to establish his own business one day, except this would be pursuing his passion for photography.



Talking about his current works, he said: “These pictures are mostly portraits for people I meet for the first time. I’m still trying to learn the art of photography.”



He is currently working on a new ‘street life series’.



Follow him on IG: @isalehu