By Saurabh Khetrapal | Updated August 24, 2019

As I began writing this blog, I found Ali and his beautiful wife Nahid Khataw by Messenger as they were roaming the globe…at this point in the Amazon, deep in the Jungle of Colombia. Business Frontrunner, Ali Khataw is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Encotech, a first-class engineering firm in Austin, Texas for 26 years. He knows the key to success is people. He creates a professional culture where people love what they do, work at their best, and produce amazing results.

Strategic Community Leader, Ali Khataw has an extended record of his commitment to advocacy, education, and the intersection of the two. His clear and unwavering vision proves instrumental in creating a universally recognized firm whose philosophy reflects the importance of community support, social equity and civil justice. His contribution builds these public services for numerous programs to advance missions for regional affiliates and global partnerships.

“My desire to help others and use art to make a difference has inspired me to delve into the world of Photo Philanthropy. Images have an undeniable power, and I want to harness this power and use it to better the conditions of living for those in the world who are not lucky enough to enjoy the luxuries many of us have been blessed with.” Said Ali

Nahid Khataw is also quite accomplished. She is the founder of her own business; and has served in numerous leadership roles and on several philanthropic boards around Austin. Nahid shares in Ali’s philanthropic nature. Nahid is the Zen of all trips. She keeps the aura of happiness around all the guests. She assists Ali with the logistics of the trips and coordination with the accommodations. Nahid is also very passionate about wildlife and conservation. She has a beautiful, soft heart that shines through when working with guests! 

Ali and Nahid have been leading photographic safaris for the past 4 years. Ali’s most memorable moments include teaching others photography and seeing how the guests actually improve the quality of their photos. The results are apparent from people with high end equipment or even with those just using a smart phone. He teaches them on the basis of three fundamentals; light, composition and moment. Ali said,” Looking for a good shot forces us to seek out the unique features and scenic beauty of a location, to explore further, and to interact with our surroundings.” When someone books a trip with Fair Trade Safaris, Ali will counsel them about what equipment to take based on their skill level. He has students with Smart phones, point and shoot cameras and DSLRs. His goal is to help them create images that look like National Geographic!

The Khataw’s last safari group trip, that they led on behalf of FTS, was in July 2019. Ali told me that his favorite locations include the Serengeti and the Masai Mara!  The sleeping accommodations are always superb, comfortable and give you an amazing experience while on a photo safari in Africa. Our guides are very experienced and have a seeming intuitive ability at knowing where to find the action to get the best pictures! (Of course when dealing with nature… it always includes a bit of it is luck!) 

If you would like to check out Ali’s photography, you can find it at www.facebook.com/AliKhataw.photography or at www.khataw.com