The desert greets us from below the wings of our plane. Dry lands where even the olive trees and the jasmine flowers suffered under the regime. Fairuz waits for us in the car - smiling with a hint of melancholy. The first thing my cousin says to me is طولتوا علينا - what took you so long?
Twenty slides are not enough to capture my experience in Syria. You'll find on my website in my bio the complete photo album, as well as a blog post with photos shot on film, both of which capture better what it was like to be back. Reach out afterwards if you want to learn more, I have so many stories to share.
It took almost 15 years for me to finally be able to visit again. My grandmother, my aunts, my cousins, my childhood. A year has passed since the fall of the regime, and many are ahead of us to rebuild and take back what should've been ours. In my prayers are all those we lost, who should've been here to witness this.
After an eternity spent away, we now finally return to the place we once called home. Nothing could have prepared me for all the emotions that were to overcome me on this visit back. Seeing my grandmother, my relatives, my old bedroom, my old toys...
Check the link in my bio for a full piece on Syria and my experiences returning there.
As a Syrian diaspora photographer, returning to visit Syria after being kept away from it for so long has reawakened My sense of belonging to it. For so long I'd avoid mentioning my ties to the country, I hated the pity I'd see on the faces of people who asked me where I was from. For so long I believed I wouldn't be able to ever return, that the Syria I once knew no longer existed...
I spent most of my life away from Syria and had learned so much, met so many people, and traveled so much- and yet no place or people touched me the way Syria did now, welcoming me back with open arms.
Now all grown up, taking my cameras with me and returning to revisit the place that had taught me so much over the years even from afar, I was finally able to capture Syria with my adult eyes, the same way I remembered it as a child so many years ago...
Shot on a 30 Euro lens I got from @retropiacam .
They repurpose old disposable camera lenses and I always thought that’s such a cool idea. Yes, it doesn’t have autofocus or zoom, it’s a fixed f/11 or f/10 32mm lens. But the lens flares, the soft focus & the character in the images are so unique!
These are edited with @lightroom for mainly the colours and the carousel made with @scrlgallery
That’s my friend @shotbybazel who was out testing this with me.
So yes, you don’t need a 900 Euro lens to express yourself in your shots, you just need to play more! Go out and shoot with what you have, have fun with it while you can.
(DM for colours/ editing techniques)
#photographer #photogrphy #retropia #35mm #film
This photo series, Steaming Irish, is part of a larger body of work we are developing – including a photobook and a documentary currently in production – exploring the people and stories behind the festival. (Photobook will be out by the end of 2025)
At this year’s Moynalty Steam Threshing Festival, we set out to capture the essence of a uniquely rural Irish tradition. From the smoke and steam of threshing machines to the crafts, colours, and characters that bring the village to life, this ongoing project is a glimpse into a community rooted in heritage and togetherness.
• Photography by: Bassel Al Khaled (@shotbybazel )
• About the artist: Bassel Al Khaled is a resident photographer at @negative.ie , where his work is centred on people and moments. His focus lies in capturing life as he sees it – unfiltered, honest, and deeply human. Through his lens, Bassel seeks to document not just events, but the quiet details and fleeting expressions that tell the fuller story. He brings this approach to collaborative projects that explore culture, memory, and identity, creating images that hold both intimacy and narrative weight.
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@negative.ie is a collaborative creative studio founded by a group of visual storytellers who believe in working together to push creative boundaries. Our work is rooted in curiosity and collaboration.
Produced by Negative Studio (@negative.ie )
Designed by Uttariyo Saha (@uttariyo )
I keep finding myself so far away from the people that surrounded me with warmth that hearing their smile on the phone is all that’s left. How do you ever stop being sad?
Our short video inspired by dandelion hands – “How to Never Stop Being Sad.”
Shot handheld on a late summer evening in Dublin.
Also this is just a subtle announcement that I’m teaming up with Bassel (@shotbybazel ), Jemil (@jemilsaidi ), and Piradeep (@piradeep.pk ) to open our new collaborative creative studio @negative.ie !
