A VISUAL STORYTELLER
Photographer + Filmmaker
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
If there is only one thing that we all know for certain, it is that time keeps inevitably passing us by. that makes it the most precious and valuable resource that any of us can ever have. being so, and since our hours, days, weeks, months and years will pass anyway, wouldn’t it make more sense to just live the kind of life that I would love to live? and start living it today rather than tomorrow? because we know that if we keep looking forward for tomorrow, tomorrow may just never come.
I have spent 15 years chasing someone’s (or a society’s) idea of what a happy way of life could mean. And while, I believe, that there is no experience can be a bad experience, as you are prone to learn a lot of lessons from each and everyone, albeit I would have rather spent that may years, days and hours living (or pursuing) the kind of life that better gels with what happiness means to me. It took me 15 years of service in a corporate cubicle to really appreciate the real value of time. Deciding to get rid of (almost) everything I own, leave a life that was not meant for me and backpack my way around the world for a year was not an easy decision to make. But having done it, I tell you, it was by far the smartest decision I have ever made. In addition to the vastness of personal growth I have gained through all the different experiences with different people in so many different places and from different backgrounds, that year helped me get up-close and personal with my own self and explore, with clarity, what kind of life that I would love to be living and that paved a smoother psychological transition from being a corporate employee to a self-employed creative.
My most valuable possessions are often experiences so I figured, what could be a better way to live than living a life thriving with new (and many times edgy) adventures and experiences doing the things that I love doing? I have been fortunate to cultivate specific set of skills that allowed me to travel around the world, visually, telling the stories of many cool people doing cool stuff and bringing positive change. Being an adventure travel photographer and documentary filmmaker helped me bridge the gap between making a living from something that I have the passion for with the love of traveling, exploration and experience-hoarding.
I know -first hand- how tough and tiring it can truly be when you decide to (somewhat) challenge the ‘norms’ and pursue your own way of life. Yes, more often than not it can be exciting yet it does keep you always on your toes! It can be such a tiring and a bumpy ride. That is why I have so much admiration for all of you who are living the life that you want. I love meeting those courages people. I enjoy getting to know them better. Every time i get to meet someone who is pursuing their version of what a happy life is doing that thing they are passionate about.
Let it be moving to a place that they have always dreamed of living in, or nailing a dream job that they have always hunted, or turning their hobbies into a profession, or even nurturing a new skill they have always wanted to learn, I can’t help but get excited learn more about what they are doing and the lifestyle which they lead. I can't help but feel this flaming desire to use the photographic and filmmaking skills I have developed to help them tell and share their stories, to help them document and highlight their projects and skills, and most importantly help them to inspire more and more people to go out there and explore the full range of their own potential and live the kind of life they have long aspired for. Changing lives, one story at a time.
“Learn what drives Ali Barqawi to venture beyond his comfort zone for photography.”
<— WATCH THE VIDEO
Filmed for the 'Artists of Call-Out Exhibition' video series. The Call-Out Exhibition was the biggest open call art exhibition in Bahrain to date.
Client: RedBull Bahrain
Filmed & Edited by: Ali Barqawi Studios
ARTIST’S PROFILE
Ali Barqawi is an established artists as he is one of the most talented photographers in the MENA region. He is a visual storyteller, a traveler, and an adventurer with keen interest in continuously traveling on discovery journeys around the world to produce photographic artwork and moving images that document and tell inspiring stories about the love of exploring the hidden beauty of natural and man-made marvels around us.
Specialising in adventure, active outdoor lifestyle, travel photography, and documentary filmmaking, Ali has been traveling and taking photos for the past 10 years. He joined a number of expeditions to some of the highest summits in the world as their official photographer. Ali’s drive and passion for adventure has led him on some amazing assignments working with great people, travel to many fascinating places around the world, and climb the highest mountains where he thrives as both an image creator and an adventure seeker.
He is truly a nomad at heart, a wanderer, a life explorer and an adventure seeker. His drive for adventure fuels his work as he continues to document his clients’ travel expeditions and sharing their inspiring stories by creating imagery that visually explore their personal definition of what adventure is.
