Hey from Happy
What’s your name and where are you based / from?
My name is Saeed, which translates to “Happy”, that’s where my nickname comes from (Most people get an instant aha moment after realizing).
I was born in Finland, I’m half Finnish and half Saudi. I’m currently living and based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
How would you describe your practice in a few words?
Visual storytelling that moves between fashion, street photography, and short films.
When or how did you start using a camera?
I started photography as a hobby in 2020. At the time, I was searching for my artistic identity and experimenting with different creative fields. When I finally picked up a camera, something clicked. I began experimenting, and slowly, almost unintentionally, I fell in love with the process.
You speak about telling meaningful stories. What makes a story meaningful to you?
For me, the beauty of photography isn’t about creating “nice” images, it’s about carrying emotion and communicating something without words. A meaningful photograph has intention behind it. That intention comes from practice, from understanding your craft, and from allowing your character to exist within the frame. When an image becomes a piece of you, it stops being just a picture and starts becoming a story.
Your curiosity started as a child; what questions are you still asking now?
There’s one question I’ve been asking since I was a child, and it has never left me: What’s next?
We live in a fast paced world that constantly pushes us to want more. I often ask myself, what if I achieved everything I ever dreamed of, what comes after that? That question continues to drive both my life and my work.
Has your work helped you understand something about yourself?
Photography helped me realize how deeply I love traveling and exploring different aspects of life. It gave me a reason to look beyond the ordinary and to search for meaning in unfamiliar places. Through it, I learned that the “bigger picture” has far more to offer than what’s immediately visible.
If you don’t have your camera, what are you likely doing?
I’m big on self-improvement. I work out a lot, read constantly, and sometimes express myself through poetry. Even without a camera, I’m always trying to understand myself and the world a little better.
In My Hometown Doesn’t Inspire Me, what was the first feeling the film had to express?
The film needed to say that sometimes your hometown isn’t really your home. Being born somewhere doesn’t mean it’s the place that helps you grow. Sometimes you have to find the courage to leave your memories behind and explore a place that allows you to evolve into a new version of yourself.
Where can people find you?
I’m usually either at home or on a plane escaping somewhere. You can find my work and reach out to me on Instagram @heyfromhappy, or through my website heyfromhappy.com , come say hi 🙂
