A camera is a powerful tool that brings images to life from just one shot; it can take you to different places and different times felt only through imagination. To capture the essence of a certain something or someone, the photographer can either have a keen eye for details honed in through continuous perception or simply a matter of a lucky shot. Either way, both skills enable the photographer to go forth in pursuit of amazing pictures through various angles, lighting, locations … so on and so forth.

Egypt has always been a favorite for many due to its rich history dating back to the days of the Pharaohs, a capital for modernity, science, an Islamic capital at one point, a hub of different nationalities and cultures stemming from the great Nile River snaking through the land, it’s no wonder the area is rich with culture and history. As of recent times, Egypt has gone through tremendous changes politically and many believe that the people have changed as well, but those who know Egypt well don’t see it that way. They still see the generosity, the happiness, the kindness and humbleness of the people that walk the streets of its beautiful cities. My never wavering love for Cairo mixed in with interest in photographing Cairo had me searching for those who seek to show their captivating version of Cairo and other cities, still enriched with its history and people that make up the country it is known for. I’ve stumbled upon a photographer by the name of Karim El Hayawan who just so happens to be a believer of the same standards I’ve been searching for, showing the true essence of Cairo as well as other cities and their inhabitants. Karim is an architect/interior designer with photography as a side hobby turned professional who cares deeply for his Egypt, by showing it off through a series of images that capture the true essence of its people, still life and architecture as he wanders the streets of Cairo.

During a brief visit to Cairo recently, I was privileged enough to meet Karim in his design studio and get to know a little more about what his mission is, why he’s doing so and what drove him to go explore his Egypt.

You’re initially an architect and interior designer and through that profession, you get involved with your clients one on one and create something that reflects who they are but with your touches, unlike your photography. Your pictures are different, they have your touches but shine in a different light. When and where did this all start?

As an interior designer I have a chance to get to know my clients more and when visiting their homes, it’s easy to see how their personalities reflect on their personal space. As a professional, I tend to find what makes the client tick and move on from there to recreate their space in the best possible match with their personalities. I haven’t taken photography seriously until recently, a good friend of mine told me about Instagram being a great way to show off pictures and what not but I jokingly dismissed it to be honest. I was thinking why would I want to take pictures of my meals or my shoes for example and so on so forth, it was a stereotypical judgment of me but I changed my mind once I realized what a photograph can really hold, a strong image goes a long way.

The moment I started taking photography seriously was during an appointment with a client in El Zamalek heading out and I caught a glimpse of a man sleeping under a bridge smiling, out of the blue I step out of the car, I stand over him and snap a picture with my iPhone and that was that, I was hooked.

Photography has taken a completely different curve, and you’re curious. Cairo is such a beautiful city with so much history still existing to this day. How do you go about exploring areas not very well known even to the Cairo resident?

I’m a creature of habit, and I got addicted to photography quickly. Every Saturday morning, I pack my gear and head out to one of the many districts of the city and choose to walk around the area meeting people and getting a feel of the area. There are so many old areas of Cairo ready to be explored. Some of my photographer friends as well as enthusiasts come along with me on these “excursions” too, you can feel the aura of the area you’re walking through by talking to some of the locals of the area, sitting in a coffee shop around lunch time, watching a crowd gather around a foul and falafel stall for their morning meal…etc. The vibe transcending from these areas charm me and I freeze that moment in time with a snap of my camera. I don’t like to take pictures of nature. Architecture and people are what I prefer.

Your pictures provide different angles of a subject or an object that are truly interesting, who knew that a close up picture of a woman’s hand as she kneads her dough could be so beautiful, other times you take pictures of doors, stairwells and trespass into buildings, I’m guessing you don’t really have permission to enter. Have you always been a risk taker?

Yes relatively, not the kind that would go bungee jump and put my life at risk, it’s a different kind of adrenaline rush and it all started after the revolution. People are what drive me, what I’ve seen during those very difficult and turmoil times made me see my people in a new passionate way. They cared for their country, for its prosperity, for the happiness and peace that they so desire. I take risks by merging myself with people from different areas to get a better understanding and to see them in their true habitat. I do trespassing in buildings for example at times, I could hear the hiss of a radio, couples fighting or talking, a news broadcast on someone’s television… Photography gets you the closest to places you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

The media in Egypt made people fear photographers, believing them to be spies. I’m just a photographer who likes to take pictures, simple!

Although I’m not an Egyptian yet I love Cairo, I love this connection I experience with the people, the places, the alleyways, the buildings and the vibrant vibe of the streets, it’s something I look forward to every time I visit. Your pictures show that. Why are you doing this?

I love my Egypt! On my weekly walks, I get to capture pictures of the people that make up Cairo. Two friends chatting sitting on a bench on the side of the street, an old woman calling out from her balcony to someone below, a vibrant mural on a wall somewhere hidden in the shadows, a spiral staircase in an old building, old yet brightly colored furniture on the side of a building, intricate details of a wooden doorway, a grumpy lady, a smiling fruit and vegetable salesman and his son convincing an elderly man how his watermelons are the best, children running in their finest clothes in a masjid, beautiful framework of a historical abandoned palace…this is what I see and capture through a lens. It makes me happy and I feel a nostalgia taking me back to the 25th of January, on that day we were all one. After things calmed down, everybody naturally goes back into their bubble again and mingle with their people in that same bubble, I missed the feeling I felt next to that someone who I’ve never met, someone outside my bubble. So walking down the streets of a place I’ve never been to before, I mingle with the people outside my bubble, I developed techniques along the way. Speaking to them, making them smile and laugh at times from the heart just as I take their pictures. Doing so, I was able to create different series of pictures such as smiling_nomads, k_nomads, k_hands and so on and so forth.

What pleases you most when you take these pictures?

Seeing the faces of the people I’ve pictured the first time as I show them the camera screen, that smile on their face makes you feel something that can’t be described in words. I get the same feeling when I go back and give a person a picture of themselves, it’s that special smile. I’ve decided long ago I will never take pictures that depict “misery”, there are thousands who do that already, and I’m never going to place myself in that category. These people don’t live in constant misery, so why do so? Happiness is infectious, those smiles are infectious.

With these different series of photos, you see something in them; you capture something significant and engulf yourself in it. What do you see?

Through all the hardships and chaos, you’ll always find beauty hidden inside. This is what I want to show, that the beauty hasn’t disappeared even through the difficult times Egypt has experienced in the last few years, it’s still there but one just has to find a method of showing it and that’s what I’m trying to do.

Be sure to follow Karim El Hayawan on his Instagram page bearing the same name and get to know Egypt again through his photos. The different series he presents show that there is still hope even among chaos and troubles, this is the Egypt that many love and know. The land of the pharaohs, the land of many great intellectuals, the land of beautiful architecture, this is Egypt.

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