Woman: Click tricks

A few years ago, Nicole Anderson left her travelling days as cabin crew and took on the world of photography. The Dubai-based photographer says, "The satisfaction of capturing the true essence of each subject and putting smiles on the faces of others was what got me hooked." Anderson specialises in natural light photography and her work ranges from portraits to commercial shoots.

Marketing director and avid photographer in her free time, Adriana Rangel lost her mother to cancer in 2010 and to overcome her loss, began taking pictures with a new professional camera she bought. It not only rescued her, but gave her a new passion. "I regret having found photography so late in life. Had I known, I would have begun my career in photography much earlier." Rangel specialises in family, product and travel photography.

You may have the passion and talent but the skills need to be learnt. "I did a three-year photography course, earning a national diploma and graduating Cum Laude," says Jacqui Armstrong Nightscales. Photography was always a passion and Nightscales started shooting weddings after receiving her diploma.

In the UAE, for those who miss out on a formal degree, photography workshops are available aplenty. For example, Gulf Photo Plus, which holds workshops in March and November every year in Dubai, are helpful. The internet is also full of tips for both novice and professional photographers.

"Besides attending courses, I watched plenty of online tutorials, which were really helpful in picking up the latest techniques and concepts from the comfort of my living room," Anderson says.

"Reading magazines and photography newsletters has helped me hone my craft too," Rangel say.

Photographing women, especially in this part of the world, is not easy.

"For my book Women of the UAE, I photographed more than a hundred women. My main aim was to help break cultural barriers and build bridges between local and expat women in the UAE. It did take a lot of persistence and convincing for me to be able to photograph different women," says Charney Magri, an award-winning Dubai-based photographer who released her book last month.

But being a female photographer in the UAE is an advantage. "When it comes to Emirati weddings, only women are allowed to photograph the brides and ceremonies. It generates a lot of work for us," Nightscales says.

On the flip side, though, in a market flooded with low cost-low quality work, good photographers have to work harder. "It's sad that there are a lot of people with little or no knowledge of photography who call themselves photographers. They undercut the market rate and flood it with poor-quality work."

Moreover, photography is not considered an essential service. Photographers will be hired if the family has the budget for it, Rangel says. "UAE families are better off than those in other countries. My challenge lies in successfully looking after the advertising, post-production, delivery and finance aspects of my work."

— Andrea Bailey is a UAE-based freelance writer