This International Women’s Day (IWD), we celebrate women across the globe in all fields of work.
In the creative sphere, more and more female photographers are emerging, and with advancing technology and easy-use equipment, it’s making it easier than ever to cultivate your talent.
This is exactly why this IWD Apple is championing female photographers who are breaking the mould, thinking outside the box and staying one step ahead to be able to showcase some incredible art and stories.
Noura Al Neyadi – UAE-based photographer
Where do you find inspiration as a photographer?
Daily life around me, nature & people’s stories.
What’s the best piece of industry advice you’ve ever gotten?
If your work isn’t putting anything new & valuable on the table, don’t do it.
What motivated you to capture real elements and infuse them with the reel?
The ability to translate everything around me including feelings, new emerging topics & concepts to photographs
How do you make a strong connection with your muse?
Nature is my muse. Being around all forms of nature is like walking around an open gallery of endless possibilities of inspiration.
How has the iPhone 12 camera made capturing moments in life easier?
Having a device in my pocket with a lens that has great capabilities have never made creating any easier! In this series for example I used the Ultra-Wide camera on my iPhone 12 for this photo, which adds a majestic feel to the shot by incorporating all the details of the scene. The added scope allows the viewer to develop an intimate attachment with Noura, while still being able to associate a sense of belonging to the backdrop of the scene.
Today is International Women’s Day, how do you wish to empower women through the world of photography?
By enabling every woman through photography. Anything is possible when you believe in yourself and work hard.
Anna Aiko – Japan-based photographer
How would you describe your photography style?
For me the most important is to capture the power of the moment, happiness and the light of each soul encountered. Landscapes are of full history, it’s our heritage of Life. People can look at the originality of treasured heritage passed on by our ancestors. We are from different cultures, and we are also unique.
How did you become a travelling photographer?
I became a travelling iPhone photographer, raised in Tokyo with 2 cultures, Japan & France, the creativity from the west and traditions of the east. It’s a dynamic blend, giving flexibility to view the world with a vision. I lived and worked in Paris for 20 years as Art Director in the fashion/luxury industry, this work involving creative collaboration with internationally renowned photographers.
Since 2015, I have been following the ancient path of the Silk Road & capturing it with my iPhones. I was the winner of the iPhone Photography Awards and other Worldwide Awards. My dream became a true reality. As of 2019, I explored on camelback 2300 km of the ancient caravan tracks of the Frankincense in the Arabian Peninsula always with my iPhone and was runner-up in camel races in 2 consecutive years in Dubai.
What inspired you to capture natural Arabian elements?
I’ve been passionate about the beauty of the Arabian Peninsula for as long as I can remember. It is a very futuristic world, with on one side the involvement in latest technologies and the other side keeping and protecting their heritage.
It’s creating a very special resonance to me, and it was very important to address these aspects of tradition blending with scenes of the future which is a very deep hidden history of the Bedouins. These people of the desert are really inspiring. As a traveller myself, I’ve been listening to their ancestors’ stories.
How does it feel to be a part of a male-dominated industry?
I have never really looked at this particular aspect while engaged in my work. As in other lines of jobs I have had in the past, I have only been relying on my performance. nAs a female photographer travelling by myself, I’ve always been welcomed, very well accepted by women and even more respected by men. Even considering our diversity, from different nations and origins, progress is made in subtle ways by sharing our knowledge, we could say that we are unified in this world, like a Family. We are one.
How has the iPhone 12 camera made capturing moments in life easier?
In simple words, the iPhone has been my travel companion since 2015. It is the perfect size, always ready to catch the moment in any situation and to do people shot without creating annoyance. I’m really surprised by the iPhone 12’s ability to catch and archive the beauty and colours in such an artistic way. Also, with the fast motion, we can catch the moment with clarity, without missing details. I am able to do the same while riding on camelback. My iPhone is my eyes, capturing and archiving the beauty and colours of life, and by using the filters extensively, that brings me to another dimension.
Today is International Women’s Day, how do you wish to empower women through the world of photography?
My message is that you should believe in yourself and life will always guide you. Listen to your heart because everything is possible. I hope that you can be inspired by my experience and that will lead to involving yourselves in new ventures.
It’s never too late to try and succeed, it’s always the right time, provided that you are ready to take action. Following that process and having the true will, as well as men, women can realize their power to achieve their own dream.
Vanessa Wong – Photographer based in Hong Kong
What inspired you to add nocturnal elements of solitude in your photography?
I believe darkness brings introspection, and everyone can interpret the images with their own palette – starting with black. This is how I began to express my work in such style.
How do you manage to keep your work minimal?
I love seeing things in their ‘closest’, more basic form, and it feels like digging into the deepest level of reality and capturing a moment that helps the story reveal its more nude and real form.
Where do you try and find light within the darkness in your images?
I love playing with light and shadows, which of course if the heart of black and white photography. It allows me to challenge and disrupt the norm of relying on colours, by telling a story with minimal light and reflections of light, and daring to allow some (or most) parts of the image to be swallowed by darkness.
What’s your process of story-telling through photography?
I hope people who see my work can use their creativity and imagination to compose their very own unique interpretations — to use black & white as a way to recreate their own story with their own ‘colour’.
How has the iPhone 12 camera made capturing moments in life easier?
Shooting on iPhone (12 mini) allows me to be maximally spontaneous. There is no need to think about aperture and shutter speed; no test shots and no worries about missing a moment. It is in fact the best and simplest way for me to capture moments that move me, and the results continue to surprise.
Today is International Women’s Day, how do you wish to empower women through the world of photography?
When I first started shooting in black and white, I had a lot of self-doubt and received negative feedback on my style. But I realized that my photos should speak my mind, and that is the message that I wanted to emanate in my work and other facets of my life. We have to speak our minds.
