Men descend the bank in a narrow file. Their backs are marked by water and silt. Across the frame, fishermen stand half-submerged. The river is thick with bodies and movement yet strangely patterned: nets lean at angles, gourds rise above the current. A dense line of spectators gather along the far bank, compressed into a bright and irregular horizon. What appears first as multitude soon resolves into coordination. Each participant is held within a larger choreography of river, season, and crowd. The image preserves not a single action but a collective arrangement of attention.
— Olaniyi Omiwale
This photo was shot in Argungu town, Kebbi State, Nigeria during the 61st Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival. During the fishing event which lasts for one hour, any fisherman that catches a reasonably large fish immediately comes out of the river with it for scaling because there is a prize for the heaviest fish caught. My intention was to create a picture from a third person point of view from where I was standing by the river. While shooting I noticed these fishermen who had taken their fishes for scaling and came back by the river bank to enjoy the event. I moved and stood right behind them then took multiple shots of them watching other fishermen in the river.
The angle I shot it from is the “eyes” angle. Looking at it, the picture literally makes the viewer of this photo present by the river bank. It evokes that feeling because it was shot from the back of a subject looking towards the river. I chose this photo because it gives every viewer a sense of presence.
My approach is to use different art techniques of composition to evoke emotions. For me, it’s important that most documentary photos I capture of people/places make the viewer “feel”something when you look at it.
Attahir Abduljalil is a self-taught documentary and lifestyle photographer. He believes everyone and everything has something unique, and he finds value in preserving a subject’s originality through his visuals. His approach centers on using artistic techniques to capture moments that tell stories as they unfold. He recognizes the strong bond between people and their environments. Through his pictures, he tries to portray that connection by presenting people naturally tied to a particular place at a particular time. Some elements he is always drawn to capture are colorful scenes, faces, and moments of motion and action. While shooting, he enjoys capturing moments most when his subjects are unaware of his presence. His long-term goal is to create timeless photographs. See more of Attahir Abduljalil’s work on this website and on his Instagram.
