For Hassan, life is worth living
Manama : Being differently abled or having difficulty in using his hands and fingers or that he is wheel chair-bound did not stop Hassan Al Balooshi from becoming a professional photographer.
Photography is a demanding job. Apart from the need to move around constantly, those in the profession are expected to quickly handle sophisticated settings on the camera to get a perfect shot.
24-year-old Hassan does this with precision despite the many challenges he faces. The hereditary condition of Muscular Dystrophy has affected his legs, arms and back. Yet, moving around in an electronic wheelchair, he manages to achieve success in the art he loves. Now after setting up a studio for himself, he even has professional models and make-up artists as clients. He has also travelled to remote deserts in Saudi Arabia for photographic adventures.
Due to the physical demands of job, photographers with disabilities have become rare. Despite being disabled, Hassan is the only one riding the tide in Bahrain.
Having discovered his passion for photography at the age of 21, he has been going from strength to strength. “Photography was the ideal outlet to express my creativity. Since discovering my passion, I never looked back. At the beginning, I was anxious, I did not know if I could do it and worried about what others would think about me. I was afraid of getting ridiculed and discouraged,” he said.
“I summoned my courage and visited a photographers group called Infocus. Many were shocked and confused to see me, many did not believe I would be able to continue going there. But I persisted and went there until I learned everything. They were very helpful and taught me all I needed to know and always treated me kindly,” he said.
Hardworking and ambitious, Hassan works as sales manager too. “I was able to excel in my twin jobs. I have always managed to go beyond, and I am happy to have landed in a manager’s position. This is also a job that I love,” he said.
Talking about the many talents the disabled people have, he said people should not discourage them. “Unfortunately, this is the case most of the time. The society tells the disabled that they should not try as they would not succeed. We should not be doing this; instead, we should encourage them to let their passions and talents shine.” he said. “If you have talent, show it to people, and nobody can stop you,” he added.
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