Rashad Al-Qousy, in his artistic rising, was affected by the Egyptian Environment in its comprehensiveness as the common life, historical incidents and the huge incidents in Egypt. He depicted it by the artist eye, and he has also acquired high technical expertise in photography as the camera is like his shadow till now.
Critic/ Kamal Al Gweely
Rashad Al-Qousy and the stories of 100,000 photos in 60 years
-He says: `my first photo was published on the front page of Al-Ahram with my name on it in 1946. As I was a teacher I used to sit in front of my home watching official convoys on their way to Al Refaay Mosque, to put flowers on King Fuad`s grave. I took 2 photos of Mohammed Hassan El Ashamwy pasha, Minister of Knowledge, and his guest who later on appeared to be Minister of Persian Education. I had a small lab at my bathroom, and my father was sending the photos to Al Balagh Newspaper which specified the last page for publishing the photos of amateurs. I gave the two photos to Naguib Kanaan, the editor secretary, in the old building of Al-Ahram at Mazloum St. (Bab el Louk), and he took one of the photos, and published it on the front page so I gained 20 piaster; from this day on commercial incidents began to attract me`.
-` In the same year or the following, King Farouk went to pray the last Friday in Ramadan at Al Refaay Mosque, and I did not have a license to take photo, and when a high rank officer (General Othman Shehata), who is one of my relatives, saw me, he pointed to Sobhy Ryad Shehata, the King`s photographer, and son of Ryad Shehata, the photographer of King Fuad. He said to me that the King stands on the 3rd step of the staircase, and that a red rose is put to help us adjusting the photo,and I took the photo`.
-`I have also taken a photo of King Farouk during raising the Egyptian Flag in Nile Trenches, and also during Palestine War when he visited the Egyptian Forces in that area (saneed monastery) between Gaza and Tal Aviv.
Foreign Photographers
`When Palestine War started in 1948, Prime Minister Mahmoud Fahmy Al No`rashy Pasha asked a number of journalists and photographers to go with the Egyptian Army. We took military cloths with a badge of the word military correspondent on it, and General Mohammed Hedar Pasha, Minister of Defense, asked to meet the journalists and photographers, objecting to the presence of foreign photographers`.
-`I used to travel once a week through Al Areesh and Rafah, but others were traveling through Jordan. In order that we could accompany the commandos led by Ahmed Abd El Aziz, we had with us Hassan Murad, Photographer of Misr Cinema Newspaper.
-` I was with lieutenant Bahgat Badawy -writer, poet, former editor in chief and head of board of board of directors of Al Gomhoria Newspaper`.
-` We used to take these photos using the cameras of the army, but they were all burned after the Revolution. Later on, an English publisher came searching for these photos, and he bought 5 photos from Dar Al-Helal and AL-Ahram after he paid 500£ for each`.
-` Photographers whether foreigners or Arabs were Carlo Pagian, Arnsak Masrefian (Masraf), Michel Nazrian (Nazr), and Yussif Hially (Iraqi). Newspapers did not have any professional photographers, and they were dealing with them using monthly registration system known as `Aboneh` for 25 L.E per month`.
-` competition with Foreign photographers was so hard, and I worked at Muslim Brotherhood Newspaper for few months`.
-` I was nominated by Masraf to work at AL-Zaman Newspaper owned by Edgar Galal for 25 L.E, and my teaching salary was 8 L.E`.
-`I started working in Akhbar AL-Youm in 1952 after I was dismissed from Al-Zaman Newspaper and receiving a check of 500 L.E. I went to Kamel Al-Shenawy who talked to Mustafa Amin who in turn agreed to have me working there but on one condition that is the consent of Muhammad Yussef.
-` I worked at Argentina TV, along with being a photographer`.
-` I worked for a number of International News Agencies, and also specialized Agencies as Sigma and Gamma in Paris, Photo Gers Agency in London, and other Arab Newspapers in Lebanon`.
-` Films were sent to the specialized agency to be developed and printed in the labs, in order to get the best quality and resolution`.
