Interview with The Skilled and Creative Ali Abdulraheem

Hi everyone, 

I am Khushee Joshi, a high school junior at Lagos, Nigeria and an aspiring pilot. I am an outgoing person, who is passionate about a lot of things in life and likes to look at things equally. I am also a writer and poet and I give equal time to improve my writing and poetic skills.

Today I am in conversation with young photographer Ali Abdulraheem!

Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK. In Kuwait, he used to photograph sunsets and sunrises once or twice a month and had a small nature reserve at home where he photographed spiders and butterflies in great detail. In 2014 he started his Engineering course in England. Now, he has a Canon 1dx II + Canon 200-400mm and visits private hides to photograph the common British birds without any harm or disturbance.

Interview with Ali Abdulraheem

When and how was the “I want to capture moments” feeling and
awakening?

When I was 11-12 years old, around 2009, I felt the need of documenting my trips & travels.

Do you remember your first shot? What was it?

Of course, It was of the moon … just before we were leaving to the airport to Dubai. The moon was glowing and so amazing.

How do you prepare for your trips?

To be honest, I don’t put much preparation into my trips, usually just packing my gear & 1 set of clothes & wish for the best.

What equipment do you use?

Currently, I use Canon 1dx ii & Canon 200-400mm, which I believe are one of the best for wildlife photography.

How long do you spend to wait and capture that one moment, that one
moment that communicates it all?

Usually people link wildlife photography with patience, but it’s more about knowledge & understanding the birds behaviour. The most I waited for a perfect moment was 2-3 hours.

Do you spend a lot of time editing your work?

Not really. I love to keep it simple & more importantly natural. The biggest challenge was photographing bird of preys in the snow, unfortunately, it doesn’t snow much in the UK so I had to travel to Norway to get something.

My first trip was back in January 2020 and we had absolutely no snow at all. I then decided to go later in March when most of the world was facing the coronavirus pandemic and risk it and came back with thousands of photos in the snow. It snowed so heavily; it was like a dream.

My best souvenir of it was a photo of a beautiful golden eagle in the dreamy snowy conditions. Thankfully I’ve been blessed enough to not have any bad experiences so far.

How important is photography to you?

It’s very important, it’s a part of my life that I can’t let go of anymore. It doesn’t really matter financially, but mentally it helps me with getting better knowledge of our world & help me escape from the tiredness of university and work.

What is your style of photography like and what do you wish to convey
with your photographs?

I don’t think I have a specific style, just trying to share the beauty of our nature that many of us can’t find & see.

What advice would you give someone who would like to become a
photographer today?

Never give up, keep working hard & always have fun. Don’t take it as competition & remember that practice makes perfect.

Rapid Fire

• What was the dreamiest place you have ever shot at?
  Skomer Island, Wales. It’s a heaven on earth … hundred thousand of birds that lives freely with no fear of human. Especially the puffin which is one of the cutest birds ever. The island doesn’t allow many people to stay overnight so it’s almost as I have the full place to myself. And at night you can actually see the stars; Milky Way with your own eyes cause there’s no light pollution.
• Which shoot was the hardest, tiresome and long?
  Definitely my puffin shots, it’s a 6-hour train journey, 45 minutes taxi drive then a 15 minutes boat ride. Also, we had to roam the island on foot which requires 8-10 hours of walking time around it.
• Which city in the world do you one day wish to shoot at?
  Masai Mara Narok, Kenya.
• What’s the prettiest species according to you?
  The Eurasian kingfisher, they are so colourful; their calls are so beautiful.
• What’s the best thing about being tucked away in the laps of nature?
  You forget about all the worries of life; enjoy the beauty of nature.

Ways to Reach Ali Abdulraheem

Ways to Reach Khushee Joshi

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

You can also access our recent interviews with Amanda Nguyen Hammond, Raheemat Sofola, Achala Rai, Utsa Madan, Adrija Mukherjee, Shubhangi Rastogi, Dipankana Das, Misty Rohatgi, Mehreen Saigal, Feyisara Odukoya, Amelie Martinez, Lisa Nath, Anamika Punjabi, Shivani Bafna, Marce Pedrozo Bhushita and Bhavika, Isilda Da Costa, Arya Talwakar, Alice Orion, Sumeet Dwibedy, Mazel J, Mel Terrofranca.

Yash Tiwari, Hiba Zaidi , Bridget Moore,  Hanifa Hameed, Meg Adams, Lindsay White, Alan Kuriakose, Antonio Romero, Omotunde Sogunle, Khushi Gadhvi, Sanskruti Balgude, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Wlaschiha, Taaha Shah, Valerie and Alex, Aishwarya Sridhar, Indiana Mehta, Sneha Desai, ReMix Reek, Kira Rizavi, Natiq and Ashwin. These interviews range over a variety of topics such as BLM, Fashion, Sports, Wellness, Rubik’s Cube Artists, Writing, Feminism, BLM, Rap, Acting, Travel, Photography, Dance and Music!

You can also check out some games played with our celebrities:
– Song Dictionary with Pratibha Singh Baghel
– Song Dictionary with Kira Rizavi
– Song Dictionary with Pakhi Singhal

You can also check out Grow with The Teen Pop Initiative interviews, where we support NGOs in whatsoever ways possible!
– Sandali Srivastava from Virtuskool
– Yousef Areda from Raise4Refugees 
– Varya Yadav from Cards in Kindness
– Debargha Roy from Project Saathi
– Khushi Popli from Project Pragati
– Nandini Sehgal from Robin Hood Army Nigeria

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.

In 2009, Ali bought his first camera to use it in his first trip to Dubai. As a young kid, he was interested in photographing the activities in Dubai’s waterparks rather than anything else. A couple of years later, he bought his first DSLR camera (Canon 550d) also to be able to get great photos and memories from his visit to the UK.