Behind The Scenes in Egypt
Explore Series by Lane Oliveri for Branwyn, : A Travel Friendly Wool Performance Underlayer
As part of an Active Lifestyle Travel series with Branwyn, photographer Lane Oliveri shot in Cairo, Egypt, exploring this incredible destination under the last remaining ancient wonders of the world, the Great Pyramids of Giza. Come behind the scenes with us;
Lane: “It does not look like it, but this may be the most logistically dangerous shoot I’d ever executed. It was like threading a needle to shoot underlayers and not get arrested in Cairo, where it is illegal to be “exposed” anywhere that people can see you, a heightened crime during Ramadan. It is additionally, just generally illegal to conduct professional photography in many areas, it is illegal to aim your camera in the direction of countless military stations or personnel, it is illegal to shoot within any monument grounds… I have never been told “You’re going to get arrested and spend months in prison” so many times as while planning this simple photoshoot. I took to Google and such sentiments were supported with story after story of photographers being arrested for a myriad of minor trespasses and odd offenses unique to Egypt, so I realized, this would take some finesse.
The prospective models I’d been in talks with dropped like flies as the shoot drew nearer, asking me “does my face have to show in the photos?” um yes, I don’t think a headless or faceless woman is quite on brand… “can we shoot inside?” Um, no the brand is activewear and the whole purpose of shooting in Cairo is to capture the essence of the location and spirit of travel, if we were going to shoot inside I would shoot in NYC…
Finally, I had to scratch all the outreach and research I’d done prior to the trip and throw myself wholly to the Egyptian network. In the US we have social media, in Egypt help and information run as a steady stream by personal contact, someone knows someone and they will aggressively track down a person, a place, an answer, a solution for you if you let them… “you need to go here? You need to find this? You need to access a locked tomb or to find an Egyptology doctorate for a guide to show you things you can’t even find in books? You need a driver to take you across half the country? There is nothing too elaborate, or too specific but a female photographer asking for a female model to wear underthings anywhere outside during Ramadan in Egypt, let alone anywhere near the pyramids, a highly military-policed zone, was met with many wide eyes and firm attestations that “you WILL get arrested”.
But nothing stops the personal Egyptian network, which reaches like an invisible web across the country and functions at lightning speed… Egyptians are determined, efficient, invasively helpful, solutions-minded fixers one and all. In seconds phones were out, calls were being made, and in minutes I had several model options again, in a few hours I was in touch with someone who could get me access to the grounds of a resort near the pyramids on the down low (they can’t grant official permission to do such a shoot, so it had to be very, “don’t ask don’t tell” or not at all). On a resort, we could shoot the wardrobe as swim in the pool area exclusively and hope no Egyptians called it in and that staff that weren’t “in the know” turned a blind eye.
Now as as happy as I was that a solution had been found, and as lovely as the images we were able to get here were, I was concerned that the Pyramids were far away and it felt too resort, too safe. So I ran a risk and had my driver bring us into the Sphynx village, a deep local warren where camels and donkeys and tuck tucks feature as frequently as cars, where the throngs of kids that seem to run wild in the street want to take pictures with you and police with full automatics roam in packs of three or four.
Situated directly in front of the pyramid complex entry, it’s a neighborhood that would be characterized as a slum in the US, but here for a hundred years, locals have centered much trade around the tourists that make a pilgrimage to see the last remaining of the ancient wonders of the world. Here many old homes have been transitioned into hotels and each confusingly functions under several monikers.
Down an alley and another, I negotiated with a narrow seven-story hotel to use their elevated roof deck to shoot a session, in the heat of the day none of their Muslim clientele were making use of the space and so as long as none of the staff or any nosy neighbors or police from the pyramid complex spotted us from afar and called it in, there was a chance we could shoot with unparalleled views from directly under the pyramids, outdoors, during Ramadan, without getting arrested. Fingers crossed, and up the doorless elevator, we went. The risk was rewarded, the lighting was beautiful, the Egyptian staff hid away so as not to view us, we were up two levels above any rooftops around and we had a world to ourselves.
This whole endeavor was extraordinary to me as it juxtaposed so many clashing ideas. The ancient Egyptians we now know; had many female pharaohs, and existed in a “free the nipple” world where we have written records that women enjoyed equal pay. Not only were women known to have held the highest administrative positions in the land, but they frequently held such positions throughout thousands of years. Women breastfed in public while working. Women were personal bodyguards to the Pharaoh, boat captains, protectorates of entire regions, and business and property owners in an advanced civilization that predates ours by several millennia. As I stood looking up at the pyramids having worked so hard just to get a few shots, because; heaven forbid a woman might show her arms and torso! I wondered what the women of that age would think about how far backward society has regressed.
The pyramids tower over Cairo, looming larger than life, larger than photos can do justice, the ghost of an age long gone, but Cairo is covered in heaps of trash, many, many Egyptians live in abject poverty, women traverse the streets covered completely head to toe even in stifling heat, in stark contrast to the powerful women who breeze through ancient reliefs in their gauzy linen, directing a world whose mysteries are still lost to us.
As we packed up, breathing a sigh of relief, I reflected on what exactly brought this about. I love Branwyn because of what it stands for. The product represents to me a range of movement, practicality, comfort, and versatility, it’s an eco-ethical, clean supply chain product which is amazing but I guess what resonates with me most is the fact that the ownership believes not only that women, globally, should be empowered but that an empowered woman wants a practical product that “moves with her” that travels well, that functions as activewear, yoga wear, and swimwear, that isn’t relegated to propping up the bust, but rather frees and supports her to function in all scenarios.
I believe that change does start with the most simple and straightforward of solutions. This is what inspired me to take Branwyn on the road and around the world, and what brought on the strange dilemma that shooting in Cairo entailed. I realized how cool it was to shoot this simple product that symbolizes so much in such an extraordinary place; between the past and the present and amidst the clashing of worlds and ideas. At the risk of sounding cheesy, these simple images to me are like a prayer to the universe for the future.
Looking at this shoot in post, you would never know the story behind the photoshoot. The model was at ease and relaxed, she was so professional and fun to work with. Now I do want to end by saying that travel in Egypt was, in my experience, very safe. If you come as a tourist, doing tourist things, seeing the sites you will be absolutely fine. It’s merely if you step outside of the tourist agenda, or if you’re shooting professionally in really any location that you need to be very aware, listen to the locals, take their advice, if they say put the camera away, they mean it. And certainly during Ramadan, morality police are a bit more on edge even than usual so I will end with; don’t ever do what we just did.
