Interview with Khaled Monsoor

Hi Khaled! Tell us about yourself in two sentences - who are you?

In short, I would describe myself as an average-quality Swiss-army knife. Besides my day-job as a software-engineer, I like to travel, shoot, draw, write, and explore interesting things, places and people. Oh, I am an avid coffee-aficionado, too!

What's the weirdest situation you've found yourself in while taking a photograph?

AI missed a flight from Seoul, Korea and was stuck at the airport for more than 24 hours. All 'credit' is due to my photographic passion! I was early to the airport and carrying my first DSLR. But on reaching the airport, I became entranced by so many subjects; people, situations, cool architecture... I completely lost track of time and missed my flight to Dhaka! 7 hours in Seoul Inchon airport, and around 18 hours in Singapore airport waiting for a connecting flight. What a day!

QWhat do you shoot on? What's your favourite set up?

ATo me, simplicity is the key. I like to carry a bare minimum for taking pictures. Currently, I shoot on a Nikon D5100. And, among all my lenses, I find the Nikkor 55-300mm quite handy, especially for its VR-II(vibration reduction) tech. It covers me from near-macro to moonscape shots. I have tried to use a tripod in some of my travels but found it quite a hassle for setting up shots. Now I use it only for indoor shots. As I like to shoot outdoors, I prefer natural lighting around the subject.

QWhat's your number one tip for an aspiring photographer?

A Don't fall for gear! Expensive brushes can't make an artist. Remember 'There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept' (Ansel Adams.) Great gear can give you only a 'sharp' image not a great one. Instead, build your ability to 'see' the beauty. If you learn to see, you will find beauty in everyday objects. For example, take a drop of water. What beauty it shows with its perfect curves, shimmering light, the refraction of surrounding objects, and clear transparency. Once you 'see' that, take the shot!