🎥 by @uttariyo (Starring @shotbybazel )
📸 Sony a7iii + Sigma 28-70mm f2.8
Poetry by @dandelionhands
#ReelPoetry #ShortFilm #Cinematography #IndieFilmmakers #SonyAlpha #SigmaLenses #VisualPoetry
Moments from Barcelona. Where the early summer sun felt soft on my face and the narrow alleys draped in laundry reminded me of Naples.
I was buzzing to practice my Spanish – ordering food, asking for directions, making friends, slipping into the rhythm of the city one sentence at a time. Everywhere we went, the sea felt close, its scent lingering in the air.
Everywhere we looked, people danced, sang, and filled the city with life. A city where even the buildings sway and dance.
There are places that make you feel small, and then there are places that make you feel held. In the quiet rhythm of my bare footsteps on marble and the soft murmur of the voices around me reading sacred words, I found something that felt timeless.
It wasn’t just the beauty of the architecture, the endless arches, or the way the light poured through those grand umbrellas above. It was the stillness I felt in the middle of movement, the unspoken connection between the thousands of strangers united with one purpose, the peace that settled deep within me as if it had always been there, just waiting to be uncovered. Standing beneath Mount Uhud where the Battle of Uhud took place, praying in the Quba Mosque, walking the streets of Medina, I find myself wishing I could have come here a few centuries earlier.
This wasn’t a trip. It was a pause — a breath in a world that rarely stops to breathe.
As I close my eyes momentarily, I feel the presence of the hundreds of thousands that gather here daily, each hailing from the far corners of Earth, and yet all I can hear are the songs of the chirping birds and the peaceful recitation of the Quran. In silence we pray, in silence we stand, the rhythmic whispers echo through our souls.
I had heard so many stories about this place. I had grown up reading and hearing about it, and here I finally was—arrived at the home I never knew I had. A place that instantly embraced me with the warm arms of the hopes, dreams, and prayers of all those who had come here before me; embraced me with the tranquility and peace of hearts unburdened, embraced me with the scents of oud and incense lingering in the air, with the coolness of the tiles beneath my bare feet, grounding me in a moment I wished would never pass. Every step I take feels like walking through those stories I once heard—tales of longing, faith, and fulfillment.
I was five when my parents brought in my aunt to look after us kids while they went to Mecca for Hajj. I didn't fully understand where they were going or why it mattered so much. I just knew it was somewhere special-somewhere important. I remember sitting by the window in Abu Dhabi, imagining what Mecca looked like, what they were seeing, and why this place drew them there.
Only 20 years later, standing here myself now, I understand why. It is a place where time slows, where the noise of the world fades, and where you are reminded of everything that truly matters. A place where you feel your faith redefined. A place that is both an end and a beginning.
I told you I'd wait under the crows nest. Time stood still as I did. The crow's watchful eye told me what I already knew. I would wait for a long time.
Shot on a Zenza Bronica with medium format film that expired in 2017. Was not sure how the photos would come out, but here we are.
That One Time in London out on YouTube now. Came here to take a time out, shut down everything within me, and be swept away by the flow of this city. Standing still surrounded by people rushing and running, I find myself picking up my pace as well. I look left and right, distracted by what's in front of me, chasing the crowds wherever they go, completely forgetting everything that was weighing me down.
Watch the full video on YouTube through the link in my bio.
#cinematic #filming #film #fujifilmxt30 #london #shortfilm #filmmaking #youtube
From that one time in London...
I'm back from a few days in London where I was met by a strong sense of solitude in a city where no one knew me. It felt good to get away from everything that was occupying my mind and to be completely flooded by the sounds and images that filled these busy streets.
I spent my time walking around, cycling, writing, and observing the people around me as the sun set on the London skyline.
#london #photography #fujifilm #xt30ii #lightroom #cinematic #fujixseries
