A Journey Through Pictures

Growing up in Bahawalpur, Muhammad Ali Chaudhary usually spent a lot time alone. His mother visited home occasionally as she served in the army and was posted to a different city while his father went to the office

Long summer days compelled him to do something interesting and to dig deep into his creative abilities. A Nokia 2700 Classic helped him explore his photography skills and he never started taking photos.

From clouds to trees to walls, he tried to capture everything through his lens. The hobby soon grew into a passion as he started enjoying taking every click. Though he still did not own a professional camera but this did not discourage him.

He borrowed a DSLR for the very first time in A-levels from a close friend. Soon he tried to explore new avenues in photography but he realised that in a city like Bahawalpur he can never establish himself as a professional photographer.

Ali was quick to realise that in a small city like Bahawalpur he would never be able to nurture his talent, “The mentality of people in Bahawalpur will never accept photography as a proper profession,” he said.

Luck favoured the young man’s dream as he got admission in National University of Science and Technology (NUST). The university not only provided him quality education but helped him achieve his dream as well. Mohammad Ali is a junior year student of Computer Science at School of Electrical Engineering Computer Science (SEECS).

He explored real opportunities once he came to Islamabad, Ali recalls that most of the friends he made at NUST were senior students who had a passion for photograph.

Although today he is earning a handsome amount by doing photoshoots, there was a time when he had no money to buy a camera. After months of struggle, he finally managed to buy a DSLR and began his journey.

Initially his parents were extremely apprehensive, but soon realised that their youngest child was gifted. “They understood that even if I pursued a career in Computer Science, my initial salary would be Rs. 40, 000 but through photography I am being paid Rs.100, 000 for just one project, isn’t that better,” he said.

Ali’s photos have been published in DAWN and received immense acclaim. Apart from that he has ventured into wedding photo shoot and worked as a professional photographer with companies like Aloo Clan.

Ali’s prime interest lies in landscape photography. Although he does wedding shoots and portrait photography but he is more interested to capture architecture of old Lahore and Bahawalpur. Moreover, his utmost desire is to shoot the landscapes of Iceland through his drone.

Ali’s close friend Aamin Fahad who is a final year student at School of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering (SMME) finds him as an easy going and sincere person.

He envisions to venture further into the photography business but at the moment he has no specific plans as he generally does not like to plan ahead in life.

Ali is a self-taught photographer and believes that if you have passion for something you can conquer anything.

Ali’s commitment towards his passion is translated by the amount of struggle he did to come to this stage. “I did not know anything about photography but I searched the Internet, followed pages, viewed videos on YouTube and made sure no stone remained unturned, I finally managed to take good pictures.”

Edited By: Mohammad Sohaib

Picture of Muhammad Ali