Khaled Fouad All the world his canvas

story by BARBARA BURKE photos

FOUAD

as he discusses his photography projects and professional dreams.

“I love the magic of photography and how a photograph can trigger our emotions,” he says. “I challenge myself with every photograph I take to produce an image that reflects quality, hard work, and finesse.”

When Fouad speaks, his energy is contagious and his vision of photographic perfection becomes clear.

A native of Cairo, Egypt, Fouad is the son of an American mother and a half-German father. He came to California to pursue his passion for photography and earned a degree in commercial photography at Santa Monica College.

“I always loved photography from a young age and was fascinated by my father’s old Yashica 35 mm film camera, which I still use, and by pictures belonging to my grandmother,” Fouad says. “Photography is amazing because it almost stops a motion … in time and captures a moment.”

Fouad settled in Ojai after honing his career goals and photography skills by working with Guy Webster, Ojai’s iconic photographer and a colleague of Ansel Adams. The late Webster was one of the early innovators of rock ‘n roll and celebrity photography. For decades he enjoyed a career spanning the worlds of music, film, and politics, and designed album covers for The Rolling Stones, The Mamas & The Papas, The Beach Boys, Chicago, and many more.

Fouad reveres Webster and, as he noted in his eulogy for Webster in 2019, helped Webster with photo shoots and managed his enormous careerlong archive of photos. The pair were introduced by mutual friends because of their love of photography and a nity for motorcycles.

“I always looked up to the photography gods, but I never imagined I would be mentored by one,” Fouad says. “I met Guy at NoSo Vita (now known as LO>E Social Cafe), where he liked to get his co ee and breakfast almost every morning and he would share stories from his lifelong photography career.”

Fouad instantly knew he wanted to emulate Webster, and was inspired to live a similarly exciting life.

For three years, Fouad helped Webster, assisting him in curating his last exhibit in 2019, “Behind the Mask,” hosted by Porch Gallery. The series was inspired by masks that Ojai residents wore in the aftermath of the Thomas Fire. Webster shot the series using a FujiFilm GFX 50 megapixel camera that Fouad helped him select.

Under Webster’s tutelage, Fouad’s skills and career blossomed. His striking photographs include the series “Egypt, a Journey through Civilization,” which highlights some of his native country’s most gorgeous landmarks, such as the beautiful Al-Sayeda Zainab Mosque. One of the country’s most important and largest mosques, it is dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad’s granddaughter. Like many of Fouad’s works, the black-and-white image is shot from an interesting angle that focuses on some of the ancient edifice’s most phenomenal features, and highlights its ornate motifs and enormous dome. Fouad playfully toys with the e ects of shadows on a cloudy day in his rendition of the Courtyard of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, drawing onlookers in to enjoy the mosque’s distinctive architecture and features.

“My Egypt series resonates because it plays with gray, black, and white tones utilizing the zone system pioneered by Ansel Adams,” Fouad explains. “A photo is divided into 11 zones, including nice shades of gray together with pure black and pure white. I play with gray and white shades to create a dynamic range within the 11 tone values.”

Fouad says he mostly shoots images in black-and-white and often shoots photos on film. He uses a photo enlarger to print a negative, often on silver nitrate paper. Then, he plays with it digitally in Photoshop, a process that yields extraordinary images. Forthcoming projects include photographs of Ojai landmarks and scenery. Ojai is home for Fouad, who loves to ride his horses in the countryside.

“I do my works in series and I hope to have a show exhibiting Ojai — ‘Valley of the Moon,’ Fouad says. “I am mostly shooting panoramas in this series, highlighting the recent rains and the Topatopa Mountains and their last snow, as well as the Rose Valley and Lake Casitas.”

His portraits include stunning images of Webster and of Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Perla Batalla.

Fouad is also creating a name for himself in the world of commercial photography by shooting industry standard photographs, including impressive images of bottles of Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin and E&J Brandy, and cosmetic products by the likes of Bobbi Brown and Too Faced.

What’s next for this talented young photographer? He plans to complete a series that he and Webster envisioned. He animatedly describes the concept: “The project focuses on the dogs of Ojai”.

Every day, I observe how strong each dog’s personality is; and whether they are young or senior dogs, large or small dogs, they are each a unique individual. I want to capture how they express themselves.

“I will be the happiest person when I work with people who respect and love me and who I love,” he says. “For me, that’s what being wealthy and successful means.” All the world is his oyster; all the world is his canvas. For more information, visit khaledfouadphoto.com

Left page: The Topatopas from Lake Casitas

Top left: Portrait of Perla Batalla

Top right: Highway 33, in the Valley of the Moon

Above: Above: Bread boy, “Egypt, a Journey through Civilization”

Left: Winchester Bourbon Whiskey, product shoot