I captured the action so people can feel and live the experience through the photos. In this expedition, we came across different situations. Some were risky and others were fun. Through adventure photography, I can share different feelings such as excitement, fun, risk, fear, stress, power, etc.”
Muna Khalfan volunteered with YallaGo 2020 as an adventure photographer. The trip targeted to cross Oman in a straight line from the northern-most part of Oman, Jazirat Salamah in Musandam, to the southern-most part in Mirbat. The trip lasted 47 days and went through a series of activities — from kayaking to long-days of walking, from hiking in valleys to conquering the intimidating Empty Quarter desert to climbing rugged mountains.
“It was a unique adventure as it combined the ocean, mountains, wadis, desert, and flat areas, an all-in-one expedition. It also included camping, every day,” Muna noted.
They moved from one camp to another with full gear.
“Every day, there was something new to the expedition. Every step of the journey, I learned from and advanced,” she shared.
The feeling one gets may differ from a person to another depending on their personality and the path of their adventure, but Muna believes that a lot of these emotions are often expressed through facial expressions and distinctive body language.
“Usually, all journeys start with a big smile, filled with happiness and excitement. As the days move on, the emotions vary. The journey takes a toll on the participants. You can feel the tiredness and at some point, factor in the mental exhaustion,” she shared.
“These emotions are reflected in photographs. For an ambitious project like this, there were unprecedented hiccups along the way. There were accidents and the trip comes with risk in varying degree and indifferent forms as one passes through unfrequented valleys, forests or mountains. Each terrain brings its own sets of challenges. The success of the trip now relied on the resilience and the eagerness of the participants,” Muna said.
“During the YallaGo 2020 saga, we faced unexpected incidents. For example, in Musandam, the girls were kayaking in a normal sea condition and suddenly raging waves started and the cloud started pouring rain,” she shared.
She added, “even when we were in the mountains of Dhofar, we came across some cliffs and pathways that were very challenging to cross. All these challenges were also great opportunities to capture as they tell the real story behind the success,” she shared.
Muna pointed out that one of the perks though is that she was able to capture some beautiful scenes not often captured on photos. These photos allow people to appreciate what’s within these places.
“Adventurers around the world are looking for new places to discover. Through these photos, the world is told of what Oman has to offer. Indirectly, it is one of the best ways to promote Oman’s adventure tourism,” she said.
“In YallaGo 2020, we have explored so many new places that only a few people from Oman have visited such as some islands in Musandam, the Empty Quarter desert and some mountains in Buraimi and the south,” she said.
Muna shared that being an adventure photographer comes with its challenges and rewards. Because of the adventures, one should be fit enough to keep up with the team. The fact that an adventure photographer has to make sure that she doesn’t miss a moment adds more to the pressure.
“Something can happen at any time. What I like about adventure photography is the unpredictability of the scenes. You’re always on your toes,” she shared.
“A photographer should pre-plan some of the shoots. She should scout the location ahead than the team. She should keep track of the location, the type of adventure, the number of participants, the transportation and should have a set of goals listed down,” she shared.
“Some of the unforgettable memories from this trip were capturing the feeling of the support team when we lost the connection with Anisa and Natalie and they were in dangerous ophiolite mountains where the rocks were not stable. My focus at that time was to capture their feeling and show their stress level. Another moment was when we finished the first leg of the expedition which was kayaking for five days in Musandam. When we finally landed on the shores of Dibba, the amount of cheering and pride we received from the women of the area was very touching,” she said.
To learn more about Muna’s work, you can follow her on Instagram @munaalshidhani or through her Twitter @munashidhani
BY TITASH CHAKRABORTY
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