Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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The Egyptian Photographer Making Waves in London's Street Fashion Photography Scene

Five years after leaving Cairo, Rami Bittar is bringing street style photography to Egypt.

Staff Writer

"Mamnoo3" is a word every Egyptian photographer is fairly familiar with, especially ones who find inspiration and beauty in the wilderness of our messy concrete jungle. You can't just simply take your camera and walk about exploring. There will always be that one entitled bawab or, even worse, police guard to question your intentions and assert the fact that this, our city, is a no photography zone.

Fed up with the restrictions Egypt imposed on his art and creativity, one Egyptian photographer, namely Rami Bittar, set sail to London a mere two years after his graduation in 2011. With a degree in advertising and PR, Bittar quickly found that the job market in Egypt is not fit for the life he had imagined for himself.

"It's like the difference between the moon and back. In London, I could take photos of anything, anyone, anywhere. As long as I'm not intruding into someone's business, I'm free, " says Rami Bittar. "The ultimate freedom of expression unleashed my creativity and made me grow as a photographer at a scale I didn't think know was possible."In 2015, after having fully adapted to his life in London, Bittar made his way to London Fashion Week (LFW) armed with his lens. The international clothing trade show, which is one of the Big Four global fashion weeks, inspired him to try a different kind of photography; Street Fashion.

"LFW Week was like a goldmine for me. I began just randomly shooting models and designers on the red carpet and post onto Instagram," explained Bittar. "The feedback was overwhelming and I started getting messages from models and bloggers looking to collaborate with me. The following year, I received an official invitation to attend LFW. Not just the red carpet."With his name making the rounds, Bittar doesn't intend to keep his new-found success and expertise solely to himself. "I'm hosting my second workshop at Photopia by the end of March. I'm trying to bring street style photography to Egypt to help get that scene established and hopefully flourish."

Find Rami Bittar on Instagram.