Photo of the Week: Khaled Al-Attaf

Khaled Al-Attaf is a Saudi visual artist specialising in photography and fine art. He started exploring the visual world around him with a camera in 2014, then later specialised in portrait photography in 2016.

Ever since, Al-Attaf's work, both fashion and documentary, seems to centre a single point. A single subject. Al-Attaf's photographs always feel distinctly like portrait, even when it's a photo of a stop sign, an open book, a string of balloons, or an ashtray. Something in Al-Attaf's photography gives a feeling that these objects are almost alive.

Al-Attaf's practice is split into commercial fashion work and his personal documentary and creative photography. In the latter, he is less concerned with creating the perfect image and more drawn to visual honesty, moments that reveal something about the city, the human condition, or the relationship between light and place.

What’s the story behind this image? When and where was it taken?

This image was taken on an ordinary morning in the middle of Riyadh’s traffic, specifically on Al Thumamah Road, on October 27, 2025.

Everyone was in a hurry. Everyone was trying to get to work, which feels very natural within the rhythm of a practical city like Riyadh. In the middle of all that movement, I noticed a man taking shelter under a truck. He seemed to be waiting for someone to come and fix it, or perhaps waiting for the permitted time to drive through the city. I do not know the real reason, but all these possibilities came to me at once and pushed me to turn back and document the moment.

I never saw his face, but I felt every detail he might have been experiencing: the heat of the ground, the roughness of the asphalt, the smell of the truck’s grease, and the sound of passing cars blending with whatever he was watching on his phone. All of it happened in one moment, yet it was enough to leave a deep impression.

Why did you choose this particular image?

I chose this image because it reminds me that no matter how fast and busy our lives become, there may come a moment when we need to pause under a shade and catch our breath. I cannot remember the last time I sat still without thinking about work, a plan for success, or how I would achieve something meaningful. We have so many blessings that we often forget to stop, notice, and be grateful for. In short, I see this image as a small pause, a moment to look at what we have, feel reassured, and thank God for it.