-` Agency says: You have two photos of assassination, and photographer`s hands work automatically on time`.
-` The two photos were exclusively published in the American Newsweek Magazine, and later on they were published in other international Newspapers.
-` From her house in Al-Maadi, Queen Dina -First wife of King Hussein- declared in a statement that she wants her daughter- Princess Alia (5 years old)-, and this statement was broadcasted in International TVs. The late Monarch sent Princess Alia to her mother who is a Professor of English Literature in University of Hassanein Hekal. Montgomery wore civilian costume all through his visit, but he wore military costume during his visit to the cemetery of the Allies`.
-` I took a photo of Imam Mussa Al-Sadr, the Lebanese Shiite Leader, while he was visiting Al-Azhar during the Period of office of the late Professor Abd El-Halim Mahmoud- the Greatest Imam. I also took a photo of Musician Abd El-Wahab on the occasion of being appointed by President Al-Sadat to distribute the music of the national anthem, and he gave him the honoring position of brigadier general`.
-` Artist Gamal AL-Sageny puts the final touches on the statue of artist Abd El-Halim Hafez. When events pass, photographers think of other trends; I agreed with Professor Hassan Hafez, Director of the Zoo, to give the Lion an additional meal, so I put into his cage a chick. The lion came near it, smell it and left it which makes the expectaions of the Director come true`.
-` An Arab Prince put a chimpanzee into the zoo; I prepared for his birthday party, he wore a tuxedo with a birthday cake in front of him, and a beautiful girl beside him`.
-` I participated with Journalist Soad Mansy in reportage of Mosamarat El-Habib Magazine on a poor woman living in a tree house, Old Egypt area.
Mustafa Shrdy
-` One of the successful cases of preparing a photographer editor was what Mustafa Shrdy -Director of Akhbar EL-Youm Port Saied Bureau, and the first editor in chief of Al-Wafd Newspaper during the Tripartite aggression- has done`.
Al-Qousy succeeded in taking photos of the destruction and the dead caused by this war, and he came with the films through Lake Al-Manzla. He arrived at Cairo with 10 Films of death and destruction, and he refused to sell these films to one of the agencies for 1000 L.E. President Abd EL-Naser ordered for a private plane to be under the disposal of Mustafa Amin who took the photos to USA and other countries, and the photos were published through international media.
Photographing Encyclopedia
-Rashad El-Qousy was born in Asiut on 30th of November 1923, he moved with his family to Cairo while he was only 5 years old, they lived at Al-Helmia AL-Gedida, and he worked as a painting teacher for 4 years in two elementary schools at Al-Abasia and Al-Darb El-Ahmar.
-His interest in photography began when he was 10 years old. He used to borrow the camera from his father or his uncle to picture his family and the historical mosques.
-He received the Prize of King Farouk I for press in 1950, and Pioneer Medal from Press Syndicate on Press day 2003.
-He participated in the foundation of Egyptian Photography Association in 1946, and the first director was adviser/ Ahmed Moussa.
-A press Photography encyclopedia including both the technical and scientific sides. Human effort remains the basic thing despite the development of cameras.
- Colored labs appeared first in Cairo during the 1940`s at Adly and Sherif St, and then appeared Kodak Lab.
-Successful photographer can always get the best shots in all fields; e.g., in religion he can take the best photos of mosques and qura`anic verses.
-one of the best international photos is the photo of the American astronaut Nil Armstrong`s feet on the moon.
Prof./ Ahmed El-Manzalawy
Special Memories of Rashed Al-Qousy
-`I pictured Al-Sadat assassination accidentally, my most famous photos is Lion and Chick, and the most famous journalist I worked with was Hekal`.
-The international photographer Rashed Al-Qousy of AL-Sadat assassination photo won the Prize of Farouk I for Press in 1950; since the 2nd one is Muhammad Hassanein Hekal.
