This split-second photograph balances and breaks symmetry in one frame – captured on the Nikon Z5

Professional photographer, Yasser Alaa Mobarak, is an award-winning travel photographer from Alexandria, Egypt. His internationally published work is created exclusively using Nikon gear.

As the headline suggests, this image is all about timing and composition. Yasser pressed the shutter at the right moment to capture a sense of calm symmetry – deliberately broken by one dynamic, off-center element that adds a subtle but compelling tension.

For this particular image, Yasser used the Nikon Z5 paired with the Nikkor 24-70mm f/4 S. The shot was captured at 1/2000 sec, f/4 and the minimum sensitivity of ISO50 (the Z5 can actually go up to ISO51,200!). Now, let's take a closer look at Al-Hakim Mosque Shutter and discuss Yasser's creative process and gear choices in more detail.

The story

Historically shaped background
"Al-Hakim Mosque is the fourth-oldest mosque in Egypt. It was opened in 1013. I waited until the boy was in the right place, framed by vertical lines that suggest strengths. Curves suggest beauty. There is positive space in front of the boy that creates a dynamic feeling. And there is a contrast of colors and a small reflection. We have vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonal lines, and curves, creating a pattern and symmetry with interruption."

Repeating image elements
"The pattern is visually interesting, but becomes more interesting with the interruption. The boy's yellow shirt is the mentioned interruption, breaking the symmetry and pattern. So, while the symmetry creates a sense of order, calmness, and harmony, the image gains an aesthetically pleasing and visually satisfying feeling.

Dynamic human figure
"The presence of the boy creates a sense of scale to show how huge the mosque is. The colors of the human figure create a contrast with the green and blue. Light and shadow create further depth in the scene. The biggest technical challenge was to freeze the boy in the right place, for this I used a fast shutter speed of 1/2000 sec."

Gear info

Yasser shoots with the Nikon Z5, a full-frame mirrorless camera that shares many key features with the Z6 – but at a more accessible price point. It's fully weather-sealed, offers 5 stops of in-body image stabilization (IBIS) and houses a 24.3MP sensor.

While it sits in a competitive price bracket alongside several similarly specced cameras (like the Sony A7 III, Panasonic Lumix S5II and Canon EOS R6 Mark II), the Z5 remains Yasser's go-to for his professional travel photography.

Now, spotlight on the lens: the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S. With its focal range, it's ideal for capturing scenes where environmental context adds storytelling depth and visual interest.

Weighing just 500g, this standard zoom is compact and lightweight – especially when compared to optics like the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 E ED VR for DSLRs, which tips the scales at over 1,000g.

Its big brother, the Nikkor Z 24070mm f/2.8 S, has a bigger maximum aperture, but it's also heavier (805g for the f/2.8 S) and pricier. That makes the f/4 an appealing choice for travel photographers who need to keep their kit streamlined.

Yasser is not just an award-winning photographer at Zuma Press, he's also visiting instructor at Delhi College of Photography in India and a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society in the UK. To see more of his work, visit his website or Instagram account.

You might like...

Take a look at the best travel cameras and the best lenses for travel photography.