Hollywood stars and luxury brands are lining up to work with a photographer who is bringing his talents to tinsel town.
Amer Mohamad, one of the Middle East’s leading fashion photographers, is opening up his playbook to allow some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and their clothing brands to get inside his secret to success.
So what’s the draw you ask? Well, Amer is a classically trained architect and thinks it has been hugely beneficial to his work. “I think studying architecture helped me to build my vision of the kind of photographer I wanted to be – it opened my eyes,” he explained. Mohamad added, “I didn’t study photography but I feel architecture has helped me to improve my work.”
Interstingly, the in-demand photographer studied architecture at Ivanovo State Polytechnic University, 300 km northeast of Moscow, from 2013 to 2018 before completing his Master’s Degree in architecture between 2018 and 2020. Born and raised in Syria, Mohamad moved from Russia to the UAE in March 2022 and is currently shooting editorial features for a range of high-end magazines as well as advertorial work for luxury fashion and jewelry brands such as Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, Cartier, and Piaget.
Mohamad’s background in architecture, he believes, helps him in his preparation for how a shoot is going to look.
Of course, just like anything else — the Hollywood industry comes knocking when your work is starting to get worldwide press. As we reported, several A-listers are plunking down millions of dollars in places like Dubai, releasing that the entertainment industry is moving East.
Amer described his working habits saying, “When I arrive on location for a fashion shoot, I instantly survey the scene and start figuring out how to work with it. I understand the shapes, angles, and aspects of the space, I see the environment, and the position of the sun, and I start to imagine how it’s going to look in the finished photographs. Once that groundwork is done in my head, I can let my imagination run wild.” The bottom line, the big stars just want to look their best!
As well as helping him to assess his surroundings, Mohamad’s background in buildings is a valuable tool in understanding how to position the model draped in extraordinary pieces of haute couture or luxury jewelry. “I try to move the model so the angles of her body echo the space of the building because I think that enhances the background,” says Mohamad. Adding, “In turn, I believe synchronizing the model with the space instantly elevates the product, whether it’s clothing, jewelry, or watches.”
“I always want to do more and be bigger. I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid and looking around me now, I feel I’m not there yet, I’m still on the way,” he said.
As you know, in Hollywood bigger is always better!