-He was born in Asiut 1923, but he permanently moved to Cairo in 1928. He lived at his grand father`s home in AL-Helmia AL-Gedida who was Sheikh /Mahmmoud Al-Qousy, Head of the Legitimate Court. He had an interest in photography since he was so young; his father was a calligraphist and painter in Survey Authority. When his father saw his interests in photography, he allowed him to use his own camera, and so the first photos he took were of his family; the photos were good which made his father prepare a place for him to develop his photos while he was only 10.
-About getting into the world of photography, Rashed Al-Qousy relates that when one of the officials went to the Royal Cemetery which is near his house, he wanted to know the identity of this visitor to picture him. He was able to sneak in between the officers and take a photo of this important visitor who later on appeared to be the Egyptian Minister of Knowledge accompanied by the Persian Minister of Knowledge. He published it in Al-Ahram and as a result he quitted from his job as a teacher, and became a photographer in Muslim Brotherhood Newspaper, but the death of Sheik Hassan El-Bana resulted in closing the Newspaper.
-Al-Quosy says: `after that I applied to the Newspaper `Journal de l` Egypt` owned by Edgar Al-Galad Pasha, and meanwhile the war of 1948 broke out`. The Prime minister requested choosing a photographer and a press editor to be sent to the war. All the applied photographers were of Armenian origins except Al-Qousy who was chosen, while Officer Mustafa Badawy was chosen to edit all the news -later on he became editor in chief of Al-Gomhoria Newspaper-, and that`s how his photos were in all the Newspapers.
-He continued: `after my return from 1948 war, I continued my work at `Journal de l` Egypt`, till one day and to my surprise I received a letter of gratitude and a 500 L.E from Edgar Al-Galad as a reward for the end of my services. I went out heading towards Akhbar AL-Youm Newspaper where I met Kamel El-Shenawy who welcomed me, but he would have to ask the permission of Mohammed Yussef -Head of Photography Department and also the only photographer at that time-; he did not object and I came out of KAmel AL-Shenawy bureau with a camera and editor.
- `During my years of work in Al-Akhbar Newspaper which lasted for 8 years, the editor with whom I worked the most was Mohammad Hassanein Hekal -Journalists Sheik- who won the King Farouk Prize in 1949 for his reportage in the Palestinian Territories, and I won this Prize in 1950; yet it was cancelled. I and my fellow photographers in Akher Sa`a Newspaper were in disagreements because they knew that I was working with other foreign Newspapers, in addition to my knowledge of TV shooting; thus my salary was better than theirs. Mustafa Amin summoned me and made me choose between foreign Newspapers and Al-Akhbar with a rise of 10 L.E, if I choose AL-Akhbar, yet I quitted AL-Akhbar.
-I lived for three months unemployed, till Saad Labib offered me a job in TV building in March 1960, to start my job as a TV photographer for Gamal Abd El-Naser and then a senior TV photographer till I retired in
1998.
-Then Al-Qousy talks about his journey to internationality saying: `it started from the day of working in Sigma Agency when a German ship destroyed `Alfardan` Bridge at Suez Canal, and the Agency asked me to go to Ismailia and picture the event providing me with a chopper. These photos were published in the international Newspapers, and I became famous; as for the 2 photos of Al-Sadat assassination, they confirmed my fame though I was not sure of picturing this event. When the French News Agency called me on phone asking me about the photos of Al-Sadat assassination, I replied with no though I was shooting the whole parade, but after shipping the films I was surprised by the message of congratulations because of my unique and only photos.
- About the closet photos to his heart he says: `they are the photos I took during my unemployment, when I visited the Zoo and pictured the Lion and Chick`.
-As for the funniest situation he says: `among my trips with Gamal Abd El-Naser -with who his relation was through orders-, there was a trip in which he visited 5 African countries, and lasted for 15 days. I accompanied him with other politicians, photographers and editors, and I was the only one from TV; a plane used to take my films so that it could be displayed. After the end of the trip, we got back to Cairo, and the president requested to see the films. We prepared the films which took us 2 hours and half in order to display them as a documentary film, and at the end, the names of all who participated in this work appeared except my name. I objected, but the Head of TV told me that the slide with my name on it might fall.
Sahar Al-Melegy
Al-Masry AL-Youm
19/10/2007 |
