From an early age, photographer Mohamed Sadek had an eye for the camera. In the years since, he made his childhood dream a reality, has developed an extensive portfolio, and featured in The New York Times and TIME Magazine and commissioned by companies such as Nike and Harley Davidson.
Hayat Life Editor-in-Chief Fira Gasimova talked with Sadek and learned what first drew him to photography, his evolving artistic inspirations, and hopes for the future.
In the beginning, Sadek didn’t know if he could make a career in photography.
Gasimova: Where did your interest come from? How did you break into the industry?
Sadek: My initial interest was documentary film. I would watch HBO and think that those films would be amazing to be a part of — hard-hitting real stories and visions of other peoples’ lives. I saw how much video cameras were and was like, “this is way too expensive.” I thought I’d study economics, it’d be a safe, normal thing, but I would like a camera. So I asked my mom, and she got me a digital camera. I would photograph all the sports for school. I got into it so much that I started to look at colleges for photography, a real career path.
Gasimova: Was it because you wanted to show the feeling of being personal with someone behind the camera?
Sadek: My interest is in storytelling and how people from different cultures all have the same challenges in life. It was so fascinating to me. The camera is just an excuse to be able to meet people and talk to people about different things. My curiosity and photography went hand in hand.
As Sadek gained more experience, the work of other photographers influenced his work.
Gasimova: Who would you say are your artistic inspirations?
Sadek: At the time, I liked street artists like Keith Haring. He seemed like a beautiful person and the struggles in his life were inspiring. When I was in university, I was really into Susan Meiselas. Then it evolved into Viviane Sassen who was all analog. Now it’s Christopher Anderson and Alex Webb. They’re both photojournalists. Alex Webb will wait for a moment for a really long period of time, creates layers, and just knows when a moment’s going to happen. I use that thinking quite a bit when framing up a scene.
Gasimova: I recently saw a photo series you posted of your mother, and I was wondering how those shots came about. What inspired it?
Sadek: I always have a camera on the dining room table or my desk. A lot of those photos I took when I visited home. I sometimes feel like photojournalists will photograph people outside, but they won’t at home. I take photos with that same intimacy everywhere in my life.
Gasimova: Would you say your mom is your biggest supporter?
Sadek: Yeah, she’s a huge fan. She’s always helping me find copies of work in print.
Sadek grew up in New Jersey but spent summers visiting family in Egypt. He talks about dance, New York, and his vision.
Gasimova: I see a lot of dancers or people dancing in your portfolio. What appeals to you most in these shots?
Sadek: I think about an alternate universe Mohamed who grows up in Egypt, and he doesn’t have the accessibility to ever see the ballet. He never gets to see Martha Graham or something beautiful like that. It’s the only way I could bring something like that to someone else’s mobile, so they can witness something really special.
Gasimova: How do you feel about traveling between two cities? Whenever I travel back home, it feels like time traveling back to when I was little, no matter the age.
Sadek: Going to Egypt makes New York look slow. It’s so high-intensity and I love going to see my family. It’s like a reset for me to come back to New York and have that fighting spirit again because I have so much opportunity that I wouldn’t be afforded if I grew up in Egypt. It makes me want to make and create.
Gasimova: Would you say that New York is your home?
Sadek: I don’t particularly like New York, but it is my home. It’s my natural habitat. The air that I need is in New York. I can see the people I want to see. I can get coffee exactly where and when I want it.
Working in photography has allowed Sadek to explore meaningful storytelling and capture connections between people.
Gasimova: What’s been your most challenging shoot?
Sadek: During the pandemic, me and one of my best friends were photographing places hit hardest by COVID-19. The accessibility to gas, food, and stuff like that was pretty limited. We were sleeping outside at times. That was definitely the most difficult shooting experience. It was very fulfilling because there was a significance behind it.
Gasimova: What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Sadek: I’m 34; I’m not going to be offended by a young student who wants to learn something. You want them to do better. But when another photographer that’s the same age as me asks me about my technique, I’m not as willing to share cause I think, “Are you trying to compete with me?” Everyone can do their own thing so that it’s more challenging, and you can all do better together. For a young photographer, I hope they would travel, meet people, and push as much film through their cameras as possible. That’s all I’m trying to do now.
Gasimova: What are some misconceptions about being a professional photographer that you’ve heard?
Sadek: Society’s perspective on photography might correlate influencers and journalists and artists too closely. I don’t necessarily want to show off materialism. I just want to photograph normal people, more like a journalist with a little bit of an artist.
Gasimova: I know documentaries made you interested in the field to begin with. Are there any future projects you’d like to pursue in making films or documentaries?
Sadek: Nielson, who’s like my business partner, we like making short documentary stories. We volunteer with some dance companies and we hope to make documentary style films in dance. Separate from that, I have two short narratives. One my friend is directing, and one I’ve been working on for a bit. As long as we keep doing the things we’ve been doing, I’m pretty satisfied. I’m very thankful to continue. If I could do this for the rest of my life, that’d be great.
