Women photographers hailing from the Arab world agreed that it is a great time to be in the profession during a panel discussion on “Elevating the Voices of Women in Photography and Art” at Xposure 2024, in Sharjah on Friday.

The three women photographers Rania Matar, Fatma Almosa and Hind Taryam were joined by Karin-Rehn Kaufmann, Art Director and Chief Representative Leica Galleries International, and moderator Lars Boering, a storyteller and ‘photopreneur’, as they discussed what it takes to be successful, remain at the top of creativity and build a career in a competitive world of photography and art.

Fatma AlMosa, an Emirati photographer from Abu Dhabi said she chose the monochrome medium because unlike colour which is beautiful yet overwhelming, black-and-white imagery is timeless, classic and can focus on the subject without distractions. With a masters in art, media and culture communication, AlMosa sees her work as a means “to promote our culture and to pass it to the next generation”. Regarding her stunning image of a camel and its female herder, she noted: “The most important thing about shooting black and white photography is the feelings, the harmony between the animal and human, and it gives an added value to the story of the picture.”

AlMosa, who began her journey with a Leica Q camera in 2015, and then embraced the Leica Rangefinder, added: “I think photography is very close to the heart and when you click with love, it comes to people’s heart and soul.”

The support from the government, families and audience encouraged women photographers to be great ambassadors of their country, she emphasised.

Hind Taryam, a talented photographer from Sharjah whose portfolio includes a rich tapestry of human stories, cultures and landscapes, said “the camera was an extension of her memory”. The Emirati artist said she enjoys travelling and documenting but always makes it a point to take the consent of her subjects. The places that resonated the most with her are Japan and Antarctica, and she would love to go again. Her strategy is to put people at ease before clicking and she noted that it was easier when people approached her to click their pictures. Taryam, who has travelled to Rwanda and Kashmir in India, said she travelled in groups and made it a point to research about her destination.

Karin Kaufmann, whose leadership has shaped the Leica Galleries’ global presence resulting in the creation of 28 galleries worldwide, noted that taking care of photographers and images was most important for Leica as “the essence of a photograph is the person behind the camera”. In reply to Boering’s observation that the quality of the Leica camera was undisputable, Kaufmann spoke about how she and her husband decided to set up the galleries.

“There is something special about taking care of the language of the heart, of the spirit, of all the persons behind Leica and we feel this is our family.” Kaufman, who plays a vital role in the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards jury which rewards photographic excellence, said the gallery was open 80 percent to other photographers if their images were good. “For me it is not just the technique but the art and culture of photography that is important.”

Rania Matar, a Lebanese-born American artist and photographer, narrated how photography became a means to change the negative rhetoric about Arabs after 9/11 attacks in the USA. It had made her return to her homeland in Lebanon to photograph women across the country and in the Palestinian refugee camps. “I built relationships with mothers and girls” explaining how she built the trust to click photographs. She said her powerful images of the younger generation of Lebanese women, adjusting to life in post-war Lebanon, was collaborative. She noted that as a woman photographer, she did not fall into the trap of objectifying her models, and that gave her an advantage over male photographers.

The 8th and biggest edition of Xposure, organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), is taking place in Expo Centre Sharjah and will come to a close on March 5.