Edmonton street photographer captures moments and people one frame at a time

Edmonton street photography A local photographer is finding the everyday beauty in the capital city through his impromptu portraits. Nahreman Issa has more.

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”

A quote, said by American landscape photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams, any shutterbug might relate to when it comes down to honing their craft.

A local photographer who is passionate about capturing moments in one-hundredth of a second embraced many styles of his trade before landing on one which truly represents his mantra: street photography.

Gamal Mohamed has been practicing photography for four years. In January 2022, Mohamed bumped into his good friend at a cafe where he noted he was growing tired of landscape photography.

“He was actually doing street photography and I was out there to do some street photography, to change my style,” said Mohamed. “He introduced me to street photography. Basically, I was the student and he was the teacher.”

Mohamed started paying attention to the people around him rather than the scenery before him. He said when it comes down to asking a stranger to take their picture, it’s all about the approach.

“I approached them and I asked them how they’re doing … I always compliment them,” he said. “I go to everybody and anybody and sometimes I get a yes, sometimes I get a no.”

When he asks potential subjects to snap a picture, people do get reluctant to have their photo taken.

“Truthfully, I get more no’s … But there (are) actually a lot of people who say yes. At the same time, it helps me to change my approach and it’s very helpful,” he said. “A win is a win (and) a loss is a loss … I take no as a win.”

Mohamed said he primarily works in busier neighbourhoods including Whyte Avenue and downtown, where he randomly encountered Edmonton’s mayor.

“For me, it was an honour to capture the mayor,” Mohamed said. “I was walking with my girlfriend and we randomly bumped into the mayor, and then that’s when I approached him.”

Other notable names under Mohamed’s belt are Oilers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with their partners. He was lucky enough to snap their photos while attending an Edmonton Elks game.

Despite interacting with many strangers asking to take their photo, the street photographer said he is very shy in nature.

“It can be awkward to randomly talk to people, but it helps with my nervousness, but that’s how I deal with it.

“At the same time, it’s a pleasure to approach anybody in Edmonton, whoever it is. It’s a very interesting experience.”

Mohamed’s goal is to travel the world to share his craft. He said the “most beautiful experience” was traveling to Turkiye last July, followed by Portugal. Tokyo currently sits at the top of his bucket list.

He said it’s important to continue capturing special moments in everyday life with the hopes of Edmonton embracing his work.

“When you actually capture a moment, there’s no chance it will be reproduced by anybody else. It’s a unique photo that I have, that I will cherish.”

You can see a collection of his work on his Instagram account.

If you happen to see Mohamed on the street, he said to not be shy and ask for a picture.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa