Alhareth

I think no one interested in photography doesn’t have an Instagram account. Even the people who aren’t interested in photography have an Instagram account for different purposes. As an iPhoneographer, I need to see others’ work to get inspiration. One of my favorite accounts on Instagram is Alhareth. Last year he came to NYC and I met him. Today I am interviewing him as a great photographer.

• I asked him to introduce himself and he said:

My name is Alhareth Ajjaj. I am 21 years old. I am a photographer and filmmaker, and traveler. I am originally from Yemen, but I lived my whole life in Saudi Arabia. I worked at our Apple shop in Riyadh city since I was 12 years old. I became really good at computers, especially Apple products. In December 2012 I came to Eugene, Oregon in the United States to continue my education. The plan is to get a degree in filmmaking.

• Why did you choose not to study photography?

I love making videos a lot more than taking photos. my passion was always for video.

• What made you interested in photography?

When I took some photos with my friend’s camera and I liked it, I just wanted to make more and more.

• When did you become a photographer?

In 2007 when I bought my first professional camera. 

• Did coming to study in the US influence your becoming a photographer? How?

Not really. I started doing photography long before I come to the States.

•  Who is supporting you while become a photographer?

No one. I was working so I had some money to buy a camera. It was a self-taught thing.

• Do you prefer a specific kind of photography? Which kind?

I love life-style photography, street photography, portraiture and cityscape photography.

• Which one do you prefer more, an iPhone camera or a professional camera and which one do you like to use? Why?

I actually do not care about the kind of camera I’m using. I love my film camera, DSLR, and iPhone camera. I love my iPhone because it makes it much easier to take a photo while I am out and don’t have my camera. I don’t understand why people on Instagram write “iPhone only.” It’s not important what camera you use, it is the photos you take that matters.

• When do you prefer to use the iPhone camera and when do you prefer to use a professional camera? Why?

I use my iPhone all the time. I don’t carry my professional camera with me all the time, its to heavy. I use my camera often when I have a model to work with or something requires a lot of details and more control of the situation.

• What do you use to edit your photos? (iPhone and professional)

iPhone: Snapseed, VSCOcam, Afterlight.

Professional: Lightroom.

• Do we need to have a professional camera to get a good shot? Why?

No need for a professional camera. It is in your eyes and how you look at things; the camera only a medium to document that.

• What is your advice to get a good photo? 

1-Open your eyes and look at the details around you, maybe in your apartment, the streets, and shops. Focus on simple things and work your way up from there.

2-Design your shot. Think of the design elements such as composition, lines, shapes, space, etc. 

• What do you think about other smartphone cameras, aside from the iPhone? 

I have no idea. I am sure there are a lot of good smartphones out there. I only use iPhone because I like it.

I really appreciate your time Alhareth and I would like to see you soon.

That was my interview with Alhareth and I hope you enjoyed the interview.

I think some of you are disappointed because I didn't have the interview with someone famous. I didn’t care about the number of followers because the matter here is to see beautiful pictures. I really could do this with someone who everyone knows, but I choose to do it with Alhareth because of 2 reasons. First, his images deserve to be seen. Also, he uses iPhone4s. So, when we see images like these taken by iPhone4s, we will be sure the iPhone5 will give us better results. Second, we have seen a lot of images like this, but they were taken by an American and a European. So, I wanted to prove that everyone can take a great quality image. I think that we haven't seen talent from Yemen, so we have to support that. As photographers, we have to encourage each other, especially those whose images deserve it.