- Hamza Ahamed on travel, life, and the visual art form
Speaking to Brunch about his passion and how it came to be, he said: “I started travelling around the country after my A/Ls. I’ve been into photography since my school days.” He added that he originally created an Instagram profile to showcase his artwork, gradually started uploading his photographs and “now it’s become my photography page”.
Hamza shared that ever since he could remember, all he has ever wanted to do was travel: “Not just travel, but travel to unheard places. Places that weren’t discovered by many,” he said, adding also: “I believe I have a spiritual connection with the mountains. Most people laugh when I say it just like that. I love camping. Any given day, I’d choose hiking and camping over anything else. During these excursions, the things I get to see, the things I experience are magical. They are indescribable. And I want people to see what they are missing out on. So I started posting what I photographed on social media.”
Inspired by this magical connection, he began to document his experience. “It’s purely the love of documenting my experience. I love the fact that there’s a platform out there to share with fellow enthusiasts, or to turn people into that group,” said Hamza. He believes that he exists for him to share his art, whether it’s photography, videos or other visual arts. “I’m not a content creator, I am an artist.”
He stated that his photography is a form of art which he uses to express his feelings: “I try to capture the emotion or rather, the feeling from my photos, so that whoever sees my photos knows how exactly I felt at that particular moment experiencing what I experienced. I wouldn’t call it just ‘content’.”
He said that a lot of heart goes into what he does. “I try to keep whatever I create as authentic as possible to me. I do not intend to please everyone, rather a defined audience. I reflect on my identity. Whatever I put out there is for like-minded people to enjoy,” he said, adding also that he believes that as an artist, it’s important to have your own style. “I think I’ve done that through my photography, my editing style, and how I tell a story visually. The reason I do not put a watermark or a signature on my pictures is exactly because of that. I want people to recognise me from the photos I take. Not because I describe it as mine.”
Hamza expressed that traveling is when he feels the happiest, when he gets to experience new cultures, getting to meet new people, getting closer to nature, there’s no better feeling. And while he would struggle to choose a favourite destination, if he absolutely had to he’d say that a destination that is dearest to his heart would be Alagalla. Which is the last place he hiked and camped with one of his best friends whom he unfortunately lost last year. “One of the purest souls anyone could meet in their lifetime. Alagalla will always be special to me for that reason,” he said.
Sharing with us what his goals are when creating travel content online, Hamza said that the ultimate goal would ideally be to do it as a full-time gig. The opportunity to travel to new places, meet different personalities and experience new cultures while taking his audience along for the ride, he feels that would be the best possible outcome.
Considering that he is primarily a travel-related creator, he shared with us the challenges he faced during the pandemic, stating that it was certainly not the best time, but it continues to be a challenge. “The first thought that comes to my head whenever there’s time off from work is to go on another hike, to camp, to take pictures. That’s my happy place. That’s what I do to find myself at peace. So as a person like that, being restricted at home was not the brightest idea. But nonetheless, I’m pretty grateful when I compare how the situation is for everyone else and seeing the hardships the majority goes through,” he said.
Finally, bringing us in on his future plans, Hamza said that he is currently planning on starting his own YouTube channel, in order to show people his journey and teach any skills he can – be it design tutorials, how he edits his pictures, how he edits his videos, film making etc. “I want to share whatever knowledge I have and learn whatever I don’t. There’s so much to learn. I’m very excited for the journey ahead.”
Instagram: @hamza_mad_h