Sherif Sonbol
Encyclopedia
Sherif Sonbol is a photographer specializing in architecture
, scenic fine arts and photojournalism
.
. He lost his mother and was diagnosed with diabetes, all around the age of three.
He studied insurance at Cairo University
and attended the Chartered Insurance Institute
in London
. He worked for the Egyptian Reinsurance Company as a marine underwriter. He was the accidental witness of a riff-raff between the company's marine hull insurance manager and the chief of the syndicate. Caught up in a delicate bureaucratic situation, Sonbol was told testifying about the incident meant the end of his career in insurance. As a result, he decided to pursue one of his passions -photography- and tried his luck at Al-Ahram
, where he soon started working as a freelancer
.
under the auspices of Antoun Albert.
He was also responsible for starting and heading the photography department in Nesf-El-Dunia Magazine.
Although achieving professional goals and popularity at Al-Ahram, at a certain point Sonbol saw the need of leaving the newspaper in order to be recruited by the American Embassy's as official photographer. This position was finally not materialized but still the American Embassy incorporated him to its computer department as graphic designer
and computer trainer for newcomers, a situation he didn't feel too comfortable in. On the occasions the Embassy required a photographer, he was to perform this task too.
He managed to combine these roles with his work in the New Cairo Opera House
, where he had been taking pictures since it opened its doors in 1988. Eventually Sonbol resigned his place at the American Embassy and returned to Al-Ahram; this time to the Al-Ahram Weekly
, where he would soon become head of the photography department.
Apart from his work at the Weekly, Sonbol became the main photographer of Kalam-El-Nass and Maraya-El-Nass magazines, influencing the publications with his own particular style: As celebrity photographer for Kalam-El-Nass, his first cover feautirng actress Ghada Adel revolutioned the local industry, as it was the first cover portrait done outside a photo-studio in Egypt.
He stayed six years as main photographer of Kalam-El-Nass. On his last year there, the Maraya-El-Nass magazine project saw the light. This was an interior design magazine belonging to the same group as Kalam-El-Nass. The project's key artistic responsibles were to be writer Moguib Rushdi and himself, so he was fully transferred to the new magazine, despite he asked to keep his position at Kalam-El-Nass. Here too he managed to "shake the foundations of Egyptian interior photography with his use of natural light".
Currently Sonbol manages to combine his responsibilities as chief photographer in Al-Ahram Weekly and in the Cairo Opera House with other projects.
As a freelancer, he occasionally contributes to other publications -including Kalam-El-Nass-. He participates in photography campaigns and other job assignments too. He has also collaborated with important cultural centers such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
. His work has been displayed in various exhibits worldwide and has been the subject of doctorate
thesis
He has given seminars at AFCA (Académie Francophone Cairote des Arts ) and teaches photography at the Ahram Canadian University since 2008.
He has worked on several books, and has managed to bring to life some of his own initiatives such as "Mulid! Carnivals of Faith", "40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors" (both English and Arabic versions) or "The Nile Cruise, an Illustrated Journey".
Through one of his most recent freelance projects, Sonbol tries to bring Western and Arabic cultures closer together in order to promote a better understanding and communication.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, scenic fine arts and photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
.
Early life
Sherif Sonbol was born in Giza, CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. He lost his mother and was diagnosed with diabetes, all around the age of three.
He studied insurance at Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
and attended the Chartered Insurance Institute
Chartered Insurance Institute
The Chartered Insurance Institute is a United Kingdom based professional organisation for those working in the insurance and financial services industries....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He worked for the Egyptian Reinsurance Company as a marine underwriter. He was the accidental witness of a riff-raff between the company's marine hull insurance manager and the chief of the syndicate. Caught up in a delicate bureaucratic situation, Sonbol was told testifying about the incident meant the end of his career in insurance. As a result, he decided to pursue one of his passions -photography- and tried his luck at Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
, where he soon started working as a freelancer
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
.
Career
It only took a few months for him to become a full-time photographer at Al-AhramAl-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
under the auspices of Antoun Albert.
He was also responsible for starting and heading the photography department in Nesf-El-Dunia Magazine.
Although achieving professional goals and popularity at Al-Ahram, at a certain point Sonbol saw the need of leaving the newspaper in order to be recruited by the American Embassy's as official photographer. This position was finally not materialized but still the American Embassy incorporated him to its computer department as graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and computer trainer for newcomers, a situation he didn't feel too comfortable in. On the occasions the Embassy required a photographer, he was to perform this task too.
He managed to combine these roles with his work in the New Cairo Opera House
Cairo Opera House
The Cairo Opera House , part of Cairo's National Cultural Center, is the main performing arts venue in the Egyptian capital. Home to most of Egypt's finest musical groups, it is located on the southern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River, in the Zamalek district west of and near downtown...
, where he had been taking pictures since it opened its doors in 1988. Eventually Sonbol resigned his place at the American Embassy and returned to Al-Ahram; this time to the Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Ahram Weekly is an Egyptian English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt.It was established in 1991 by the Al-Ahram newspaper, which also runs a French-language weekly version, Al-Ahram Hebdo....
, where he would soon become head of the photography department.
Apart from his work at the Weekly, Sonbol became the main photographer of Kalam-El-Nass and Maraya-El-Nass magazines, influencing the publications with his own particular style: As celebrity photographer for Kalam-El-Nass, his first cover feautirng actress Ghada Adel revolutioned the local industry, as it was the first cover portrait done outside a photo-studio in Egypt.
He stayed six years as main photographer of Kalam-El-Nass. On his last year there, the Maraya-El-Nass magazine project saw the light. This was an interior design magazine belonging to the same group as Kalam-El-Nass. The project's key artistic responsibles were to be writer Moguib Rushdi and himself, so he was fully transferred to the new magazine, despite he asked to keep his position at Kalam-El-Nass. Here too he managed to "shake the foundations of Egyptian interior photography with his use of natural light".
