Renowned photographer Hikmat Wehbi shares his inputs on how you can turn your passion in photography into a multifaceted profession

Renowned photographer Hikmat Wehbi shares his inputs on how you can turn your passion in photography into a multifaceted profession.

Today Hikmat Wehbi is one of the world’s most celebrated and sought-after photographers. He’s known to possess an eye that can seek beauty in everything. Hikmat, founder of W Studio, one of the oldest photo and video production house in Dubai, has shown that beauty always finds a way. Quick to adapt, improvise, and evolve, Hikmat always points his lens in the direction of change. He shares his inputs on how you can turn your passion for photography into a multifaceted profession.

Become multifaceted

Hikmat is known for his aesthetic sense in fashion photography. Fashion is equated with beauty, but it’s not the only place where beauty is to be found. Hikmat still prefers to be hands-on when it comes to the art of photography, “Sometimes I just carry my camera and shoot with no planning. Those shots usually turn pout the best,” he says. He encourages young people to explore their potential using the power of photography to shoot different aspects of life, and always strive to become multifaceted.

Never stop shooting solo

Passion seems to have a finishing line. For most young photographers, this finishing line looks like owning a studio or working with top clients. Hikmat, who has worked with the likes of Chalhoub Group, Google, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Chanel, Dior, Carolina Herrera, L’Oreal, and more, does not let his achievements limit his passion. He says “If you want to deliver art you need to work solo and not be limited to anyone’s directions and this is why I try to do my own shoots at least twice a year where I go back to basics and just work on projects that let me express myself.”

Be open to change

Times are changing. And perhaps no one catalogs this change better than a photographer. With one eye inside the studio and another on the street, a photographer is a chronicler of his time. To deny change is to deny life itself. For Hikmat, change has come in the understanding that photography is “no longer an exclusive art for those who own a good camera and expensive lens set.” He believes that “The medium does not matter if you are truly artistic. Today’s iPhone technology is as good as a Hasselblad once was.” Although puritanism will always have its place in the world, Hikmat seems to encourage young and passionate photographers to keep an open mind and a non-aversive attitude.

Photography is evolving as a medium of communication. And people like Hikmat are leading this change. And by blending technology with instinct, they are probably extending the life of photography itself.