February 2022 www.womanthismonth.com 62 FOR THE LOVE OFLANDSCAPES Young Bahraini photographer, Basma Alhashimi, gets the big picture… quite literally. Her stunning landscape and cityscape photography has earned her recognition and captured the attention of viewers around the world. This is her story. by Farah Baig Photography has a way of invoking its viewers’ deepest of emotions. A meticulously composed photograph can spark waves of joy and nostalgia while also inspiring action from those looking at it – perhaps even a visit back home. These are the all too familiar feelings experienced by those gazing at the mesmerising imagery captured by the young, avid photography enthusiast, Basma Alhashimi. The 25-year-old Bahraini is bright and ambitious, and holds a BSc in Accounting and MSc in Finance and Investment from the University of Essex. “I believe that a person should have at least three hobbies; one to make you money, one to keep you creative and one to keep you fit,” says Basma, who is an accountant at the Electricity and Water Authority. Her Journey Basma, who is largely self-taught, developed an interest in photography in 2010. Two years later she acquired her first DSLR, transforming her interest into a hobby and that hobby into a passion. “Not many people know this about me, but I am lucky to have learned the basics of photography at a workshop in the summer of 2013 from a great woman, Badria AlBalushi - the sister of renowned professional Bahraini photographer, Jaan AlBalushi,” she says. “I am eternally grateful to her, because she embedded the basics in my head and gave me the strong foundation which kickstarted my photography journey.” As the years passed, Basma dabbled in various niches of photography including street, macro, sport and product photography. However, in the summer of 2016, she was drawn towards landscape and architecture photography in a workshop by professional Kuwaiti photographer Mohammed Alsultan. “He made me find my passion for landscapes and cityscapes and gave me a good base of information to get me started. Since then, I have done my own advanced research, trial-anderror and experimenting,” she explains. “I’ve made hundreds of attempts with various techniques and failed many times along the way but I think, from a personal standpoint, that this is the best way to learn and develop. There are no shortcuts to success, just a load of hard work, patience and consistency.” More recently, the pandemic presented her with an opportunity to perfect her craft. “Since group photography activities could no longer be organised, it kick-started a phase of personal growth and development for me that involved a lot of location scouting, planning and experimenting on my own,” she says of a time that sparked her passion for time-lapse photography. “Consequently, I currently like to describe myself as a cyclist by dawn, an accountant by day and a photographer by dusk,” she says. Staying Inspired While Basma doesn’t shy away from exploring, one of her go-to locations is the picturesque Al Ghous Park in Muharraq which seasmlessly combines her love for landscapes and cityscapes. “You can never go wrong with heading over there, where the opportunities to get creative are endless as you can witness an iconic skyline and capture several landmarks in a single image,” she beams. Besides Mr. Alsultan, she is also inspired PEOPLE | interview
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