Photo of the Week: Qasim Altarazi

Saudi photographer and storyteller Qasim Altarazi finds stories in ordinary places, using street photography to turn everyday moments into something worth pausing over.

For this edition of ‘Photo of the Week’, Altarazi selected an image taken in Al-Batha’a, Riyadh, around midday in 2025. He was walking through the area when he noticed an elderly man slowly making his way up a set of stairs. Standing above him, Altarazi found a different perspective on an otherwise ordinary moment.

“I took the photograph because there was something honest and quiet about the scene, an elderly man, the stairs, and the harsh midday light coming together naturally.”

For Altarazi, the image captures what he enjoys most about street photography: finding meaning in moments that aren’t planned or staged. He was drawn to the angle and composition, particularly the lines running through the scene and naturally leading the viewer’s eye towards the man.

“The perspective from above also gave the image a distinctive sense of depth and made him the clear focus of the frame.”

There was no special occasion behind the photograph. It was simply a moment he noticed while walking, with the light, composition and movement coming together in a way that made him stop and take the picture.