Biography
Karim Raoul was born in 1978 and grew up in Nyack, New York. The son of a documentary filmmaker, he spent much of his childhood traveling throughout the world discovering new people and cultures. These experiences had a profound effect on his decision to attempt to capture the spirit of the world's ordinary peoples in their struggle to survive consequence and injustice.
Raoul later went on to study filmmaking at New York University where in addition to his studies, he worked as a cameraman on documentaries, narrative films, music videos and commercials. He was also a butcher and a cook, and in 2000 at the age of 21, opened his own multimedia restaurant.
During his experiences on Sept 11 he was once again touched by the the ordinary New Yorker in extraordinary circumstances. Raoul began taking photographs of the hidden life of everyday. He also continued to work as a cameraman and directed several of his own award winning short films.
In 2004, he became a key figure in setting up an international section of a film school in Paris, France and worked on over 60 short films. Continuing to take photographs on the streets of Paris, he matured in the technical craft of the still image and began selling his photographs to local publications.
Driven by a new found passion for photography, Raoul is now back in New York City in hopes of becoming a photojournalist.