A eldest son. barclay junior, as it

A father of four magnificent children, a passion for capturing life through photography and a kind, loving dispensation are just some of the attributes that make this man the outstanding individual he is today.  Keen to capture the most prominent landscapes, Jawad Saleem has been an ambitious man from a very early age.  His parents desired a better life for the family and they relocated to London during his infancy. With his head stuck in books as a young boy, few would be able to foresee how his passion for reading would support and enable him to succeed in later life.

Jawad Saleem was born in scintillating Pakistan on a blistering January morning in 1970. Barely even a few weeks old, a decision was made by his parents – Uddin and Maria Saleem – to relocate to Great Britain.  Afterall, the United Kingdom had been an empirical nation and had maintained great links with Pakistan since its occupation. Settling in Leyton, the family sought an establishment to educate their eldest son.

Barclay Junior, as it was then, was the preferred choice and a generation later is the preferred school for Jawad’s own son.  Jawad enjoyed nothing more than to read at Barclay, so much so that he sometimes would forget to attend his lessons! Outside of education his inspiration and passion for photography was born when his parents purchased his first camera.  In the 1970s, cameras contained film cartridges and so it would take weeks between taking the photograph and finding the outcome when the film was developed. Jawad learned from an early age that hard work and dedication were the routes to future success.  Attending work with his father, during summer vacations and public holidays from school, enabled Jawad to learn about the hard and manual labour his own father was subjected to – as well as helping him to appreciate the sacrifices made to enable him to enjoy his passions.

Entering adolescence, Jawad attended Norlington School for Boys.  His brother Shahzad also attended and were both reported to be ‘ polite’ and ‘ hard working’ young men.  Traits which would continue into later life.  His ambitious nature enabled Jawad to enter college – where he studied computer science and art.

Meanwhile, using his entrepreneurial skill to earn extra money by taking photographs at family weddings and capturing the abstract beauty of lighthouses, windmills and cafes. At the age of 21, Jawad began working for his father.  Using his knowledge (developed at college) Jawad was invited to work within the family business and was asked by his father to develop code (then a relatively new phenomenon) to help revolutionise the taxi empire at ‘ Regent Carriage Services’.  Jawad knew that did not fulfil, entirely, his aspirational desires.  And, in 2011, Jawad’s dreams became a closer reality – when he suddenly decided to exploit his interests and become a full time photographer.

Recently, he has brought a new camera which is called Sony A7R. The quality of this camera is what he wants. He has gone to Clee Hill to take a few photos and he went to a Christmas themed light art show with his family.

For the new year, his family came around to watch the fireworks at home. Shocked because he had surprisingly got a DJI Mavic Pro drone as an early birthday present from his dad.