He presented his exhibition at Khawla Art Gallery in Dubai

Ali Bin Thalith: “The Amazing Depths” is the result of diving in the waters of 4 countries

• Bin Thalith: The underwater journey begins with the photographer's imagination first.. The imagination motivates him to take the picture he dreams of.

  Photography: Ahmed Arditi

picture

"Amazing of the Depths" is the title of the exhibition in which the Emirati photographer, Secretary-General of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, Ali bin Thalith, presented unfamiliar images he took from the marine environment, where he carried his equipment, cameras and passion, and dived under the water to return. A group of photos documenting the beauty of creatures that live in the depths.

In his exhibition, which opened at Khawla Art Gallery in the Dubai Design District, the Emirati photographer focuses on delivering an important message to the world, which is to look at the miracle of the Creator, through marine creatures, their aesthetics, and their behavior as well.

Bin Thalith documented the lives of many marine creatures, focusing on very small creatures, whether transparent or colored. He also presented in the exhibition, which will run until January 28, the equipment he used in diving and photography trips, along with a documentary video about fish.

The exhibition, which included 46 photographs, also documents the journey of Shaghaf Bin Thalith and his long journey in the field of photography, and his experiences, especially with regard to the environment in all its elements and components.

In the context of his talk to «Emirates Today» about his exhibition, Bin Thalith said: «This exhibition is the result of a number of trips, amounting to 18 trips, that I made over a period of four years in the period from 2014 to 2018, and the countries that visited it varied. Pictures were taken between Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Emirates, and the exhibition carries an environmental message that raises awareness of the greatness of creation, the Creator, and the creatures that the universe contains.

He added, "In the last four years, I felt that it was necessary to draw a dividing line between the previous stage and the next new stage in my story with photography, through specialization, especially since the artist has to set new goals for himself in order to motivate himself."

Bin Thalith considered that “the trend towards specialization in the world of photography means development in knowledge, not only knowledge in the field of imaging techniques, but also an increase in knowledge of the behavior of creatures and animals that he tracks.” Knowledge of animal behavior, according to Bin Thalith:

Bin Thalith, who took pictures in the waters of four countries, talked about the advantages of each region and the challenges of underwater photography in each country. The opportunity to capture a larger number of animals, and secondly: the degree of clarity of the water, which ensures better and clearer images.

In addition, Bin Thalith pointed out, “The importance of research before going to photography in any country, as the photographer must know the times of currents, or even hurricanes that may expose him to harm. The underwater photographer works as if he is the tour guide for himself and his camera.”

Bin Thalith pointed out that "the months of April, May and June are considered the best months for photography in the Emirates," explaining that "Fujairah is the best area for taking pictures underwater, but it witnesses the passage of water currents in abundance, and it can be said that the lighter currents are in those months."

And about the most prominent and beautiful creatures in the waters of the Emirates, he noted that the photographer is lucky if he catches a whale shark in the Emirates, because it is one of the creatures that is difficult to capture, in addition to the small creatures called “naked gills”, which are poisonous creatures for fish, and carry a lot of Colors, and their types are more than 3,400 species, describing these creatures as “photogenic” in front of the camera.

On the beginning of the photography journey, Bin Thalith said: “The underwater journey begins with the photographer’s imagination first, as the imagination motivates him to take the picture he dreams of, and underwater photography goes through several stages, the first of which is planning the trip, then collecting materials, and then studying the water map. Then search for the right time and the objects expected to be seen underwater, to take the necessary equipment to capture them.

Bin Thalith worked on presenting a video alongside the photos in the exhibition, and indicated that the video is based on an image, but the impression left by the photographer through the video is very different from the impression of the photo.

He believed that "the image is a place where the artist speaks in his own language. The video is more documentary, and the photographic collection of the elements of the image is stronger than the video."

Regarding the basic message carried by Bin Thalith, he stressed that it confirms that a person can enjoy many things more than he thinks, and although the trend towards technology in this era is very strong, the exhibition highlights the greatness of the Creator, which makes him carry a spiritual influence added to the side artistic.

• 46 photos documenting the journey of Shaghaf Bin Thalith, his long journey and his experiences.

• 3400 types of "naked gills" are poisonous creatures, but they are "photogenic" in front of the camera.

third son:

• "The exhibition is the result of 18 trips that I made over four years, and it carries a message about the greatness of creation and the Creator."

• "Specialization in the world of photography means development in knowledge, not just knowledge in the field of photography techniques."

Artistic biography

Emirati photographer Ali Bin Thalith obtained a diploma in documentary photography from the London Academy, and a diploma in French language and literature from the French University of Montpellier, in addition to his involvement in a number of international specialized courses in the field of photography in France, Britain and Dubai.

The name of the Emirati photographer, Ali Bin Thalith, has emerged in the world of photography and documentaries, but he became famous recently, and at the international level, specializing in underwater photography.

He participated in dozens of exhibitions and presented a book on underwater photography, and one of his most prominent documentary works is “Gaza Diver”.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news