Cityscape

Aswan , Egypt's sunniest southern city and ancient frontier town located about 81 miles south of Luxor, has a distinctively African atmosphere. Its ancient Egyptian name was Syene. Small enough to walk around and graced with the most beautiful setting on the lucid Nile waters, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. Days can be spent strolling up and down the broad Corniche watching the sailboats etch the sky with their tall masts or sitting in floating restaurants listening to Nubian music and eating freshly caught fish. In Aswan the Nile is at its most beautiful, flowing through amber desert and granite rocks, round emerald islands covered in palm groves and tropical plants. Explore the souk, full of the scent and color of spices, perfumes, scarves and baskets. View the spectacular sunsets while having tea on the terrace of the Old Cataract Hotel (Named due to the location of the Nile's first Cataract located here). Aswan has been a favorite winter resort since the beginning of the nineteenth century, and it's still a perfect place to get away from it all.

20 Photos

Cairo

Cairo (Arabic: al-Qāhira) is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab World. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life. Even before Cairo was established in the tenth century, the land composing the present-day city was the site of national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt due to its proximity to the Great Sphinx and the pyramids in nearby Giza. Cairo, Egypt, literally meaning the Triumphant City, known is one of the world's largest urban areas and offers many sites to see. It is the administrative capital of Egypt and, near-by, are all of Egypt’s most significant pyramids, such as the Great Pyramids of Giza on the very edge of the city. But there are also ancient temples, tombs, Christian churches, magnificent Muslim monuments, and of course, the Egyptian Antiquities Museum all either within or nearby the city. Cairo offers an incredible selection of shopping, leisure and nightlife activities. Shopping ranges from the famous Khan el-Khalili souk, (or bazaar) largely unchanged since the 14th century, to modern air-conditioned centers displaying the latest fashions. All the bounty of the East can be here. Particularly good buys are spices, perfumes, gold, silver, carpets, brass and copperware, leatherwork, glass, ceramics and mashrabiya.

32 Photos

Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created to fulfill the creative vision of the artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism and commercial photography. The world is brimming with moments of emotion and meaning that are able to be captured through the lens of a camera. For example, through this subtractive process of selecting subjects from the world, the photographer chooses exactly how subjects interact, how they are placed in context to the shape of the photograph, and how they are portrayed their surroundings. Through creative combination of these methods, the photographer can convey emotions or abstract ideas. In a visual composition, be it a photograph or a painting, one can utilize the elements of design in a way that can be compared to language. The elements of design are our visual vocabulary. Color, line, form, shape, value, and texture make up the elements of design. Balance, gradation, repetition, depth, contrast, dominance and unity make up some of the principles of design.