How did your interest in wildlife arise?
I started photography as a hobby before the year 2000 in the United States. I was a student and the camera became by best friend; whenever I felt alone, it took me to places. Back then I was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I used to drive for 40 mins to a place called ‘Valley Forge National Historical Park’; at that place I use to see different types of animals (deers, squirrels, birds, and so on,) and that’s where my wildlife love story started. Here I am after twenty years, my love for wildlife comes to life again, but this time with a title of being the World’s first Arabic Woman Wildlife Photographer, by which the love will grow and never die.
How do you describe your journey as a photographer and a person?
My Journey as a photographer is always looking for something new. A new animal, new angle, or new story to tell. My mind is filed with which lens, what settings, which angle, how clear, how blurry, background/ no background, and so on. I keep thinking of how to engage the viewer’s senses to the max.
My journey as a person in the wild makes me feel alive. Full of joy, excitement and curiosity. I feel like a kid again with an endless imagination and a mind that is filled with infinite questions. On the other hand, I get to see another part of life, that I never saw in my entire upbringing; it opened up my life to experiences with other cultures, countries, people, faiths, lifestyles and more, that I assumed only existed in movies.
The summary of my journey as a photographer and a person – it made me more aware of the world we live in. It awakened my awareness that EARTH is for all of us to share, and it’s our responsibility to take care of it.
What is your view on Wildlife Conservation? How can we, as wildlife photographers, help to protect Mother Nature?
Nature Conservation should be the responsibility of each one us; we all live on one planet. We should educate people of what is happening to the wildlife, and if we don’t become tougher as one, the beautiful wildlife that we have today will not exist tomorrow. We should spread to the world how much wild animals have we had in the past, how much we have lost and how much we are losing. We should build awareness that what we have left today from our wildlife, might not be there for our future generation to see and enjoy.
Can you give our readers the best wildlife photography tips?
Have patience; I mean lots of it. You are not only clicking to capture, you are clicking to document a special moment in time that will not repeat itself again – don’t rush to take a picture. Look, I mean look deeply, if the moment touched you in any way, and it will touch your viewers as well. When it comes to gears; consider adding a telephoto lens if you can and you are good to go.
What plans do you have in the future related to Wildlife Photography?
Through my lens, I would like to show people that there is an entire world and life to be lived and explored. I like to be an inspiration, to lead people to explore, discover and care of this planet.
Tell us something about the gears you use and how it helped in your photographic journey?
I have two camera bodies; a Nikon D4S & D5. Six SanDisk memory cards, Three lenses; a Nikon 70-200mm F2.8, Nikon 180 – 400mm F4, and a Nikon 12 – 24mm F2.8.
Two WD hard drives each storing up to 4TB. One card reader. One MacBook Air. Three camera batteries and one battery charger. A portable bank charger. Also a lens cloth (cleaner).
Having the right gears makes capturing an amazing image easier. The two camera bodies is a must; it cuts off the time you change from one to another, and prevents the sensor from catching dust.
