Profiling Photographers: Huda Abdulmughni

If you've visited our current exhibition, FROM THE ARCHIVE, you'll have noticed 'Water Towers' by Huda Abdulmughni, the latest print available as part of our Editions.

Raz (RH) from GPP spoke to Huda about her photography journey, and Huda (HA) shared some interesting anecdotes and useful advice for street photographers.

RH: Please introduce yourself!
HA: I’m a photographer from Kuwait who loves to travel and find stories to tell.

RH: How did you get started in photography?
HA: I started when I was a teenager. My first camera - and on of my favorite cameras - is the Canon AE1. I still love using it as my go-to camera.

RH: Oh wow! I love the AE-1. Is yours the AE-1 or the AE-1P?

HA: It’s the AE-1P I took for refurbished few years ago, and came back brand new シ

RH: What draws you to the photographic medium as opposed to any other?
HA: I like the whole process of photography, from taking the photo to develop the film and waiting for the result and holding the physical prints afterwards - something that is lost with the immediateness of digital photography.

RH: How do you approach shooting a portrait of a stranger on the street?
HA: I always start with smile, a small chat, and then ask for their portraits. I tend to go back to those I photograph often, sharing the photos with them.

RH: What inspires you? 

HA: I’m inspired most by travelling and conversations with strangers.

RH: You seem to shoot in series. What are your thoughts on single images versus series?
HA: I shoot in series to tell a story. Also, whenever I do shoot in singles I found out they became a series when I look back on my older image. I’m drawn to finding patterns and similarities within one location or across different places I’ve been to.

RH: Water Towers (1985) is not exactly a new image! Tell us about it.
HA: I used to develop my black and white films in my bedroom! And print them too. And I still have the prints from that time. It’s nice to look back at some physical, unchanged pieces from that time.

RH: Will you be submitting for The Arab Street, Vol. II? Any tips for hopeful street photographers?
HA: Yes Insha Allah. My tips would be to encourage photographers to look for what they like, if they want to take a portrait, chat with people and that let them feel comfortable when you take their photo.

RH: What do you hope a viewer of your images takes away?
HA: I’d hope that they are interested in what the photograph may be showing - someone’s life, a day-to-day occurrence. We currently live in a time where we are bombarded with visual cues - on social media and beyond, I think it’s important to look at a photograph for more than a fleeting moment and attempt to understand what’s happening beyond the aesthetics of a photograph.

RH: Finally, what's next?
HA: I have few series that are finished and will be exhibited in the next few months (Sharjah, Tblilis and Kuwait). Also working on another project that I can’t share too much about at the moment, it might take a while but it’s happening very close to home and I’m excited to see it come to life!

Thank you very much Huda!

To see more of Huda's work, visit her website (https://www.hudaabdulmughni.com) or her Instagram (@takenbyhuda)