Currently Sonbol manages to combine his responsibilities as chief photographer in Al-Ahram Weekly and in the Cairo Opera House with other projects.
As a freelancer, he occasionally contributes to other publications -including Kalam-El-Nass-. He participates in photography campaigns and other job assignments too. He has also collaborated with important cultural centers such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina or Maktabat al-Iskandarīyah is a major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria...
. His work has been displayed in various exhibits worldwide and has been the subject of doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
He has given seminars at AFCA (Académie Francophone Cairote des Arts ) and teaches photography at the Ahram Canadian University since 2008.
He has worked on several books, and has managed to bring to life some of his own initiatives such as "Mulid! Carnivals of Faith", "40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors" (both English and Arabic versions) or "The Nile Cruise, an Illustrated Journey".
Through one of his most recent freelance projects, Sonbol tries to bring Western and Arabic cultures closer together in order to promote a better understanding and communication.
Technique and style
- One of Sonbol's trademarks is his use of natural available light; a technique he developed under the encouragement of Antoun Albert.
- An acute sense of timing is also characteristic of his images. This is especially evident in his ballet shots and The New York Times referred to it as "a particular agile eye" adding that "Even when Sonbol concentrates on stillness, he exemplifies Martha GrahamMartha GrahamMartha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
's adageAdageAn adage is a short but memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or that has gained some credibility through its long use....
that a pause is not a pose but "an act of accomplishment" ". Sonbol developed his eye for dance under the supervision of Erminia Gambarelli Kamel, former prima ballerina and currently artistic director of the Cairo Opera House Ballet. - As a self-taught photographer, he has developed the ability to play with both classical photographic technical premises -such as leveled planes or direct clean angles-, and more innovative and unorthodox techniques. His eye for photographic composition also contributes to make his style easily identifiable.
Critical reception
"Nothing is more beautiful than to express art through art…" -Naguib MahfouzNaguib MahfouzNaguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature, along with Tawfiq el-Hakim, to explore themes of existentialism. He published over 50 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie...
, Nobel Laureate
"Rare is the photographer who looks at a familiar art form and shows it in a new light. But Sherif Sonbol’s stunning and revelatory dance photographs [show] a particularly agile eye… apt to shoot from a catwalk above the stage or from the wings, frequently abstracting shapes into dynamic and explosive bursts of color." -Anna KisselgoffAnna KisselgoffAnna Kisselgoff is a dance critic and cultural news reporter for the New York Times. She began at the Times as a dance critic and cultural news reporter in 1968, and became its Chief Dance Critic in 1977, a role she held until 2005...
, New York Times
"An artist has reached the pinnacle of his profession when his work can be recognised without his signature being written…" -Mounir Kenaan, leading Egyptian painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
Achievements
- The first Egyptian photographer ever to have a picture book published ("Mulid! Carnivals of Faith").
- The only Egyptian photographer whose work has been subject of an exhibit at New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
´s Lincoln Center. - The first Egyptian photographer to have a picture book about Egyptian antiquities ("40 Pyramids of Egypt and their Neighbors").
- His book "40 Pyramids of Egypt and their Neighbors" was the first photography book to be ever published about the Pyramids in Arabic language.
Additional reading
- Opera 1988-1993, (Cairo Opera House 1993)
- Aida, (Cairo Opera House 1999)
- Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten : Nefertiti : Tutankhamen, (Bullfinch Press & Boston Museum for Fine Arts 1999, ISBN 0-8212-2620-7 & ISBN 978-0-8212-2620-9 ) Contributor.
- Swan Lake for Children, (Cairo Opera House 2000)
- Mulid! Carnivals of Faith, (AUC Press 2001, ISBN 977-424-519-9 & ISBN 978-977-424-519-0)
- Mamluk Art: The Splendor and Magic of the Sultans (Museum with No Frontiers & Transatlantic Publications 2001, ISBN 1-874044-37-6 & ISBN 977-270-667-9)
- The Pharaohs, (Bompiani Arte & Thames and Hudson 2002, ISBN 88-7423-023-0) Main contributor.
- Der Turmbau Zu Babel – Ursprung Vielfalt von Sprache und Schrift (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien & Skira 2003, ISBN 3-85497-055-2 & ISBN 8884915431) Contributor.
- 40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors, (Cyperus Press 2005, ISBN 977-5052-17-3)
- 40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors, Arabic version (Al Hayaa Al Masriya Al-Aama Lel Ketab 2005, ISBN 977-419-690-2)
- Egyptian Palaces and Villas, (Abrams Inc & AUC Press 2006, ISBN 0-8109-5538-5 & ISBN 978-0-8109-5538-7)
- The Churches of Egypt: From the Journey of the Holy Family to the Present Day, (AUC Press 2007, ISBN 977-416-106-8 & ISBN 978-977-416-106-3)
- Arts of the City Victorious (Yale University Press 2008, ISBN 978-0-300-13542-8 & ISBN 0-300-13542-4) Main contributor.
- Christianity and Monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun: Essays from the 2002 International Symposium of the Saint Mark Foundation and the Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society, Edited by Maged S.A. Mikhail & Mark Moussa, (AUC Press 2009, ISBN 978-977-416-260-2) Cover image.
- Opera 1988-2008 (Cairo Opera House 2009, ISBN 978-9774791660)
- Al-Tahra Palace, A Gem in a Majestic Garden (CULTNAT / Bibliotheca Alexandrina 2009, ISBN 978-977-452-144-7)
- The Nile Cruise, an Illustrated Journey (AUC Press 2010, ISBN 977-416-302-8 & ISBN 978-977-416-302-9 )