We asked Egyptian photographer Shahd Mostafa, our Contributor of the Month, about her artistic journey in the world of photography. She said:

I am Shahd Mostafa, 26 years old, from Giza. I graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Zamalek in 2022. I first discovered my passion for photography in 2017, when Dr. Murad Darwish asked us to capture a detailed frame before starting our sketching assignments. After seeing my shots, he praised their artistic character. Since then, I became deeply interested in photography and began applying my art studies to it.

Portrait photography has always been my greatest challenge, as I strive to capture genuine emotions that truly resonate with the viewer. Along my journey, one of my works was acquired by the renowned Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris at the exhibition of the great Egyptian artist Farouk Hosny in 2022. I also took part in the Youth Salon in 2024.

Shahd shared with us three of her favorite works and told us about them.



In this photo is my friend Esraa. I have always felt that she has distinctive features, so I told her about my wish to take portrait shots of her. I was delighted by her enthusiasm and willingness to take part, and since then, from time to time, I have captured many photos of her.




I had bought a bouquet of flowers to photograph a certain product. At one point, I was sitting at my desk with the flower in front of me, and the only light in the room came from the lamp. In that moment, with the camera in my hand, I felt inspired to capture the scene I was seeing. From this experience, I learned that a beautiful frame does not always require a lot of equipment.




In this photo, we see one of the markets in Nubia. I was with friends from college on a trip we took after graduation, and I was fascinated by the abundance of colors and their harmony.