Phlog is Basically Shutterstock Built By Egypt's Own Photographers

Anyone who has ever searched for a stock photograph - or really, any professionally-crafted image over the internet - knows the feeling of being foreign. Of seeing every picture taken from a Western perspective, of being unable to find that one picture of an Egyptian without some absurd stereotype hanging behind them for the benefit of those who know nothing of local contexts. Phlog - a digital photography platform founded by Khaled Taher - is an attempt to rectify that by creating Egypt’s first marketplace for local photos through their new app, Phlog Image Buyers.

Created as an educational platform and a community for established and emerging Egyptian photographers, Phlog gives ownership to artists over their own images while establishing a channel between them and prospective buyers. "We have a lot of rising and hidden talents in Egypt, especially photographers, and coming from an agency background I felt like there was a gap in terms of connecting art directors and designers with photographers to create original content or campaigns,” Taher tells CairoScene. “Photographers get to invest in the application by building their own brand and setting their own prices.”

The platform’s first app, Phlog Photographers, was launched in March 2022 to help photographers upload their work, and interact with an audience. Depending on their pieces’ engagement, the algorithm places the photographer’s work within various price margins.

The newly-released Image Buyers app , meanwhile, allows users to browse photos and purchase them for various purposes. Amidst local artists’ efforts to monetize their work and earn more than just exposure, Phlog’s apps provide a new possibility for photographers while introducing diverse images to art enthusiasts and brands.