Photography is one of the most impeccable forms of art that one can ever come across. However, it's a very subjective creative area that sheds light on the artist's perspective. The quality of the camera, of course, has a major role in the quality of the photos captured, but the photographer's vision is definitely the most important thing when it comes to capturing a beautiful picture.
The art of photography comes in different styles, but this week, we'll be focusing on raw and authentic film photography. One photographer that turned heads lately with his unique style is definitely Ahmed Tarek, also known as tarek.jpeg on Instagram.
The celebrity element is something your eyes will get used to after following Tarek's work. However, his lens shows them in their natural habitats; more raw and less staged. That's one thing his photos are known for and definitely a reason behind his increased popularity.
Luckily, we got to have a quick chat with the young talent who told us more about himself and how he turned his hobby into a professional career.
"My father taught me how to perfectly compose close-up shots, and from there, I kept on shooting more and more," Tarek told us about his dad's important role at discovering the photographer inside of him.
Tarek's photography journey started on his computer screen. He told us that he didn't really study photography. He's a self-taught photographer that learned everything with the help of YouTube tutorials and other photography sites. His online popularity, on the other hand, all started when he decided to create an Instagram account to upload some random pictures of his friends during a trip to Sokhna. Afterwards, he started posting his work, and one shoot followed the other.
One thing we were very curious about was what Tarek loves the most about photography. For him, the best thing part of it is the one-on-one experience that he has at every shoot.
"Whether it's a celebrity, a model, or even a friend, each time has its unique energy and it always feels different," Tarek explained.
As much as we are inspired by Tarek, we were curious to know who inspired him. The 22-year-old photographer named a few other artists he looks up to. Those include the likes of David Cabrera, Gunner Stahl, and Michael Muller, which came as no surprise with the kind of photography style Tarek has adopted.
Speaking of which, Tarek prefers film cameras over digital ones. He told us that the main reason behind this is that the film camera is more compact, making it way easier to carry around. It also makes him think about every shot thoroughly as he's limited to a certain number of pictures per roll.
Tarek is also known for always being around celebrities and his photos are easily spotted. Besides capturing Disco Misr's special moments and highlights, the photographer lately made waves with the shots he had taken for Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo. The photos were taken behind the scenes of Pablo's recently released music video, Free. Later on, the photos were used in snippets in the viral music video.
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Other than photography, Tarek is also interested in playing basketball and listening to hip-hop music, especially rap. However, photography will always remain his number 1 passion.
“I feel photography is an art that won’t ever die, no matter what. A still image holds its value amongst all other mediums we see nowadays,” he told us at the end of our exciting interview.
