Ali Sharaf Photography, Bahrain

Focusing on both Editorial and Commercial industries, Ali Sharaf works with magazines and advertising agencies that require high quality images.

Recently Ali Sharaf outdid himself again with stunning imagery for the launch marketing campaign of Viva, the Kingdom’s most recent telecommunications provider. Suffice to say, his work speaks to the general public as he himself is a Bahraini, born and raised who understands what is required to grab attention and give his fellow citizens something new to aspire to. Sharaf says of his work, “people are often surprised that the images I create are the work of a Bahraini. Many other people believe that my work, along with the work of some other Bahraini photographers, is already at global standards. This is of course flattering but at the same time drives us to continuously build upon our skills to remain at that global level”. Ali Sharaf goes on to add that his work showcases a range of aspects however one that he wishes to highlight is that the Kingdom of Bahrain has lots of talent within its indigenous population. He notes himself as being fortunate enough to work closely with a highly skilled team of Bahrainis, ranging from my special friend ‘Fahad Al Dossari’ Director of Esthetics to stylists, who he believes to be as equally talented as those in their fields internationally.

Ali Sharaf presents himself with a mature outlook for his preferred field in art, fashion and beauty photography. As a graduate from Manchester & London Workshops and seminars in the UK, he has taken his profession back to his homeland, where when asked about the comparison of freedom to express in the Kingdom, Sharaf answers that although Bahrain is a more conservative culture he has not felt himself to be excessively limited in how he presents his work. He stoically acknowledges that, “the concept of beauty is one that differs from one region to the next so I actually consider myself fortunate to be able to address the challenges that come along with producing images that can be regarded as pleasing and beautiful to a varied audience be they conservative or otherwise”.

Taking full advantage of the digital revolution and armed with his knowledge and skills in digital enhancement that he acquired from his former career in graphic design, when describing his work, Ali Sharaf mentions that, “we now live in the digital age whereby the process of editing a photo once it has been captured is commonplace amongst professional photographers and has actually developed into a high level of expertise in some respects. I cannot speak for other photographers but in my case, I use the post-production process to reinforce what I had envisioned for the image, identify things that were out of my control during the shoot, and move the image in the direction that it needs to go to”. In Sharaf’s opinion, retouching should be realistic in order to enhance the natural beauty of his subjects rather than radically altering them.

To Sharaf there are many aspects of his work that he enjoys from the planning stages of a project all the way through to the post production phase and handover. Sharaf takes pleasure in addressing the unique challenges that come with every new project and feels lucky to have the support and creative input of a great team.

“I was fortunate enough to learn from world class photographers over the course of my studies and at the same time it opened my eyes to the level of professionalism that exists in the field of photography outside our region. Photography as a profession and industry in Bahrain, and within the region, is still a relatively new concept on many levels. By way of a simple example, I am often approached to produce an advertising campaign for certain publications within a timeline of one week and within a limited budget; this is something that is far less common in Europe or the US where the photography industry is at a maturity level higher than our own and photographers are given months to put together an advertising concept for renowned publications and are working with sizeable budgets. This is something I anticipate will change as the industry evolves here”.

On reflecting on the overall photography industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Sharaf declares that, “there are few Bahraini photographers that are able to pursue their passion as a full time career since this can be financially challenging as the industry currently stands. I hope that as my work and that of my fellow professional Bahraini photographers continues to evolve to a level that is consistently at level with global standards, that together our work will open doors for other Bahrainis to follow their dreams and become even more successful as professional photographers. In terms of what I wish to give back to the international market, my hope is that we as Bahraini photographers are able to be recognized as a meaningful and relevant talent to the industry overall. The world is a much smaller place now than what it was 10 or 20 years ago so I look forward to the prospect of sharing our unique vision, and collaborating with a wider audience”.

When asked about the pinnacle of his success, Ali Sharaf explains that, “being regarded as an imagemaker of an international standard has been very rewarding as has the opportunity to work with some well known global brands. I have my sights set on higher goals beyond the region as the fashion industry is one that plays out on a global stage”.