Well not in the eyes of artist and creative photographer, Abubakr Balfaqih. “Imperfection can be perfection” he believes, “It’s how you relate to it or see it yourself, and how it makes sense to you.“ In the eyes of Balfaqih, an old run down wall, for example, that’s full of cracks, crumbling on one side and spray painted and dirty on the other, could be something lovely to look at. The wall could be sharing its story with you, even though shabby looking, somehow it stands tall and proud, scarred by its journey. “I’m not a photographer! At least, not in the conventional sense,” confesses Balfaqih. “I’ve only participated in one photography exhibit and that was in Riyadh years ago. I had only two pieces displayed and both were sold; one to a local elite buyer, and the other was acquired by UNICEF.”
Balfaqih was attacked and criticized by some people who found his use of computer programs like Adobe Photoshop extensive. While no problem admitting it, he actually goes on to say that he loves it, attempting to create something more daring and artistic. “I don’t think of myself as a photographer, but a manipulator. Taking photos is just about taking someone’s good side at the right moment, under the right lighting. I love doing conceptual photos. You see some people like to take photos, I like to make them”, he explains. Preferring to use his imagination much in the same way as a creative writer, rather than taking snap shots of what’s right there in front of your eyes, he creates and artistically represents what could be there… He believes that the camera can see things that the naked human eye cannot, and his aim is share this through his artistic vision.
With more than 20 years of experience, Abubakr Balfaqih, founder and consultant of The Passionates has managed to make his work his passion…or, is it the other way around??? One year young, The Passionates „Was created to fulfill the needs of clients,” he explains. For it appears that his company B n A, which is a Graphic design and branding company had some trouble getting photographers to commit and deliver. The concept was to have a good “Imperfection can be perfection”team of passionate artists, doing creative and exceptional work. Later on, it developed to become a medium of expressing Balfaqih’s own artistic flair; maybe even a way to show off the work that might be considered too much for a client to handle. About his philosophy, Balfaqih elaborates, „As a designer, it’s your job to do whatever you believe in.” Sure, he understands that sometimes in the beginning of one’s life or work experience that it might not be easy to do so, but eventually it’s the duty of every artist to be true to self and to his art. Also, it’s important to be original or at least technically challenging, or different. The objective of art is to provoke interest. In fact, one of the definitions of the word creative is different.
Balfaqih goes on to highlight „Quality not quantity”, even when it comes to the basics, like the designer’s portfolio. It doesn’t have to have ten different pieces. Better to have one piece that is challenging and speaks out. Last but not least, each artist should have his or her own signature, not just adopting or creating one for the sake of having a mark or imprint, but, to really listen and find it deep within your soul so that it comes naturally… As for Balfaqih’s take on both the benefits and challenges of turning creative photography into his bread and butter, he says that it’s truly wonderful and a blessing to enjoy what you do for a living. “Having a job that you love doing makes all the difference. I don’t like doing business for its own sake, just to make money. I strongly believe that when you love what you do, you find it easier to do a good job, and when you do a good job, you will generate good money! On the other hand,” he continues,” When you’re passionate about something, there’s no limit to the amount of time and effort you are willing to put into it. People and clients don’t necessarily care about the lengths the artist would go to reach the desired result, all they tend to focus on is the final and end result. At times that could be discouraging.
” Yet, he’s optimistic, for he feels that there’s a boom when it comes to creative photography in Saudi Arabia. It’s changed over the past few years, and he believes that we all have facebook to thank. Facebook has a way of getting people together, giving them the opportunity to share, which means more exposure. So there’s more acceptance now. People have become more daring in their photography. Finally, he mentions that sometimes work in the market is just not up to standards and that something should be done. No one knows who’s to blame; some blame the client, while others blame the agencies. If the agencies start to demand astonishing work, he believes that clients would be forced to agree to more creative artwork, thereby, helping, the industry to grow. There‘s no shortage of talent in Saudi Arabia, as was evident to Balfaqih while teaching graphic design at Dar Al Hekma college. And as the Design Magazine team shares with readers issue after issue, there is a large pool of talent in Saudi Arabia waiting to be discovered….