Rashid Sheriff, an auto electrician from Kerala who works in Qatar, returned to photography after years away from the creative interests he had enjoyed at school. A smartphone gave him a practical route back into image-making.
During a visit home in Kerala, Sheriff photographed his crowntail betta fish by placing it in a white ceramic bowl and carefully submerging his phone to create a low, close viewpoint.
Why the image stands out
The picture is a useful example of how composition and point of view can matter more than specialist equipment. Sheriff has said that he prefers low or eye-level perspectives when photographing animals because they create a stronger sense of connection with the subject.
The earlier version of this article described the image as “award-winning”. The source material presents it as a featured phone photograph rather than documenting an award, so that claim has been removed.
Smartphones and accessible creativity
Phone cameras have lowered the practical barrier to photography, but the device is only part of the process. Lighting, timing, framing and patience remain central. Sheriff’s story is interesting because it shows how an everyday tool can reopen a creative practice that had been postponed by work and circumstance.
