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Rangefinder
Magazine Profile: Zohrab Markarian: Photographer of Kings by Linda L. May
Zohrab has always been blazing new trails. In his youth, he was a bass guitarist and started the first Western band in Jordan. But when he was introduced to photography, he traded in his guitar for a camera. For awhile, he worked as a photojournalist for the AP News Service and covered the bombing of the three hijacked planes in the Jordan desert. These images were published in the New York Times and Time Magazine.
“
Summertime is the peak of all weddings in Jordan, and it means good business.
Weddings are big events in the Arab world, and people spend fortunes
on them. Arab weddings are different than weddings in the U.S. They usually
begin about 5 p.m. at the bride’s residence for the bride and groom
shots, which are done in the lovely gardens, just before sunset. At 6:30,
the groom’s family and friends come to the bride’s house
to take her to get married. Of course, “ As for me, I do the whole wedding if I am paid for it. Otherwise, I photograph only the family groups and couple shots, and my assistant stays and finishes the rest. Photojournalistic shots are the most fun for me because they are candid and real. I present my work to the bride and groom in 8x10 Art Leather albums. I am the only photographer in Jordan using Art Leather products, which further sets my work apart. I also make official wedding contracts with couples, which is different than other photographers here.” Zohrab has traveled to England, Los Angeles, Bahrein and Saudi Arabia to photograph weddings. One of his most memorable nuptials was held in London, and this couple went all out.
“ This elaborate wedding was held in London’s Natural History Museum,” Zohrab says. “They decorated the huge dinosaurs with beautiful, colorful lights. The wine was ordered specially from France. The bride’s gown was a Christian Dior that cost about $80,000. The couple brought in singers and dancers from all over the Arab World to perform. The bride entered through a huge frame with beautiful lighting. She stepped out into the museum, where I photographed long shots of her. I probably shot about 1000 exposures total. It was great fun bringing a taste of the Middle East into the heart of London!”
Zohrab Photography studio is located in a very expensive residential section of Amman, not in a main shopping area. However, this out-of-the-way location does not hamper his business at all. The studio is small, but elegant, with very fancy furnishings. He describes it as “a colorful gallery” with impressive, framed images hanging on the walls all around. Because most of his work is shot on location anyway, Zohrab does not require a large camera room. Unlike American photographers, who often specialize in certain types of work, Zohrab has to know how to shoot any subject, from portraits and weddings to landscapes and jewelry. Amman is the capital of Jordan, with a population of about 2.5 million. As to be expected in such a vast market, there are many photographers in the area, however, Zohrab is in a class by himself and feels no threat from competition.
“ Business in Jordan differs from business in the U.S. because in the States, you can be the best photographer, but still encounter so many others just like you. In Jordan, we have more than 500 studios, yet they are not competition for me. Because Jordan is a small country, if you’re a good photographer, it’s easier to become well known and popular,” Zohrab says. At weddings and location shoots, Zohrab takes one competent assistant, Rafi, who is also an experienced photographer. Recently, Zohrab began shooting digitally, using a Fuji Finepix S2 Pro camera with Nikon lenses. When shooting film he uses Fuji NPC and NPH films. Zohrab also uses Mamiya RB-67s, Hasselblads and Canon cameras. Although he prefers natural light, when more is required, he uses Norman and Bowens flash equipment. Gold and silver reflectors are often used for a warm glow. “I love window light, especially at sunset when the light is very warm,” Zohrab explains. “I also like mixing natural light with flash.”
As for the future of this Jordan image-maker, he hopes to attend more WPPI conventions in Vegas, and perhaps be one of the 2004 speakers, explaining how Arab weddings differ from Western ones. “My dream right now is to be able to open my own school of photography someday,” Zohrab concludes. Readers may contact Zohrab Markarian at Zohrab Photography via email at: zohrab@nol.com.jo/. Linda L. May is a freelance writer based in the Midwest.
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His impressive images have been published around the
world, in such well-known magazines as the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek,
People, Time, Vanity Fair, as well as Sayidatti and Al-Majala. He has
authored six photography books on the life and family of King Hussein
and the landscape of Jordan. Zohrab has held many photo exhibitions in
Amman, Los Angeles, and New York, under the patronage of the late King
Hussein and Queen Noor, and now King Abdullah and Queen Rania. In 1988,
Zohrab photographed the making of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade, when the film crew was working in Jordan. In 2001, Zohrab covered
rock star Sting’s trip to Amman. According to Zohrab, he is the
only photographer in Jordan to know about or belong to WPPI, so he has
that edge over competition. 
In 1974,
after winning first place in a photo competition on flowers, Zohrab was
summoned to the palace. There, he met with the royals and
was given the wonderful news that he had been chosen as the King’s
personal photographer. In 1977, King Hussein sent him to the New York
Germain School of Photography to study and perfect his craft for two
years. Since then, Zohrab has become famous in his small country! Everybody
wants to hire him to photograph their weddings; however, Zohrab shoots
only 20–30 high-end weddings annually. His duties with the royal
family occupy a good deal of his time. In September 2003, he covered
the wedding of Queen Rania’s brother, so royal weddings keep him
busy as well. 
while she is leaving everybody
is singing and dancing traditional Arab songs, so it’s a festive,
joyous departing. After the ceremony, the bride is taken to a special
hotel suite, where the groom is waiting. The couple stays in the hotel
suite until 9:30–10 p.m. Then with great ceremony, dancing and
fireworks all around them, they enter the reception and dance the first
dance together. The cake is brought to them on the dance floor. After
that, dinner is served. At midnight, there is usually a special singer
performance,” Zohrab explains. 
