Amman, Jan 11 (Petra) - From the stands of football stadiums, where a mother would watch her daughter with passion, began the story of Jordanian photographer Hind Al-Masri, who turned her hobby into a professional career through determination and persistence, steadily advancing toward national and international achievements after being selected among the top 100 personalities of 2025.

The honor was awarded under the supervision of the Elite Academy for Physical and Mental Sports Training, recognizing her prominent role and influential presence in the media landscape. The academy is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting creators and distinguished individuals in Arab and global communities. Al-Masri received the title of Personality of the Year 2025 in recognition of her professional and impactful media achievements.

Al-Masri told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that her beginnings in photography were linked to her daughter Marah, a football player, as she was keen to attend matches and observe sports photographers capturing crucial moments during games and goal celebrations. Over time, she developed a desire to be part of the game itself not as a spectator or fan, but as a photographer documenting events through her lens.

She added that her passion for photography grew as her daughter continued playing football from a young age, eventually being nominated by her school for club training at age 16. This motivated Al-Masri to focus more on sports photography, with football stadiums serving as her primary gateway into the field.
Al-Masri noted that her first professional steps involved photographing championship ceremonies, especially women’s tournaments, with her work appearing in newspapers under her name. She later expanded her portfolio to include downtown areas, streets, and historical and tourist sites, increasingly seeing her photos published in the press.

She highlighted the pivotal support of photojournalist Saher Qadara, who helped her learn photography basics and camera settings and guided her in entering stadiums and selecting appropriate equipment. She bought her first camera in 2020 through an installment plan and later upgraded her lens to meet the demands of sports photography.

On her achievements, Al-Masri said 2025 marked a major milestone, as she was officially assigned to photograph global and continental wrestling championships, including the under-17 World Championship and the Senior Asian Championship, as well as national Roman and freestyle wrestling tournaments and national team selection events. She also photographed basketball and handball matches.

She participated in covering boxing tournaments, including club and center championships, the open national championship, and the 2025 youth tournaments. She emphasized that the trust and support of the Jordanian Boxing Federation greatly contributed to her development, enabling her to document every detail of the competition, including players, coaches, referees, and the audience.

Smiling with satisfaction, Al-Masri said, "I thank God for honoring me, but the true value for me is the trust and recognition I received, which serves as the greatest motivation to give my best," expressing her aspiration to become an official or media photographer for the Boxing Federation.

She confirmed that being chosen among the top 100 personalities of 2025 provided additional motivation to continue her work, praising the public’s response and positive feedback on the quality of her work.

Al-Masri also highlighted her unique experience photographing several national football team matches, noting that covering the "Nashama" games carries a special significance and added responsibility, given the team’s national symbolic value. She emphasized that capturing moments of joy and challenge on the field and fans’ reactions to every attack and goal constituted a rich human and professional experience, reinforcing her passion for sports photography and her conviction that a photographer’s lens is a key partner in conveying the true image of national achievement.

She commended the Jordan Football Association for consistently promoting young talent and injecting new energy into the national team, noting that her daughter’s football experience and her son’s involvement in karate have served as moral support for her sports photography career.

//Petra// AF

11/01/2026 23:33:55