Interview with Sherif Karas Part 3

Dont u feel working on an assignment , makes u do works that satisfy the editors standards not urs..

My job is to shoot a good picture considering the basics in photography like lighting, composition & image quality, respect the basics & satisfy your client too.

Now that weve brought editors up , tell us a lil about ur experience with them , what they want in a pic , and how do foriegn mag editors differ from local ones .

Well it’s not the editors’ choice as much as yours, when you’re shooting for a fashion magazine then it’s different than shooting for a furniture one, yet if they gave you some special instructions then you should put it in respect but if not then you should care about what type of photography you’ll do.

I didn’t realize much differences in working with foreign editors than Egyptians cause I used to work with professional editors & magazines in Egypt that’s is regionally or internationally published.

I heard u were lately interested in shooting models and fashion , even did a lil sleuthing , and found out u wanna assist a foriegn photographer ... Great step to make it into a new world , but i have to ask , arent there any good photographers to assist in egypt in the field of modelling... share ur thoughts please.

That’s right, let us talk frankly here:

First, I like to do fashion photography because the space in creativity particularly in this type of photography is endless & I believe i will perfectly use this space & get scores.

Secondly, because it’s almost a one man show job in Egypt then it’s hard to find someone who can take you beside & give you experience & at the end it will also be uncompleted learning because in countries like UK, Italy or France it’s more likely a team work & huge facilities.

Look what those people are doing when it’s getting to fashion…,

- Art directors.

- Hair stylist.

- Make up stylist.

- Accessories & wearing stylist beside a huge studio facilities, so at the end you’ll find yourself getting a perfect experience by doing such work which is very rare to find it here in Egypt.

Ur studio ... everybody keeps askin the question of what they need to put together a functional studio ... tell us a lil bout that ,

Yes ahmed, thank God it’s complete now.

The idea came to me when I started to have some professional work that required lighting equipments, I looked for places to rent such equipments from but was shocked that it’s not available, you have to have your own equipment & work with.

My studio now is not only for me, it’s also available for those photographers who need a place & equipment to use, I invite them to come & do their professional shootings for some fees & I guess it’s only me & another studio offering such facilities in Egypt.

Currently available with the following:

1-Shooting area: 4,80cm x 3,70cm
(extendable till 4,80 x 7,40).
2-Hight: 2,70cm.
3-Floors: non solid to reduce shocking.
4-Equipments: Three strobes flashes (300 watts) per each.
- Three softboxes (70x100cm).
5- One bathroom.

# Ok... its been great talking bout the technical and business side of it , tell us a bit bout ur experience with exhibitions , how they affect u , ur work, i know u have an upcoming exhibit in Nepal , a sort of international exhibit... whats the story.....

For me exhibitions are a chance for showing my own artistic & non commercial styles of photos which I like to take for myself also it’s a chance to meet people face to face & hear their comments about your work.

In Nepal exhibitons I was selected among a group of Egyptian photographers to show our work over there.

I was firstly recommended by Samah El laithy (photographer) to Prof, Nagla Samir (professor of visual artists in the faculty of aplied arts) & the exhibition’s currator who then selected three of my works to participate.

The exhibition titled IMAGES OF EGYPT & I got an appreciation certificate for the first time from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.

# Any upcoming news or surprises ...? :)

Coming soon is a guide book I just finished shooting about Cairo for a Dubai based magazine which I hope it will get acceptance because I did a lot of efforts to show Cairo in it’s best form.

# Its been a great interview Sherif , hoping u the best of luck in ur future as a pro photographer , Thank You ...

At the end I would like to thank you for such interview & wish you best of luck, yet I can’t finish this without thanking some others whom i really appreciate their support.

Special thanks to:

-Shermeen Guirguis.

-Hany Morcos.

-Tarek Zaied.

- Sherif Tamim.

-Dalia Galal.