Made From Nature

For the 24 hour DC Shoot Off Challenge, the randomly selected word was “Nature”.

Nature is a difficult word to convey visually because it is so broad and obvious, but also has the ability to be interpreted it in a lot of different ways. I had a difficult time coming up with a story for this one. I had a lot of ideas, but coming up with a visual story that was possible within 24 hours was the challenge. I got turned away from shooting at one spot, another location that I intended to go to was unexpectedly closed, I thought I found a story at another place where I took portraits of a few people. But in the end, I happened upon the right place at the right time with the right person.

I didn’t know much about Persian rugs before this challenge. I always wondered about how the stores are able to stay open and wondered how they could sustain a business with such possible low demand. I happened upon this Persian rug store and decided to just take the chance to see if the owner would be open to getting his portrait taken.

Thankfully, he couldn’t have been more kind. He told me that he always loves supporting the younger generation and has people come into his shop often to take pictures. He told me that I could bring models in or even take pictures of myself. I realized I didn’t explain myself clearly. That I wanted to take pictures OF HIM. He told me he wasn’t good in front of the camera, but I told him that was nonsense.

Throughout my time with Hedayat, an immigrant from Afghanistan, I learned so much about the business model of rug stores. More importantly, I learned about the kind soul who stood before me, willing to be vulnerable and take his picture with me. He told me about how he started his business when he was 17 years old. That he started out in New York City, but has been living in the Virginia area for the last 20+ years. Surprisingly, he shared that he was already featured in a magazine and had the pleasure of actually gracing the cover. I even got to see pictures of his beautiful children who are all grown up now. We eventually walked into his work station and he showed me how he repairs, by hand, the Persian rugs that families keep for generation after generation. To see the art and craftsmanship that he so gracefully shared was inspiring to say the least.

I entered this photo essay into the Egnor Cup category which is a competition against the other mentors in the workshop. My main goal was to do something completely different than my shoot from last year and to add something to my portfolio that I would be happy with a year from now. I am proud to say that it also won first place.

Here are the five photos that I entered into the 2026 DC Shoot Off Competition.