CHALLENGES
August 2020
by: Muhammed Muheisen
On the 3rd of March, I arrived in Sharjah, UAE, as a guest during the International Government Communication Forum and Award after nominating the winner of the Best Press Photo in Government. It was a great experience in a part of the world that appreciates culture, art and philanthropy. Meanwhile, the world was going upside down as we were introduced to something called Coronavirus, the whole world began taking serious measures to contain the spread. A few days after, I flew to the Greek capital and went straight to my home in the coastal suburbs.
For the last couple of years, Greece has been my home base, the place that I always come back to following long travels, assignments and other events.
I was glad to be back home, get some rest after several months of travelling in different parts of the world. A good chance to rest and figure out where and when is going to be my next destination. However, few days after, traveling became less and less possible, countries shut down their borders, serious measures were taken, a lockdown was in motion, stay home is the only option.
I’m a photographer who is always on the move, suddenly I had to face the current reality, safety priority and stay at home. Photography is my passion and my lifestyle, the question that kept ringing in my head, how can I remain positive and productive being stuck at home and unable to take pictures? I just had to open my heart and eyes, which is how I capture images and realized that there is a lot to be done within my immediate environment that due to the constant travelling I never had the chance to face and connect to.
I started exploring my neighbourhood, discovering the beauty surrounding me —it’s the thing that keeps me positive, and it’s something I didn’t have the chance to do before, being always on the go with my camera.
I always mention in my talks and seminars that there is no better way to tell a story than being a part of it. I began taking a deeper look at my immediate surroundings, where everything is quiet and things are moving slowly.
As a storyteller and a content creator, no matter where you are there is always a moment in time to be captured, a story to be told, a message to be delivered. You never know what you are capable of until you try, think positive to be positive.
