Bold truth: even with a phone, a single image can freeze a moment that many overlook or forget. And this is how it unfolds around Ahmad Mansour’s best phone capture.
Ahmad Mansour, a freelance photographer, was in Al Max, a fishing district on the outskirts of Alexandria, Egypt, documenting the daily lives of local fishermen. He snapped the image using his mobile phone while out with friends, capturing the scene as it unfolded around him.
“Bright sun, a cacophony of sound, and water rushing with force while men shouted from the boats,” Mansour recalls. “I climbed onto a small building to gain a higher vantage point above the sardine workers. I’m drawn to the top-down perspective; I’d seen a similar split composition elsewhere, and it felt right for balancing the colors in this shot.”
Reflecting on the moment, Mansour notes that 2019 offered him no luxury of owning a camera. Yet he remained undeterred. “It’s really about your vision and the effort to capture it,” he explains. “I hope people view this as a snapshot from a larger story—just a brief moment in time.”
Since the photo was taken, the canal’s surroundings have undergone significant change. Many nearby houses have been demolished, and redevelopment has transformed the area. Mansour observes, “The fishermen no longer gather there as they used to. Most of them have moved closer to the sea.”
In short, the image stands as a testament to resourceful storytelling through available tools, a reminder that a compelling frame can emerge from any device when vision meets persistence.
