Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

The humanity of the moment

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There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.


These were the words of Robert Frank, a mid-20th century photographer who documented the American life and it was considered to be one of the most influential for that era.


While Frank may have lived decades ago, a part of his legacy trickled to one of Oman’s emerging photographers but instead of documenting the ironic rendering of the American life, this photographer focuses on the rich, diverse and thriving culture of the Sultanate.


Majed Ali Hamed al Jahwari, even at the beginning of his career, has always been fascinated by the Omani culture — its heritage and the lifestyle of its people. He is creating his own path of documenting the people’s life preserving for eternity on photographs the traditional gems of Oman.


At a young age, Majed has been awarded the FIAB artist delegation given by the International Federation of Photographic Arts. He has participated in different local and international competitions and won a gold medal not only from the International Federation but also from the American Society for Photography.


Majed shared that the beauty of Omani’s lifestyle is picture-ready which makes the job of photographers in Oman a little bit easy.

For Majed, taking an image and freezing a moment allows one to reveal the truth of that moment.


As an example, he referenced a photo he took, one of his favourites, where a boy was kissing a camel before the camel race began. On this intimate moment between a human and his animal friend, one can see the purity of the rawness of the moment and the deep love the boy has for his friend.


This is Majed’s goal for his photographs — for them to express deep feelings and reveal the truth of the moment.


Majed is not done yet capturing many great moments spread across the country. He is planning to take more inspiring photos — ones that will preserve the heritage and cultural life of the Omanis. He also started venturing out into documenting the Omani landscape and nature.


“I am really proud to show these photos. They were a testament to my country’s lifestyle, heritage and nature,” he said.


He also shared that having the photos published in international magazines and have people from different parts of the world see them allow them to understand the Omanis even better.


“I will keep on doing what I am good at and I will continue to raise my country’s name up,” he said.


Other than winning awards, Majed has also collected several certificates from arbitration committees and have received many other awards from different countries. Some of his works were also published in the Daily National Geographic Journal.


Still a student, Majed said that he is trying to keep a healthy balance between his life, his academic study and photography.

Majed has been to different parts of the country and as much as he can, try to do every scene he witnesses justice.


He said he gets disappointed every time he travels to a place but doesn’t find what was supposed to be there. He explained that a lot about photography is also about good chances and timing. The last travel he took was outside of the country,to Souq of Akad in Saudi Arabia.


Majed said that he is thankful he found many friends who have the same interest as him and it is for their unified support that the photography network in the country is alive.


Majed is a member of the Omani Photographic Association of the Sultan Qaboos High Centre for Diwan and a member of the International Federation of Photographic Art.


Siham al Saidi


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