Some Cairo Perspectives

[Sailorstu]

I recently returned to Cairo Egypt for a short visit, having lived there from 2011 - 2014 when I was unfortunately not into photography. For this visit I brought my camera and spent time wandering the streets, delving for the first time into trying to capture the essence of some of the fascinating people. C and C appreciated as I found this a daunting experience where in some instances in just a few brief moments you needed to get people's agreement to being photographed. Unfortunately many in Egypt are suspicious of foreigners with a camera, so often it wasn't possible to take the shot. As Ramadan arrives tomorrow I will post a separate series of cityscape photos. It truly is an amazing city!

#1 - Donkey Cart in the streets. While the proud owner of this cart was proud to have his photo taken, his colleague was not as favourable to the idea.



#2 - Vegetable Vendor.



#3 - Resilience. These two women had just disembarked from a Nile River ferry boat in sweltering 42 Deg C temperatures.



#4 - Morning Shisha break.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[IzzieK]

I am not keen on the women image one, but #1 is a good street photography. The fruit and veg vendor and his wares are interestingly neat...the last one -- we have a smoker's pipe like that and a spittoon which came from that area. I find it interesting because I didn't know what it was before. I kept putting it near the fireplace...

[Sailorstu]

I am not keen on the women image one, but #1 is a good street photography. The fruit and veg vendor and his wares are interestingly neat...the last one -- we have a smoker's pipe like that and a spittoon which came from that area. I find it interesting because I didn't know what it was before. I kept putting it near the fireplace...

Izzie - while I don't want to get into the politics of other cultures, the photo of the women makes me feel sad. Despite my personal disagreement with the dress as part of a subjugation I can't comprehend, I did want to highlight just how resilient these women are in the face of adversity. Their lives are not easy and yet they somehow cope and I think you can see the strife in the elderly lady's face. The fireplace is a good place for the shisha pipe, you certainly don't want to smoke from the thing as I have. Way more nasty than a cigarette or a pipe!

[Sailorstu]

Nice series.

Thanks John.

[Donald]

All worth seeing but the 'Vegetable Vendor' is, for me, an absolute beauty. Good tight composition. We're left in absolutely no doubt what this image is about. I think it's an excellent composition, the colours are wonderful and it has a very strong narrative.

[rpcrowe]

I like the entire series. #1 is especially unique in that it shows the rapidity or modern transport compared with traditional transport...

BTW: I just wanted to add: It must be cool to be a male in the sweltering heat of some Islamic areas...

[JamesScott86]

Excellent captures - well taken.

[Sailorstu]

All worth seeing but the 'Vegetable Vendor' is, for me, an absolute beauty. Good tight composition. We're left in absolutely no doubt what this image is about. I think it's an excellent composition, the colours are wonderful and it has a very strong narrative.

Thanks Donald, it is my favourite as well. I must admit this vendor was most happy to give me the time to get a good shot. I did not feel as comfortable with many of the others.

[Sailorstu]

I like the entire series. #1 is especially unique in that it shows the rapidity or modern transport compared with traditional transport...

BTW: I just wanted to add: It must be cool to be a male in the sweltering heat of some Islamic areas...

Richard - I think your photo is just great. And you are right, while most of the women struggle in the heat with their conservative dress, the men wear cool and comfortable clothing. Thanks for your positive feedback!

[Sailorstu]

Excellent captures - well taken.

Thanks very much James.

[Manfred M]

Nice shots, Stu. The areas of Cairo we wandered through were a lot busier than your images seem to show.

You've either framed extremely effectively or folks are staying off the streets more than when we were there (pushing 25 years now).

[Manfred M]

we have a smoker's pipe like that and a spittoon which came from that area. I find it interesting because I didn't know what it was before. I kept putting it near the fireplace...

