Introduce yourself: tell us who you are in a few sentences and give us a little background on your career path thus far.
I am Heba Khamis, an Egyptian visual researcher based between Egypt and Netherlands. After graduating with a bachelor in painting, I did a career shift and worked as a photojournalist. I covered the two revolutions in Egypt and the aftermath. After studying visual storytelling in Denmark I decided to dedicate my career completely to long term projects while taking some assignments to survive.
I used to work on topics related to the body in societies. Now my main focus is the inner world, the psychological and mental sides of human beings. With a recent interest in art therapy and community art.
What is your earliest memory with photography?
I remember the first time I touched my friend’s family analog camera, I was around 8 or 10: she warned me not to open the door so that I wouldn’t burn the film inside. I was happy to just hold the camera. But my family was not motivated to buy me one. After so many years I bought my first analog camera myself, with my allowance money, when I was in high school. After seeing how much I am passionate about photography my family bought me the next two cameras.
Describe your approach to visual storytelling?
I consider myself as a visual researcher not a photographer anymore. The more I do storytelling the more I lose interest in the “good image”. I focus more on the narrative and how it shows the people in it, their representation, watching out for my position in telling their stories.
I carry the ethics of traditional documentary form with a strong belief in the need of integrating the subjects while telling their stories to avoid the danger of “single story” to prevent creating stereotypes or represent my own interpretations of my subject.
Beyond my photographic approach, I add different elements and mediums belonging to the protagonists of the stories, such as their drawings and reflections on the issue/topic to give them the chance to express themselves and interact in telling their own story. Using those drawings as visual testimonies exactly like quotes but visual quotes instead of words.
At the moment, I am doing an art therapy diploma, to be able to involve the protagonists more in the creation process without traumatizing or revictimize them.
What is one piece of advice you would give to those just starting out or looking to improve their visual storytelling skills?
I am forwarding it from my teacher, Thomas Nielsen. I was lost and I couldn’t see where I was going. He told me: “Heba, photograph from your stomach, be present” the mind has thoughts and judgments, the heart has feelings, and the eyes have vision. When you shut all of them up, be in the moment, it guides you.
Listen, Listen, Listen presently and actively. To master photography you need to practice taking images. BUT to master storytelling you need to practice listening more than speaking. let the protagonists REALLY lead and guide you through their stories, allow them and yourself to be fully present in the moment as human beings not a subject and a journalist.
How does this moment impact how you view both yourself as a visual storyteller and your project?
At the moment we are all being one subject in one topic. I am going through the same as all my subjects from my all projects, we are all going through the same. The individual consequences are different but for the first time all the photographers are experimenting what their subjects are going through. It’s a vulnerable moment for everyone.
I went through an ethical dilemma in the beginning of the pandemic “Do I risk and document it, by this I would be risking my family”. I allowed myself to live the pandemic, to leave my camera, take care of my family and check on my beloved ones and my subjects from previous series.
This decision gave me more time to reflect on the pandemic slowly, to live it as a person not a storyteller, it opened my eyes to the psychological side effect of the lockdown on us, the fears, the philosophy of tomorrow and the future concepts, death fact, fear of dying alone that many face now, humans surviving nature and quick adaptation, the trauma that is being created at the moment and we would pass on to the next generation if not generations, how we would be back, what would be normal again and what wouldn’t, functioning in the societies again after the social isolation and social distance, all the missed hugs and how we would communicate. Exploring how our existence is being reshaped at the moment and the intergenerational trauma that would last after the economy is strong again, would be my next work and reflection on the pandemic.
Pick 2-3 images to deconstruct: what was happening when you took the shot? Set the scene, what was going through your head?
I got Mohamed & Jochen approval to photograph them. On the shooting day, An hour-long fight ensues between Jochen and another customer who asked “Have you slept with him?” because the answer was “yes.” talking about the other customer Favourite refugee.
For the next year, I was waiting only for the moment to find Jochen and Mohamed again, visiting Germany many times hoping and trying to reach them. Suddenly it happened while I was sitting in the park. Mohamed was visiting his friends then he called Jochen who came in 10 mins. Everything was happening so fast.
I was super nervous and shaking inside, afraid to miss the moment again. I was really all over the place, my heart was beating fast and my eyes were going through the park looking for a good spot and nice light to create intimacy.
It’s a small detail that was metaphoric for me. I used to walk around the park and find blossoms and leaves mixed with used condoms and tissues, which was a sign that it’s a sex spot. It shows the two sides/faces of the park, beauty and darkness.
What motivates you to keep making pictures? In one sentence describe why visual storytelling matters to you.
Visual storytelling matters because storytelling and people’s stories chase me and find me not me find them. Whenever I am exhausted, full of doubts and about to drop everything, something shows up to push me.