Student Spotlight On Nasir Al Mutlaq

By: Jorge Quintana 

Our first Student Spotlight of the year goes to Nasir Al Mutlaq. Nasir is a sophomore Chemical Engineering student here at Trine; however, it wasn’t his engineering skills that caught our attention. Nasir is currently taking Digital Photography with Professor Sarah Zimmer and his photos have been impressive as of late. 

Photography wasn’t a new endeavor for Nasir. He has been taking photos long before he ever stepped foot on Trine’s campus. 

“I have been practicing photography and taking photos for about six years, but I discovered photography as an interest three years before that,” Nasir said, “The first three years, I was just googling stuff and looking at YouTube and articles.”

Nasir gives credit to his sister for helping him get into photography after she noticed his intrigue in the subject. 

“I started practicing photography after my older sister saw me into photography and searching and reading more about it,” Nasir said, “She gave me the camera that I am still using until now as a high school graduation gift.” 

While the photos featured here seem to point towards Nasir’s ability at capturing sports, this is actually his first attempt at it. Nasir discussed that he prefers taking portraits or candids. This way, he mentioned, he can take advantage of the natural light. He also talked about what happens before the shot and how he prepares for a photography session. 

“Some photos take more time to imagine what it’s going to look like…But sometimes I just look around with my camera and start shooting,” Nasir said, “The most important thing for before is the timing. I prefer cloudy weather.”

I asked him if he ever thought of photography as a potential career choice in addition to his engineering pursuits. 

“I'm thinking of that because photography is kind of an expensive hobby. I need to make some money and spend it on photography.”