Dubai: The youngest photographer in the Middle East became the centre of attention at the Arab Media Forum this year, as he tried to showcase his skills among the attendees.
10-year Saudi Meteb Abdul Aziz Al Hodif, wearing a vest with more than a dozen badges, walked around with his 5D camera trying to take pictures of whatever caught his attention the most.
“I have the title of the youngest photographer in the Middle East [from the Guinness World Records] and my dream is to take pictures of all the leaders in the GCC,” he told Gulf News. Apart from his vest, his big curly black hair stood out too.
His proud mother, Abeer Al Selham, told Gulf News that her son, the youngest of her two children, fell in love with photography at the age of 5 and over the years has worked to grow his skills.
“I noticed his passion when he was only 5, he used to take my phone all the time to take photos of things that attracted his attention,” she said.
The young boy from Riyadh said he feels like he represents Saudi Arabia and the Arab world with what he does.
“I want to become an international professional photographer. I started liking photography from taking pictures of public figures. My favourite shot is the one I took of King Salman of Saudi Arabia,” he said
His mother began scrolling to show some impressive landscape pictures her son had taken and also shots of public figures.
Al Hodif has more than 140,000 followers on his Instagram account and recently got to take a photo with Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai at the Arab Media Forum. He was happy that he realised his dream of taking a picture of Shaikh Hamdan.
“I am hoping someone can sponsor my child. He has more than 70 certificates in photography and has received more than 50 trophies for his work, said his mother.
“Through his lens, my son can speak for all the Arabs. I hope someone can help him in achieving his dreams.”
“I would love to come to the UAE and to the forum again,” he said, while scanning around to see where he could take the next shot.
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