For Sayyid Muadh Bin Dheyab Bin Hamad Al Said, a 36-year-old cheerful, talented and well-spoken individual, the passion to pursue his dreams in photography and the recent launch of his perfume line, has been possible thanks to his commitment and the unconditional love and support from his family and friends. Known for his versatile photography, Sayyidh Muadh likes to appreciate little things in life; he believes where there is a will there is a way to achieve goals, which is how he became a self-taught photographer, documenting images, wherever he went.
Recalling the initial days, he points out that his parents saw his photography work on the computer and motivated him. However, the initial journey wasn’t easy, as he faced doubts about his passion for photography. “I received mixed responses from people. Some people expressed delight over my work, while others didn’t like them at all. I wasn’t aiming to be a photographer of a certain kind; I wanted to widen the horizon and cover a plethora of things,” he recalls.
Sayyid Muadh’s decision to become a photographer required a boost, and that came directly from his mother, who told him to go for it. “I officially started my photography career in 2009. I would take photographs on the roads…everywhere in Oman,” he recalls. A year later, he got interested in fashion photography, thanks to his sister, who’d attended a fashion show by Omani fashion designer Safa Al Balushi; she had designed a beautiful gown, which became the center of his photo shoot.
Every photograph holds a special memory for him…He recollects his inspirational meeting in 2011with the late Sarah White from the Bait Al Zubair gallery. She recognised his passion and told him he would become a photographer worthy of an exhibition. ‘But you need time, because you need a story to be a photographer, you need to work hard,’ she’d said.
Around the same time, he went to Bait Al Muzna Gallery, where his work was commended and his photographs sold. By 2012, he had finally found a story for his photographic work, which led him to go back to Safa Al Balushi. “I told her I wanted to do a photo shoot about a lady who is a princess in the fort. She agreed, and we started work on that. But I got ill and then my father passed away…” he recalls, noting that it caused a setback. However, as planned, the exhibition took place at the Bait Al Zubair Museum in 2016, and was a success.
Although today he is an established photographer, he remembers the time when people didn’t believe in him. “I had a lot of doors closed on my face… When I went to the Institute of Arts, they said I would never become a photographer; many photographers from Oman said the same,” he points out. Today, H.H Sayyid Muadh treasures all those people who helped him climb the ladder. He states: “I want to thank my family and my friends, especially my close friends Abu Taimour, Yahya, Maher and Ahmad. They motivated me to become a photographer, helped me in my perfume line; they are my wings…”
Interestingly, there is also a charitable side to his creativity. When his first exhibition ‘The Omani Jamal’ took place during 2016 and 2017, half of the proceeds went to the Dar Al Atta’a charitable organisation. In 2017, he discovered the importance of social media and in 2018 joined a group that helped people in Salalah during the cyclone. Besides, he also attends events to promote Omani talent and was honoured as ‘Safeer Al Mutawwaba’ (ambassador of generosity) in 2018. “I believe I inherited this from my late father who was kind with people,” he states.
Regarding his perfumery work, he says: “I have a passion for collecting all kinds of perfumes at my home. When I realised I wanted to launch my perfume line, I conducted my independent market research, visiting various perfumery companies in Oman, Paris, Milan and London. Then I came back to Muscat and we worked on two perfumes – Nagham and Habeeb.” Habeeb is a lavender fragrance, which allures one’s sense to make them say ‘Habeebi’, while Nagham is more for nuptials.
Work on his perfume line started towards the end of 2018 and there was a soft launch at the Haitham Perfume shop. The response has been great and he is planning to launch one more perfume, before an official opening. At the heart of these perfumes, his inspiration was to present something purely Omani. He notes: “I must say that this is perhaps the third Omani perfume after Amwaj and Redan.”
When asked what his dream was, he said, “To become a men’s fashion designer and to be happy…just to be smiling.” In the meanwhile, the ‘Photography World’, his collection of photographs and creativity lab, is working on a new exhibition.
