Black & White Category June 2020 Winner, taken in India.
As ASIAN Geographic’s annual Images of Asia (IOA) 2020 Photo/Videography Competition looms closer, submissions to our IOA Monthly competition – the precursor to our annual event – are pouring in. We have received stunning photos across the categories, and are now featuring our monthly winners in an exclusive interview!
Below is our interview with one of this month’s spotlight, Yasser Alaa Mobarak, the IOA Monthly June 2020 winner in the Black & White category, selected from the May 2020 entries.
AG: What is the story of your beginning and journey to creating great images?
Yasser: I got into photography during the Egyptian Revolution at the age of 18 as a contributing photojournalist to the Youth Journalism International and PBS News Hour. Since I started I’ve been exploring different genres and types of photography such as abstract, street, portrait, and travel photography. My travel photography now is published in National Geographic India, Hungary, and Serbia. I have also achieved the Sony World Photography Award.
AG: How would you define your style and concepts you enjoy exploring?
Yasser: When I travel to shoot, I look up photographs on the places I’m visiting to see how other photographers shoot them. Then I work on different ways to create new images. I mainly focus on the composition of the photo more than the technique.
AG: What is great photography to you, and are there any photographers you would like to work with?
Yasser: Great photography, to me, is creative vision exposed through creative composition. My role model in photography is Ashraf Talaat. He is an iconic Egyptian documentary photographer.
AG: What is your preferred imaging gear to work with and why?
Yasser: I consider the camera as the painting brush artists use to create their masterpiece. I used the Nikon D3100 and now the Nikon D5600 with Nikkor 18-55mm and Nikon 50mm lenses.
AG: What is the next Asian destination you’d like to explore and why?
Yasser: The next destination will be Nepal. It’s rich countries full of portraits, religions, and temples.
AG: Can you share more about your current and upcoming projects?
Yasser: Currently I’m working on a project about the daily lives in Baku, Azerbaijan which has been published in several Azerbaijani newspapers.
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Congratulations once again to Yasser for being the Images of Asia (IOA) Monthly Winner in the Black and White Category! You can check out Yasser’s Instagram here!
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Love shooting photos of the vast and beautiful Asia? Submit your entries today! More details of Images of Asia Monthly here.
