Saleh Fareed
JEDDAH – The street photographers exhibition commenced last week as part of the opening of the 3rd Jeddah Historical Festival “Kuna Kida” which gave many local photographers the opportunity to exhibit their photographs of historic Jeddah including its homes, dresses and unique subcultures.
Saudi photographer Omar Al Nahdi, a member of the International Federation of Photographic Art, was recently given the honorary title of mayor of Jeddah historical area’s photographers for his novel way of capturing memories of time past.
His images include rare, never-before-seen images and are part of the photographs on display in Balad that represent the contributions made by local artists. Al Nahdi, who has built up a reputation as the historical area’s photographer, spent the past several years capturing the ordinary and the extraordinary.
This year, besides exhibiting his best of Balad along with 6 other young artists, he is participating as the official organizer of the Street of Photographers.
"If you want to see what the top young photographers are doing today, all of them together in one place: it's all right here in more than 200 distinct images," said Al Nahdi. "These local, renowned talents are showcasing their best that show the beauty of old Jeddah. They are absolutely the best in their class."
Aiming at showcasing various aspects of Balad, the photographers were free to interpret the compositions as they wished with little direction from Al Nahdi. The photographers, who have received positive reviews for their photographs include Hana Turkistani, Wafa Brimi, Homoud Al Majnouni, Naif Al Zahrani, Dalia Bujood and Mazin Flimban.
"As the curator, I believe in letting these young artists follow their own unique vision with as few guidelines as possible. I couldn't be happier with the results," he said.
Al Nahdi has had his images shown in more than one exhibition and most recently he exhibited at the Jeddah International Book Fair.
“Photographing the old Jeddah lifestyle is my goal because I want to show the diversity of my beloved city. I want the world to see what I see in my beautiful city which has a very rich historical background,” he said.
