What do you like most about being a photographer?
Being able to experience and see things from perspectives you’d never think of, definitely brings out a side of creativity in me I never knew I had, also being able to capture the beauty of everyone and everything.
Among your works, which one is your favourite? Why?
I definitely couldn’t just choose one so here are two of my favourites listed below, well they both speak to me and both tell me a different story. Every time I look at them is one of the many reasons they are my favourites. But also the energy the models provided are more than half of the reason the pictures look how they do. Reasons for my liking with Sarah Addeo is it seems as if the world is just an ocean that either has you drown or lift your head above the water. And in showcasing of the picture it shows that she’s lifted and prospered. In terms of the bathtub one with Alexandra Tamayo how that picture speaks to me is as if someone has had their head underwater and they’ve been struggling to breathe and live, and finally are set free so when her head is being lifted in the picture it symbols her first feel of freedom and being able to breathe again.
What separates Status from other magazines?
I’ve never seen a magazine that features countless amounts of influential and talented people. Being reached out to, multiple times by different organizations and magazines I’ve never really felt like the time was taken to contact and get information let alone know the person more about how Status has.
The fact that Status is both a print and online magazine (most are only online). What does that mean to you to showcase your work?
It’s such an honour and a privilege to be welcomed and published on Status and or any magazine, as well as having the opportunity to show my work and what I am passionate about is truly an irreplaceable feeling, just over a year ago, I was taking pictures of random things and animals at the zoo to 14 months later where I have the chance to showcase some of my best work to date and express my views on what I do.
Model: Sommer Koweek
Your favourite quotes?
Quotes I tell myself on a daily is:
“You live once so do what makes you happy”.
“Never look down or up on anyone”.
Things all happen for a reason, when something happens not in your favour and there’s nothing you can do to change it don’t give it any time and or mind because doing so won’t fix it, for example, your boat has a leak in it, being upset about the leak won’t fix the boat but coming up with a solution to patch the leak is what’s best.
“Always give and give without expecting anything back”.
“It’s good to be happy with your work but never satisfied”.
Which keeps me alert to improve and make constant changes every day with simple stuff like how I take pictures to edit them or even ideas ahead of time.
Model testimonials:
“Not many new photographers have a gift for directing, shooting, and editing, but Yusuf can literally do it all. It was my first time taking pictures with him and it was such a genuine experience. He was polite but also direct with the things he envisioned for the shoot, which made everything fun and efficient. I can’t wait to see the next story he tells through his photographs!” ~ Alexandra Tamayo
“Yusuf and I captured this photo on an early April morning. We were on a time crunch so we knew there wasn’t much time to shoot but we planned to make the most out of it. We thought we had wrapped and finished for the day, but then he had the idea to stop at the beach and try to get a photo or two. I jumped in the water and in a total of ten minutes we were able to capture some of the best photos either of us have ever taken. Those ten minutes were intense and rather numbing, but beyond worth it. Was a raw, powerful moment that I’ll always be able to look back on with appreciation for the confidence it had given me to create. I couldn’t imagine anyone being able to bring this concept to life the way Yusuf did. He is a true artist with a vision that is unmatched. He has so much to show the creative world that I can’t wait to see and hope to be a part of again.” ~Sarah Addeo.
Yusuf Saleh
