Seeker at the Gates
Medina
Available sizes:
$200 • Large: 16×11 print, matted to 20×16 2mm Styrene board
$100 • Medium: 8x10 print, matted to 11x14 2mm Styrene board
$55 • Small: 5×7 print, matted to 8×10 3/4" foam board
Production time is 3-4 days.
Printed on Moab Estrada Bright Rag, a 100% cotton, museum-grade archival paper known for its soft texture, depth, and tonal richness.
The 5x7 print matted on 8x10 3/4" foam board is an intimate, shelf-ready piece designed to be propped or leaned. Beautiful on a desk, nightstand, bookshelf or entryway table. Due to its thickness, it does not fit standard frames and is best styled in non traditional frames or displayed unframed.
The medium and large sizes are matted and mounted to 2mm styrene board, perfect for traditional framing.
There were crowds each way you turned your head in Mecca. It’s an interesting juxtaposition - you’re there to look into your soul all while being surrounded by millions of people. I often looked to the sky and came up for air. 


On the ground I was trying not to collide into the throngs of people and I’d look up to the sky and see pigeons. Until now, I considered pigeons graceless, odd and goofy. But in the midst of the crowds of people on the ground, these goofy pigeons in the sky were the most graceful thing present. I can't image that Lord knows the pigeon cares what I think of it, it just makes its way. I continued on my pilgrimage I realized I need to be more like a pigeon, and make my own way.
This photo was shot on Kodak tri-x 400 on a Canon P and was developed and scanned by Photovision. Aside from cropping adjustments, these photos are completely unedited. In a day when artificial intelligence can make aesthetically perfect images I wanted these images to be exactly as my eye saw them. Real and authentic.
You have learnt so much
And read a thousand books.
Have you ever read your Self?
You have gone to mosques and temples.
Have you ever visited your soul?
You are busy fighting Satan.
Have you ever fought your
Ill intentions?
You have reached into the skies,
But you have failed to reach
What's in your heart!
Bulleh Shah
Akbar Sayed is known for creating photographs that capture not only the image, but the soul of a moment. His path into photography began while in nursing school, where empathy and human connection shaped the way he learned to see.
His photography has been featured in Washingtonian, The New York Times, and numerous other publications, and he is a four-time Washingtonian Weddings Editors’ Choice recipient. He lives in Ellicott City, Maryland with his wife and three children, where love, legacy, and storytelling guide everything he creates.
Revered for his editorial, yet emotive imagery & published countless times.
Meet Akbar Sayed
