Sunflower rays
My dad bought a camera when I was born, a Nikon in a black leather case. It went with him everywhere, so needless to say, we have my entire childhood in photographic print. Drooling, crawling, walking, bathing, first day of school, school plays – he didn’t leave anything out. And my dad is a phenomenal photographer. He finds all the right angles, makes all the right compositions, finds the perfect scenes filled with perfect poses and action and color.
Riverbank
I think the biggest photography inspiration I’ve learned from my dad was the pleasure of sharing pictures with friends and family – looking at each one closely with awe and enjoyment, talking about it before moving onto the next one. Since my childhood, I remember that my dad used to take slides as well as print photos, and we’d spend hours with family and friends in a dark room marveling over pictures of community events, travels abroad, and family reunions.
Peach Blush
I’d have to say that my second inspiration was my friend Ayesha, who often manages to be looking through a lens for at least half the time I am with her (and she’s made a career of it, too). With my dad, I was always on the receiving end of the picture. But Ayesha inspired me to look into the little black square, through the lens, click! and be amazed and pleased with what came out on the other side. She notices big things, like landscapes, but she also notices the little things like the shape and color of a flower. Ayesha showed me how looking through different angles can tell a completely different story – maybe from the side instead of from the front, or between bars instead of behind them. As I was learning my own way around a camera, I used to think – “how would Ayesha do this?”
Cloth Seller, Pakistan
My “drug dealer” would have to be my husband, Ameir. He got me a Canon EOS Rebel Xt and a 50 mm portrait lens. He’s also always sending me photography tips and tricks that he comes across online, and is a constant source of encouragement (and more drugs, i.e. camera equipment).
Ummayid Mosque, Damascus
When I photograph friends or family, I think of what goes through my mind when I look through a family photo album. Seeing pictures of my grandparents, my parents, and my other family brings back beautiful memories of the events or people depicted in that little rectangle. It’s surreal when I remember being there in that scene and can fill in details of what made me laugh just then, why I’m that face, or what event brought all those people together. For pictures I don’t recognize, there’s always a surreal world, imagining what’s happening just outside the edges of that lens.
Ice-blue horizon
This is what I love most about photography - the thrill of creating and capturing the perfect picture that creates memories and wonderment for people who look at the final result, and hopefully making them take pleasure in a little detail they’ve never noticed before. The joy is in everything that goes into producing that final little rectangle – composing the scene, choosing an angle and a focus, balancing colors, shapes, and textures. Capturing a moment, an expression, telling a story with just one frame – it’s a quest that I love to undertake every time my camera is in my hand.
Persephone’s mistake
It’s not the personal praise (although that’s nice too) but the reactions that most encourage me to continue- the smiles, the big eyes, the gasps. When a picture I take makes someone happier, the little click! was worth it.
Jade bird
In honor of my new gallery, still in the works: http://gallery.me.com/taiyyaba