That brings back memories of Egypt and Tunisia for me; sipping a glass of mint tea in the evening and the men would be out smoking their water pipes (I just stuck to the tea). Kind of like the men hanging around in a bar in the Western world; except that a different bad habit replaces the consumption of alcohol. The other thing I clearly remember was that it was only the men; the women were clearly not out and about.

[Sailorstu]

Nice shots, Stu. The areas of Cairo we wandered through were a lot busier than your images seem to show.

You've either framed extremely effectively or folks are staying off the streets more than when we were there (pushing 25 years now).

Thanks Manfred. Some of the streets where I photographed remain extremely busy so I did have to discard many photos where it simply wasn't possible to frame the confusion of bustle. I was staying in a suburb called Maadi in the South of Cairo and here in the morning you can find some relatively quiet streets, particularly early in the morning. Otherwise, not much time to execute a planned photo in Cairo!

[rpcrowe]

I'd love to see more of your Cairo images. My image was shot outside the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul...

The shots that I missed

Two Arab men in white robes walking down the street with their wives following respectfully behind dressed in black - great contrast... I was in a restaurant and could not grab the shot.

A woman eating breakfast in my hotel and lifting her veil each time she placed a forkful of food into her mouth. I did not shoot this because IMO it would have been disrespectful...

[deetheturk]

Great captures Stu

[IzzieK]

Stu...I do not go into politics at all...especially of other cultures. I was just saying that I didn't like that shot. I should have said too that the expression of the lady on the right seems to be very hard on her part. She looks like she in pain, but I did not mention that because of the emotion it conveys. I understand what you mean...even Indian women are the same. It is the same in many cultures wherein the women are very resilient. I just do not like the pain. I have witnessed many pains in my life, I just want happy images. No one in this house smokes...Our one that we have plus the spittoons are of copper materials hence I find it really nice...I didn't know what a spittoon is until hubby told me what it is used for...yukkkkk!!! The spittoon is now in the basement but I kept the smoker by the fireplace...because it is shiny from the top to the bottom. Really looks good...

Izzie - while I don't want to get into the politics of other cultures, the photo of the women makes me feel sad. Despite my personal disagreement with the dress as part of a subjugation I can't comprehend, I did want to highlight just how resilient these women are in the face of adversity. Their lives are not easy and yet they somehow cope and I think you can see the strife in the elderly lady's face. The fireplace is a good place for the shisha pipe, you certainly don't want to smoke from the thing as I have. Way more nasty than a cigarette or a pipe!

[William W]

C and C appreciated as I found this a daunting experience where in some instances in just a few brief moments you needed to get people's agreement to being photographed. Unfortunately many in Egypt are suspicious of foreigners with a camera, so often it wasn't possible to take the shot.

The second frame is good work. Its rigidity and geometry captures the essence of simplicity of the old stall and the diversity of the modern day.

Technical control of DoF is very good. Exposure seems to be spot-on

You were probably lucky with the Shutter Speed which is arguably was way too slow for that shot as there appears definite Subject Movement Blur in his hand and probably a small movement in his face, but the latter cannot be determined without interrogation of the original.

Artistic C&C: I'd develop the saturation and contrast a little bit especially the mid tone contrast. You've got a good file off a shot in open shade it would gain more punch with a bit more work in these areas mentioned.

Technically: it requires better Post Production Sharpening

Chopping the ends of his fingers of his R. Hand was a mistake.

All in all Good Work.

A well controlled and well prepared Environmental Portrait made in situ.

*

I didn't think it was necessary to attain permission to take photographs of people in Egypt going about their day to day activity on the streets: except if those people were in uniform and the Military or Police. But maybe your comment was more about setting up a shot that you wanted (for example the Veg and Fruit Vendor) as opposed to capturing a more candid style of street portraiture?

WW

[William W]

C and C appreciated

Frame #1 and Frame #3 have resulted in some comment and subsequent response:

Frame #1 “Donkey Cart in the streets”

Is neither strong as controlled narrative nor as an item of street journalism.

