This year is not just another Ramadan for Egypt's photojournalists, says Dena Rashed Ramadan iconography is known to all, children and adults alike, whether consisting of the famous lanterns, the mosques packed with worshippers, or the tables lining the streets offering free food for those fasting. Yet, despite the well-known character of such quintessentially Ramadan scenes, Egypt's photojournalists nevertheless managed to capture Ramadan afresh at an exhibition held last week at the Press Syndicate in Cairo. The exhibition, organised by the Egyptian Photojournalists Society (EPS), attracted 43 professionals in the competition for the top three awards and honorary prizes. "This year we have three Egyptian judges and two foreigners to ensure fairness and variety," said Amr Nabil, vice-president of the EPS and a judge of the competition. Now in its third year, at this year's competition the judges demanded digital photographs from the participants and projected them onto large screens. Criteria used in the judging, Nabil explained, include the power of the shot. If there is little to choose between two photographs entered in the competition, then relevance to the Ramadan theme is the decisive factor. Nabil said the exhibition brings out the best in the photographers, "their effort, and the search for new ideas and angles being what makes the exhibition interesting," he added. On Monday, the EPS held a workshop to explain how the winning photographs were chosen. "We don't want this just to be an exhibition with winners and losers. Rather, we want it to be a learning experience for all of us, which is why we also accepted entries from non-members of the Press Syndicate who nevertheless work in the media. We want to include all photojournalists in this exhibition," Nabil said. First prize this year went to Amr Diab for his shot of Al-Mesaharati, who wakes people at night during Ramadan with his drums to eat before dawn. Diab is a photographer at the newspaper Al-Yom Al-Sabea, and he has only recently graduated. The choice of Al-Mesaharati as the subject for his photograph came by chance as he was walking through the Matariya district of Cairo. "The streets were glittering with Ramadan decorations, and I asked whether a mesaharati passes by," Diab said. "People told me there was one, but that he didn't like the press. They told me to say I was a student majoring in the arts so that he would let me take his picture," Diab said, adding that he took the residents' advice and it worked. Nabil explained that some people are suspicious of photography, and this can make the job of the press photographer more difficult. "It's a prevalent attitude in Middle Eastern culture, and as a result sometimes photographers have difficulty getting their shots," he said. Second prize in this year's competition went to Ahmed Hammad, a photographer of 15 years' standing, for his shot of a young girl reading the Quran in the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque in Cairo. Hammad has a special affection for this mosque and for the worship that takes place at it. "After prayers when the light is soft is usually the best time to take photos at the mosque," Hammad said. While he has also found it difficult to take photographs in the streets, especially after Friday prayers, he says that the "Ramadan spirit affects people, and makes our job a bit easier. During Ramadan, they let us take photographs more freely."
