Cairo Visit | Tintype Family Photo Album

I'm here in Cairo visiting family and, as usual, I take snaps of family and street scenes as I go about my business.  I decided to use a tintype app on my phone to convert some of these relatively mundane photos and I liked the results.

I had experimented with medium format Kodak Brownie cameras dating from the 1930s to the 1960s and one particular series of images struck me and reminded me of early photographs.  You can view them at this post |

I downloaded a free app Tintype app and started converting images.  I wasn't even sure what a tintype image was, so here is the Wikipedia definition | A tintype, also known as a melainotype or ferrotype, is a photograph made by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel and used as the support for the photographic emulsion. Tintypes enjoyed their widest use during the 1860s and 1870s, but lesser use of the medium persisted into the early 20th century and it has been revived as a novelty and fine art form in the 21st.

This was the first image I posted on Instagram from this visit and lots of people liked it.  So I decided to convert a whole bunch of photos of my visit, and to create a family album "tintype style"

The main reason for our visit to Egypt, was to meet up with my son and his new bride, Sophia, to introduce her to his Egyptian family (my wife is Nubian) and to have a little marriage celebration "Nubian Style". We had done one with our daughter the previous year and now it was Shams' turn. | see following album I created for that occasion

So here's a few from the actual gathering at his grandmother Fatma Badeen's home in Mit Okba | Cairo

Shams and Sophia did not want an elaborate, multiple day traditional wedding celebration.  They said "just a small gathering of family, nothing involved. Maybe an hour or two".  Well, Nubians are not about small affairs especially when it comes to marriage.  However, this time they were very restrained and only brought in a small troupe of Nubian singers and dancers.  Also, family musician and renown Oud player, Karam Mourad, showed up and sang, including "Nabra" about daughter.  Maybe a "Shams" song is next.

Mona, the mother of the groom, is a great dancer and knows all the Nubian songs including those in the Nubian language.  Here she gets into the spirit.  Her gown has an intense color, so I have included the original as well

Shams and Sophia had arrived the day before and her family coming from South Africa and the United States arrived a few days later.  They are very chill about visiting the sites, but we did do a quick visit to the Khan El Khalili and a felucca sail - though almost no wind necessitated a toe by a motor launch up the Nile.  We drifted north on the way back.

....and some fine dining |

While Sophia and her family jetted off to Luxor, Shams stayed with us to make more family rounds |  

And some more together time before Shams and Sophia flew back to Mauritius where they live |

...and now "going about" taking care of business in Cairo and spending more quality time with family | Mona needed to get some paperwork done for both Shams and ourselves.  A daunting task anywhere, but Egyptian bureaucracy takes it to another level.  She's still at it, but has made remarkable progress |

....and the routine |

..... and more quality time with family |

..... and family snaps |

...and an evening with old friends |

.... and I caught up with some of my wire service photographer colleagues |