Hire me photo series: 8 striking portraits of UAE creatives seeking work

Waleed Shah's photo project captures artists, models and designers who have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis

Model Maria Abdi says: 'An Arab-Nubian woman is only a fraction of the characteristics that define me. I am not the colour of my skin or the curves of my body. Unbound by the limits set by society, outdated laws written by men that define women’s freedoms, their right to education, equity, and environmental protection.' All photos by Waleed Shah

Noha Almelegy, an Egyptian pharmacist who has a passion for semi-permanent make-up

Sudanese singer and songwriter Jindi has performed in various venues across the UAE, playing music influenced by the sounds of '70s funk/soul and Motown

Actress and designer Jasmin Ruehling says that she wants to pursue more passion projects after the pandemic

Tour guide and content creator Abdulrahman Al Zaabi makes videos about Abu Dhabi and its people on his Instagram page, @adaywithabdul

Model and dancer Lea Abdel Nour, who says the pandemic has helped her slow down and reflect

DJ Sara G, who lives and works in Dubai

British fashion editor and stylist Gemma Louise Deeks has lived in Dubai for seven years. The pandemic has caused her to rethink her career path and says, 'it’s time to get out of my comfort zone'

“I hit a depression where I didn’t know what to do with my life,” says Waleed Shah.

The photographer’s patience was fraying. For the past few months, commercial photoshoots and projects have dried up. Client calls stopped coming. The coronavirus pandemic and the consequent cascade of shutdowns struck a heavy blow to his work.

"It has completely wiped out my income. Zero," he says. "Whenever someone would call me, I would say, 'Mowjood. I'm available. You got work?'"

Shah, who lives and works in Dubai, knew he wasn’t the only one trying to cope. So he started the photo project Mowjood (which translates from Arabic to 'I'm available') to help highlight other freelancers, particularly in the creative field, who are in search of work.

The idea is to take their portraits, outline details about their skills and then share those widely online to announce: “Mowjood. I’m available. Hire me.”

“We’re all in the same boat ... the freelance community is at a standstill because most of our work, even personal projects, require us to go out and execute,” he says. Artists and creative freelancers across the globe, whose incomes are dependent on projects, have been particularly vulnerable to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

He put out a call on social media. Soon, artists, models, graphic designers, dancers and content creators started reaching out. Shah welcomed them into his apartment from May when restrictions were eased. He improvised a studio setting, with social distancing in place, to capture their portraits.

The results are stark, black-and-white images of young professionals in poses that range from joyful to defiant. You’d be forgiven for thinking that these are for magazine covers. That was Shah’s intention. “I want to make them look like rock stars,” he says.

During the photo shoots, he listened to their stories. Two had just lost their jobs a day before; others were rethinking their career paths.

A common thread runs through these experiences – most of the subjects expressed how the pandemic is causing them to reflect on their future. “Everybody is revaluating themselves because they have time to think,” Shah explains.

It is also in these conversations that the photographer is able to capture such candid shots of strangers. "Working with models is easy. They know their angles and poses. But with regular people, it's more challenging. The process really starts with conversation. Once I'm at a point where I feel like they can trust me and risk looking like a fool, then I know it's time to take photos."

For the project, Shah asked the participants to pay what they were able to or what they felt was appropriate – “whether it’s one dirham or one million,” he quips. He says his goal is not to make money, but to help.

“I shoot the commercial stuff … the satisfaction is purely monetary, to pay bills, to live. When you have a skill or voice, the satisfaction is greater when you’re helping someone.”

He has shared the Mowjood series of portraits on his website and Instagram page, where he has more than 20,000 followers. So far, the subjects have not come back to him with news of job offers, but he says it may take a while before things pick up again economically, even after the easing of restrictions.

At the very least, the subjects have come away with a great photograph.