Egypt

10 Days in Cairo by Tracey Gibbs

I am a very fortunate photographer who gets to visit one of the worlds most vibrant if sometimes a little crazy cities Cairo. I have been traveling back and forth since 1997 so know her pretty well.

For the last few years I have been the official photographer for dancer Randa Kamel, covering her courses and festivals. These are intense weeks taking 100's of live action shots of dancers from all over the world and for Randa herself. With little sleep and a tad achy arms at the end, but immense fun.

My last trip in October led to 10 days of photography from dancers to my own personal work , also a very special trip for myself and a special group of wormen , but that is another blog .

Based in Zamalek the island in the middle of the Nile , proved a great location for all . With our hotel the Mayfair enchanting me to rediscover my love of spaces and details . Architecture is one of my passions and this deco building was just great to investigate through the lens.

With most days been based on the gorgeous 5 star boat the Nile Maxim, it was a great time . They were also kind enough to let me use the complex as a location for one of my dance portfolio sessions. As a thank you I did some interiors of the new Khulkhal Restaurant and of the fab Maxim . 

 

Alongside this I had the chance to begin to build my commercial portfolio of work for clients in Egypt. I had met the CEO of Simonds Bakery a well known Cairo chain, in the summer and mentioned my commercial work . Alongside the bakery they had also recently opened a rather fabulous Sushi restaurant and needed some images to show the food on offer.

A day out of my 10 was spent taking images of the bakery process which was great with temptation all around ! Accompanied by general manager Don Ross , we travelled to the Arigato Sushi . I like to  use daylight for a lot of my food and product photography , so with camera and reflector I set up a little set near a window . A great afternoon of capturing dish after dish of stunning food and the beginning of my Cairo portfolio .

So 10 amazing days in one of the most amazing cities , can't wait to be back and take more pictures.

Links to both the great Mayfair and Simonds Bakery and  Maxim Restaurants 

http://www.mayfaircairo.com/

http://www.simonds1898.com/index.php?lang=en

http://www.maximrestaurants.com/index.php