Behind the Lens: Rahma Alim
Photography has given Rahma Alim more than the ability to share other people’s stories; it’s provided an outlet for her to create one that’s all her own.
Photos, © Rahma Alim
Rahma Alim’s passion for photography started at a basketball game. She expected the weekly women’s drop-in at a North York community centre to be just a fun scrimmage. What she witnessed blew her mind – and started her down a new path.
“These women were competitive and playing so well,” says Alim. “They would block off the windows so if you’re Muslim you could take off your hijab and play comfortably. They’d take off their hijab and play crazy.
“You would not believe that same person walking out [after the game] was just playing like that,” she says, laughing at the memory.
In fall 2021, women’s basketball wasn’t getting the same attention as it does now. Alim felt these players deserved their due.
“I wanted to showcase these women specifically because these are women I’d never seen in the sports space,” she says. “They’re women of colour, Muslim, women who looked like me. I said, ‘I need to document this.’ I wanted to show that they do exist.”
She was familiar with Shoot for Peace, a grassroots mentorship program that teaches youth aged 12 to 19 about photography. She believed the program could help her develop the skills to take what was in her in mind and turn it into images she could share.
She submitted photos taken on her phone. On her application, she specifically expressed her interest in telling these women’s stories. She was accepted into the next cohort.
With Shoot for Peace, Alim learned the fundamentals of photography from professionals. She had access to equipment and studio space. She learned how to tell stories through pictures. “My idea [about women and basketball] evolved as I learned more about photography.” Mentors like Yasin Osman, a professional photographer and the founder of Shoot for Peace, offered advice but let Alim lead the way. She photographed the players – wearing their cultural clothes – in a studio, using a Canon Rebel. The project, Sports Culture, has since been showcased at art galleries.
Aiming High
The experience not only introduced Alim to a new creative outlet, but it also opened up another side of her personality.
After each Shoot for Peace lesson, she would take photos every day on her own. “I was so curious, and it was so much fun. Even if no one wanted to come with me, I’d go by myself.
“When I started photography, it got me out of my comfort zone and made me more independent and willing to do things on my own. I’d go to random basketball games by myself, take photos and meet people.”
Through a connection with another organization, she visited playground courts and community centres across Toronto, looking for new stories to capture. “I started building my portfolio naturally out of curiosity.”
She was unafraid to take the initiative. She would buy tickets for Scarborough Shooting Stars games just to navigate her way to the court to take photos. Her entrepreneurial spirit didn’t go unnoticed. A representative from Raptors 905 offered Alim media passes for the G League team, the first time she would be an accredited photographer.
At the time, Alim used an EOS 5D Mark IV paired with a 50mm lens, on loan from Shoot for Peace. Not everyone saw her as an equal. “I was talking about wanting to shoot the Raptors with this guy, and he says, ‘Oh, you will never be able to shoot them. The highest you’ll go is maybe G league or college ball,’” she says.
“It was off-putting. Telling someone you will never be able to do something is crazy. And he said that in front of the 905 operations managers. I felt they may look at us as like we’re less professional.”
When I started photography, it got me out of my comfort zone and made me more independent and willing to do things on my own.
Persistence Pays
The put-down made Alim even more determined to achieve her goal of covering Toronto’s professional men’s basketball team. What she lacked in experience she made up for with persistence.
After learning only photographers affiliated with a media outlet could shoot the team, she says, “I sent hundreds of emails to so many different people.” By building relationships with blogs and communities around the team, she expanded her portfolio and her contacts.
It was through one of these new connections that she learned about a photojournalism mentorship program affiliated with the team. Alim earned one of two spots reserved for Raptors coverage. Earlier this year, her dream became a reality, and she covered five games.
“It was much bigger than what I envisioned for myself,” she says. “I worked with the Raptors communications team. They gave me assignments – for example, shooting the cheer squad or events in different parts of the arena.” The photos are now part of the team’s image bank.
For the games, Alim used the Canon EOS R5 and RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM telephoto zoom lens, on loan from Canon Canada. “The camera is full frame; I was getting everything,” she says. “It had great shutter speed and focus – the players move very quickly, but my shots weren’t blurry. When I was close up, even though I was using a zoom lens, I could still take pictures and not have to do a lot of step backs. It’s multipurpose and very versatile. I could use that one lens for everything that I was doing during a game. I could shoot from afar; I could use it close up during the warmups before the game. It was also very good for taking portraits, even though it’s not meant for that, because it has the low aperture.”
More Stories to Tell
For Alim – who is a multimedia coordinator by day, freelance wedding photographer on the side – working a professional sporting was an invaluable experience for someone still establishing her name.
“People can now see the skills that I have and the high-quality content I can produce,” she says. “I was shooting with the same equipment that the team photographer was shooting with and producing similar content. It shows the skills that I bring to the table.”
Alim hopes other aspiring photographers find this same self-belief. “Keep shooting the things you love,” she says. “When you shoot what you love, things will come naturally to you, and it will always be interesting.” She was relentless in reaching out to new people, open to any new opportunity that could come her way from doing so. “The worst thing that someone can say is no. And if they say no, I move on to the next.
“One thing I left behind was embarrassment. I don’t get embarrassed about things anymore.”
Storytelling drew Alim to photography. Whether through sports, weddings or portraits, she hopes to capture moments that tell a bigger picture.
“It started with me shooting on a Canon Rebel and wanting to learn more about photography, wanting to showcase something,” she says. “I want to see what I can build and where I can go from creating my own stories.”