CONNECTOR.AE 60 CONNECTOR.AE 61 LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE Writing The Untold Stories Photography wasn’t Kunhali’s only creative outlet. In recent years, Kunhali has turned to writing. Kunhali’s first attempts were professional, writing essays on sales, critiquing manipulative practices. But after an early manuscript was stolen, Kunhali shifted towards fiction, crafting novels that reflected resilience and struggle of real people around him. “I don’t let my name come up anywhere”, Kunhali says. “Supplying photos for free makes me happy because I still get to see the signature I’ve left behind in publications and official settings. If I put a value to them, it takes something away from my heart”. Kunhali’s ethics while photographing nature is uncompromising: “I won’t even touch a leaf to take the right photo. You don’t create a scene. You capture what you encounter”. For Kunhali, photography is less about science and more about capturing an unmanipulated truth. Kunhali’s passion has always leaned towards the natural world including birds, starry skies and landscapes. “Think of shooting a kingfisher”, Kunhali says with enthusiasm. “When you’re developing films, each colour speaks to you. You see reality in detail and in layers. Cameras let us see what our eyes cannot. They transcend our shortcomings”. This philosophy, of seeing beyond surface appearances, echoes Kunhali’s approach to sales and life. Where others saw transactions, Kunhali saw discipline, and where others saw images, he saw layers of reality. Roots In The Darkroom Photography wasn’t a midlife discovery for Kunhali, it had been there since his childhood. “During my school days, I used to sit at photo studios, watching films being developed”, Kunhali remembers. “My interest was always more in darkroom development than in taking pictures. I took photos just to develop them. The process was very rewarding for me”. As technology evolved, Kunhali embraced it early. While some purists refused to migrate to digital, Kunhali was among the first to invest in Hasselblad cameras, continuing film work while also adapting to new methods. “I was happy to transition”, Kunhali says, “even while maintaining my film development”. A Photographer’s Ethics In Dubai in the late 1990s, Kunhali was already providing photographs to newspapers, often covering accident scenes on the city’s roads. “Many news channels gave me free access to their labs and rolls, so I wouldn’t charge them”, Kunhali recalls. But even as his work gained recognition, with his flamingo shots hanging in the Saudi Chamber of Commerce and his wildlife work being published by National Geographic, Kunhali remained deeply private. “When you’re developing films, each colour speaks to you. You see reality in detail and in layers. Cameras let us see what our eyes cannot. They transcend our shortcomings.” Kunhali’s first book was published in 2022, followed by another in 2023. One particularly moving story centred on an individual seeking asylum in Australia after being ostracised from his community. “My book helped him in some way”, Kunhali shares. “It gave him a narrative that supported his visa access. That, to me, was fulfilling”. Lessons For The Young Now, as a mentor and trainer, Kunhali shares his experience with younger generations. Kunhali’s advice, although he does not like to call it that, is both practical and profound: “Do it with your brain and make money, there’s no problem. But think about your heart as well when you take it as a profession.
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