January 19, 2006
A day in the life of a female photographer
By Afia Zahoor
It is difficult for a female photograher to make a niche for herself in the field, writes Afia Zahoor
It is uncommon to find women in Pakistan working as professional photographers. But, like other male-dominated arenas, young women have started exploring this field too. New entrants face stiff competition from established photographers. New names are not encouraged and it takes a lot of time, effort and guts to get recognition.
Aliya Nisar is among the rare breed of professional Pakistani lenswomen who have made a name for themselves with their talent despite facing the odds.
Nisar has been in this field for the past five years. Her studio is a hub of activity visited by women clients mostly, who feel comfortable with a woman photographer. With the active support from her husband and family she started this venture professionally. “Being a professional woman photographer is not an easy job. You need heavy investments to buy expensive equipment to put up with the tough competition,” she says. “There is a lot of outdoor running around for fashion shoot coordination. You have to discard the inhibitions of working late or having erratic time schedules.”
Nisar’s hectic daily routine includes coordination of shoots for various fashion magazines and advertising agencies. Her work involves getting the props right, snapping the best angles that display the designer’s craft and making sure the final shot looks perfect. Conversely, ad agencies have a lot of specifications so everything has to look exactly as defined by the agency. Shooting for agencies, therefore, requires her to understand the brand’s philosophy and how it should be presented to the target market.
Nisar’s studio is set up in a traditional theme. This provides very effective settings for her bridal photography. Being a woman she an advantage as brides are very comfortable with her.
“Brides are usually self-conscious with male photographers. They can discuss their dress, makeup and jewellery openly with me.” This is the reason she feels that bridal photography is a lucrative field for women, especially if it is also linked to fashion photography. However, she feels sometimes being a woman has its disadvantages in this field.
With her shoots complete, she closes shop around 10 p.m. and goes home spending the little precious time with her family or watching soaps on TV. This field, in her view, requires a lot of work but can be lucurative when one has made a name for themselves.
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/review/archive/060119/review13.htm
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