Whatever Happened to Yousif Al-Mulla?

If you are new to the Sheik pic sharing game, then I am really sorry because you may not know the name Yousif al-Mulla. Spend a couple of days searching for pics of Fazza3 and Rashid and you will notice several things. Such as: many, if not all, of the pictures of Rashid and Fazza are professionally taken, credited, and protected from re-distributions by copyright. You also start to notice that some have the signatures or emblems of the sheik being photographed.

Yousif al-Mulla was one of these photographers. Apparently, he worked for and with Rashid. In fact, you can check out a part of the hundreds of photographs in Yousif’s flickr stream: http://www.flickriver.com/photos/almulla-dxb/popular-interesting

I would characterize Yousif’s style as: contemporary, color rich, and personal. He puts you, the viewer, in the photograph. As you look at picture after picture, you start to feel as if you could have taken these pictures yourself. You also start to feel as if you witnessed the subject and the event first-hand. They are such a subtle mix of quality and true-to-life depth without feeling rigid or posed. In short, Yousif al Mulla is an excellent documentarian photographer. Seriously, check out his flickr stream! You feel as if you are there! They are as compelling, colorful, and fluid as an HD video shots. But they are still photos. The guy is talented and his pictures have this intangible quality that makes them vibrate with energy and life.