I have always loved and appreciated photography but this photgrapher has gotten all my 5 senses hightened with every image and with every audio slideshow. Her images have so much life behind them; they are ‘not just a photo’. Rasha Yousif is an aspiring travel photographer and has already shot in quite a few countries. She is a dear friend and a member of Bahrain Bloggers. It’s about time she edit the ‘aspiring’ part and give her self the title she well deserves.
1. When did you decide you wanted to pursue photography?
I’ve always been interested in photography but I didn’t give it much attention since I was busy with my studies and profession. In 2010 I decided to invest in my hobby and I dedicated a lot of time to improve my skill. Since then I became obsessed with photography I read, write and travel just for photography. I also started blogging during the same period to share my passion for photography and learn from other photographers.
2. What does photography mean to you?
It means life, sharing, documenting stories and seeing the beauty in every single thing in life.
3. Writer’s get writer’s block, do you get photographer’s block? and how do you manage to keep yourself inspired?
It’s not exactly the same but we can reach a similar condition. A good photographer have to find a way to overcome that block and be creative in their work. For example if you are in a place where there isn’t much to shoot and you already exhausted all composition angels you would think that you reached a block. With photography you can come up with different ways to shoot the same subject creatively with the many available tools to inspire you to find new captures like using different lenses, shooting with Speedlite, or simply by shooting at different time of the day. The whole fun in photography is with experimenting and seeing things differently.
4. What is it about travel photography that made you decide it to be your genre?
When I first started photography I tried different genres to discover my style. I tried everything from Landscape to Macro and then I took a workshop in documentary photography and I knew this was meant to me. I learned a lot about the history of documentary photography in that workshop and it led me to Streetphotography and Travel photography. I love travelling and getting to learn about different cultures. Combining my passion for photography with travelling was my ultimate aspiration.
5. Out of all your trips so far which has been your most memorable?
Zanzibar. It was a trip I will never forget every moment of it. I travelled solo to Zanzibar and it was my first time taking a photography expedition completely on my own, my camera was my only companion. I usually travel to attend photography workshop except this time I had no technical guide in case I needed advice. I took it as a challenge to see if I reached that level of maturity as a photographer and try to document a culture that I thought was very interesting. The trip was self-discovery and getting to learn my real capabilities.
6. What made you decide to create audio slideshows and what impact were you hoping the viewer to receive?
Multimedia photography is merging audio with still photographs to create a compelling storyline. As a documentary photographer when I intend to make an audio slideshow I consider myself a visual storyteller therefore I spend time discovering the environment of the storyline and listening carefully to ambient sounds. I do hope that the viewer get to sense the environment of the story visually and auditory. Making these projects is really fun and challenging work.
7. What advice would you give to someone who is starting off with a passion for photography?
Go out and shoot don’t be lazy, find a group of friends that shares the same interest and schedule photowalks then sit down and critique each other. Workshops and courses will teach you the techniques but the only way to develop your skill is by practicing. Invest in a good selection of photography books and study photographs of the pioneers of photography. Also don’t get depressed and never give up if you don’t like your photos believe in yourself and have some persistence!
8. List 3 top destinations that you have on your bucket list to visit.
Palestine, Vietnam and Latin America
9. What are your top 5 iphoneography apps ?
Camera+, Snapseed, Pixlromantic, VSCO CAM and ProCamera
Very encouraging words Rasha! Whatever you are doing is working so we would all do well to take a leaf out of your book! 🙂