Photojournalism nominee

In the United Arab Emirates, the glass and shine of the high rise buildings hide the secrets and honesty of hidden culture. The coastal country prospered on the fishing industry and, in a modernised world, the fishing industry trade still thrives today. The unsung heroes of the industry are the fishermen who stay out on the Dhows for weeks, under the blistering Middle Eastern sun and then return to land to lay out their catch at 2 am for auctions, to then do it all over again.

These photos are part of a selection of images, focusing on the Unseen aspects of the UAE, spectacles off of the Tourism trail. These images were taken at 2 am, on several trips down to the Fish Market, at Mina Salman Port, Abu Dhabi.

I am a young, aspiring and emerging photographer. Having recently completed my A Level in Photography, for which I was awarded the highest grade, I am now studying for a Fine Arts Degree in Cardiff, Wales. For my final year of A Level (Year 13), I was awarded the inaugural School award for Photography for three series of images, “Unseen UAE”, “Fantasy” and “Dolls”.

My early experience has been heavily influenced by living overseas predominantly in the Middle East for the past 12 years. Upon returning to the UK for my degree, I have been introduced to new possibilities which due to cultural sensitivities have not been available whilst in the Middle East.

I am interested in looking at subjects that make the audience question, sympathise with and ultimately generate a conversation. Capturing images that not only tell a story in their own right but also have an unwritten understory, is important to my practice, irrespective of whether I am exploring Portraiture, Landscapes or Photojournalistic images. I am strong believer that these types of images are most powerful when they capture the raw emotion of the subject and as such in my images have only the lightest of post processing.