Cairo Photo Studio has opened for business

The latest company in the Cairo Photo Group, Cairo Photo Studio is a professional commercial studio run by Marco Ryan and Ramy Salem, based in Maadi, Cairo. Aimed primarily at the Egyptian fashion and commercial markets, and bringing a fresh, experienced western “eye” to create compelling new images, the studio has a number of unique selling points that help differentiate it:

• Its primary focus is Fashion and Commercial work. But with Marco’s experience as a freelance travel photographer some of the work is undertaken is editorial or on location, particularly for the travel and tourism industries, providing powerful and compelling images that differ from much of what you will see in Egypt today.

• The studio can also be rented for professional shoots or by keen hobbyists (see below). It comes fully equipped, is fully air-conditioned and includes a make-up/changing room, kitchen and free coffee, tea and soft drinks. It  is available for rent by the hour, half-day, day or longer. There is an online booking system, showing availability. Payment is made through Credit Card or PayPal only. A full list of the lighting equipment is available here.

• The Studio works with its sister company, Cairo Photo School, to run a number of introductory and studio lighting courses to allow non-professionals the chance to learn about studio work and to hone their skills. Once Students have undertaken the basic course, they are then free to rent the studio for their own work. Alternatively students can come for a one hour assessment to show their competency. This costs $50 and is paid in cash.

Ever since the 1970′s photographers have had in their camera bags small flexible and surprisingly powerful electronic flash units. Now with the remote exposure control that the Nikon CLS and Canon E-TTL systems give remarkable ability for the photographer to take their little strobes and produce the kind of lighting that most people think that only large and expensive studio strobes can produce but in a small, inexpensive and quick to use package.

This course is designed to show you just how powerful and flexible off camera flash can be, and the endless opportunities it provides you for creativity and for getting great exposures in complex lighting situations.

We combine two speedlights with two light stands, an umbrella and a clamp and the result is a small portable studio or location lighting setup that will give you professional results for a fraction of the cost and bulk of a “studio strobe” kit. We will show you how all of this is possible as well as how to do things with these small strobes that you can’t do with big lights.

Lesson plan

• Understanding lighting controls: color, contrast and light quality
• Controlling lights in the field: placement and exposure
• Lighting portraits 1: working with natural light
• Lighting portraits 2: overpowering natural light

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How much does it cost?

• 1-2 people: $400 total
• 3-6 people: $140 per person

What’s included?

• All equipment (including camera)
• Lunch
• You need only bring enough local currency for refreshments and dinner at the end of the day.

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Booking

Booking could not be simpler. You just need to complete the booking form. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours with whether that date works, and if not we will try and provide you with a range of dates. You just need to tell us how many of you there will be (max is 6) and what sort of standard you are.

We’ll also send you a PayPal invoice for 50% of the total cost. The remaining amount is payable at the conclusion of the day, either in Egyptian Pounds or US Dollars.

This two-day course covers how to shoot images for fashion and commercial clients. We provide both a model and various still-life and commercial products as subjects for you to understand the different lighting, composition and effect that each of these type of clients would demand. The course can be split down into two single course of one day each, but a discount is offered for those attending the 2 day back-back course. You can find out more details of the single-day course, here.

The course is a mix of theoretical and practical, although most of the theory is taught in the studio, rather than the classroom. We take you from the preparation, the set-up the briefing with the model or product client, the shoot list, the lighting set-ups, tethered shooting, and post-processing.By the end of the course you will have a small collection of high quality fashion and commercial images.

Please note: This course is aimed at those who have already completed the Studio -Lighting Introduction Course or those who have had some experience working in a studio and are proficient with the topics covered in the introductory course. If you are in doubt, we recommend that you do the introductory course and we will adjust the schedule for you accordingly.

How much does it cost?

• 1-2 people: $400 total
• 3-6 people: $140 per person

What’s included?

• All equipment (including camera)
• Lunch
• You need only bring enough local currency for refreshments and dinner at the end of the day.

top

Booking

Booking could not be simpler. You just need to complete the booking form. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours with whether that date works, and if not we will try and provide you with a range of dates. You just need to tell us how many of you there will be (max is 6) and what sort of standard you are.

We’ll also send you a PayPal invoice for 50% of the total cost. The remaining amount is payable at the conclusion of the day, either in Egyptian Pounds or US Dollars.

We cover barn doors, snoots, beauty dish, Octa-panels, spots, soft-boxes, umbrellas, light tents, tungsten and off camera flash. We will show you how to meter, how to set up your camera, how to to use backdrops, reflectors every possible different combination of studio equipment. By the end of the day you will have the confidence in how to use artificial light in a studio environment to create the type of image that you want.

once you have attended one of our studio course you will be eligible to rent the studio at a discounted rate to continue exploring and developing your studio skills.

top

How much does it cost?

• 1-2 people: $400 total
• 3-6 people: $140 per person

What’s included?

• All equipment (including camera)
• Lunch
• You need only bring enough local currency for refreshments and dinner at the end of the day.

top

Booking

Booking could not be simpler. You just need to complete the booking form. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours with whether that date works, and if not we will try and provide you with a range of dates. You just need to tell us how many of you there will be (max is 6) and what sort of standard you are.

We’ll also send you a PayPal invoice for 50% of the total cost. The remaining amount is payable at the conclusion of the day, either in Egyptian Pounds or US Dollars.