If the Purpose and Vision of the shot was controlled narrative of “Donkey Cart in the Street” then it is substantially weakened by the blur of the truck which has the dominant image area, causing a major distraction on the canvas: the shying away of the character at the centre of the image weakens the narrative further.

If the purpose of the image is a street shot and the intent was to use the blur of the van at juxtaposition to the (slow) speed of the cart, then those two elements would be better placed occupying opposing portions of the image real-estate and the cart would be better being driven and moving and not staged and posed.


Frame #3 - “Resilience”

Apart from a very long bow interpretation of expression in the Woman camera right, there is not any indicative of “resilience” in this shot; and her expression, without substantiating evidence from the scene could be: ‘reliance’ ‘dependence’ ‘worry’ ‘mourning’ ‘need’ . . . or many other emotions.

If the intent of the story were to capture ‘resilience’ (to overbearing heat) then the heat or the effects of heat must also be shown or implied in the shot, either overtly or covertly. There is no perspiration; there are no other people in less confined garb, there is no evidence of heat at all; there is no evidence that the shot is made in an area where it is always hot.

In all these regards the image is weak and does not support the title: yes it does in some minor manner support the commentary that these women just stepped off the river boat, but the argument that the expression is ‘resilience (to heat)’ seems a very thin argument when there could be so many other interpretations.

Also, the camera’s high Elevation weakens the image and the vision of the image – if ‘resilience’ is the story then the Subject Camera Right would be shown to be more resilient if she were not so far be below the camera’s elevation and the Subject Camera Left would be much more ‘resilient’ and also a much stronger supporter of ‘resilience’ if she were at Camera Level AND her HEAD was not cut by the dominate line of WHITE Bricks, which weakens both her and the theme of 'resilience' considerably.

WW

[Sailorstu]

The second frame is good work. Its rigidity and geometry captures the essence of simplicity of the old stall and the diversity of the modern day.

Technical control of DoF is very good. Exposure seems to be spot-on

You were probably lucky with the Shutter Speed which is arguably was way too slow for that shot as there appears definite Subject Movement Blur in his hand and probably a small movement in his face, but the latter cannot be determined without interrogation of the original.

Artistic C&C: I'd develop the saturation and contrast a little bit especially the mid tone contrast. You've got a good file off a shot in open shade it would gain more punch with a bit more work in these areas mentioned.

Technically: it requires better Post Production Sharpening

Chopping the ends of his fingers of his R. Hand was a mistake.

All in all Good Work.

A well controlled and well prepared Environmental Portrait made in situ.

*

I didn't think it was necessary to attain permission to take photographs of people in Egypt going about their day to day activity on the streets: except if those people were in uniform and the Military or Police. But maybe your comment was more about setting up a shot that you wanted (for example the Veg and Fruit Vendor) as opposed to capturing a more candid style of street portraiture?

WW

Bill - thank you for the excellent feedback. I'll certainly re-study these shots and hopefully be able to apply your input in future efforts. Technically it was not necessary to attain permission to take photographs of people but it is wise to in the current climate that has existed since the 2013 coup. Even civilians are very suspicious of any foreigner with a camera and if they don't like what you are up to they will report you to the police or to their friends and before you know it you are either on your way to a mob scene (depending on where you are) or a very nasty police station. Also, as bribery is almost a part of culture for many in Egypt, I had many asking for money in some cases before I took the shot but in many cases AFTER the shot. In the latter case I had a pocket full of small change because to have not provided the money would have resulted in a "scene". Again, scenes can turn nasty depending on where you are in Cairo. I don't want to sound alarmist, but one does need to be cautious while at the same time being confident, lots of smiles, showing photos to the children etc does go along way to keeping things calm. For #2 and #4 I was in a market rarely frequented by foreigners - it was Egyptians only - so I didn't want to take any chances so if people weren't comfortable having their photo taken, I didn't shoot. By the way - the key phrase in arabic is "Moomkin" which basically means "May I" and then you point to your camera!