by Yvette Depaepe 
Published the 13th of July 2020

Hanaa Turkistani is proud and honoured to be one of the most influential photographers in Saudi Arabia.  She wants to share her work on international levels.  She appreciates a lot collaborating with the 1x community sharing her ideas on image editing and exchanging information about training Arab photographers to give them a boost here.  Read more in this interview about the great artist she is.

'The Gate of Europe' 

Tell us, dear Hanaa: how have your history and life experiences affected your photography?
Since my childhood, I have loved art and painting. In 2005, I graduated in Arts and Photography.  My studies helped me a lot to start my photographic career.


Which are your most important experiences that has influenced your art?
I decided to learn more and more, so I attended several courses in various cities by professional photographers like Elia locardi , Mark Kelly , beno saradzic and many more.
Why? Because I strongly believed that one can be inspired by other artists.

'LOUVRE'

'3 Elements'

'View to Up'

What attracted you first to photography?
The very first photo I took with a professional camera was of my children.  With that picture I participated in a global competition and was qualified in the first stage of the evaluation.  It gave me an enormous boost to continue in that field.

Describe your comprehensive photographic vision?
I am honoured to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to give a modern artistic impression as a Saudi female photographer..
I always say in my courses and tell my trainees that we all have to express in photography what we feel and that we have to document it.

Why are you attracted to architecture and abstract photography?
A perspective is something that needs a visual and engineering intelligence.
My art studies have helped me a lot and my passion for architecture and abstract photography has continued to grow.
I believe that every building - old and new - has its own story.

'DEPTH'

'Gothic Architecture'

'Opposite Observe V.3'

What is most important to you, the mood, / story behind your photos or artistic perfection?
They all have an essential role according to the idea of the photographer.
My work is characterized by creativity and this is the most important to me.

Do you carefully prepare the sites where you are intending to shoot?
I definitely plan everything in advance and link the location to what I want to photograph, which gear I need, what weather I want, daylight or night photography, find out everything about the culture, accommodations, transport and so on.

'WITHIN THE SIGN !'

'The City of Arts and Sciences'

'Symmetrical'

What program do you use to process your photos?
I like to develop fine details while I'm processing my photos.  I use Photoshop, Luminar 4 and like to try new pre-sets and filters.

Can you tell us something more about your workflow?
After my university studies, I have been teaching for 20 years, and I started an academic training in photography in 2008.  I feel happy to have experienced a lot in the field and being now a professional photographer and artist.

•         In 2019 I was awarded as one of the most influential female Saudi photographers by Nikon Middle East and Nikon School. One of my photos was published in Architecture Britain magazine in 2019

•         I had a chance to give a lecture on mastering training with the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2019

'Port House'

'MARINA DUBAI'

What is your most important advice for beginners in architecture and abstract photography and how do you get started?
The best advice I would like to give to beginning photographers is to practise continuously.  New ideas never stop popping up.  Pay a lot of attention to original compositions even if inspired by others but always try to have your own input.

'Opposite, Obverse V.2'

'TWISTED V.2'

'Framed'

Are there any specific trends you to improve or any specific goals you wish to achieve? 
I am making steady progress in my career. My last achievement is being the first featured Saudi female photographer by Nikon in the Middle East in 2020. It makes me very proud.

Describe your favourite photo you took and why is it yours?
My favourite picture is 'There is no “HALFWAY”.

Nikon d810  .  24/70 lens  .  nd10stops .  15ec.

I photographed it from the canal bridge in Dubai. This photo became successful after sharing it on all my accounts and participating in several competitions.  It really was beyond my expectations.
My point of view expresses who I am and shows my photographic vision.

You also can see a BW version on my 1x portfolio.

Is there anything else you would like to add and what do you think of 1x as a home base for your business?
I would like to encourage every photographer to try and promote architectural photography, to feed constantly their thoughts and visual eyesight.

The 1x site shows photography of a high level and feels like one big family connecting thoughts and philosophies.
'We are people who feel the Light………..'

I hope to be able to collaborate with the 1x community and share my ideas on image editing and exchange information about training Arab photographers to give them a boost at 1x.

Thank you so much for this great interview.
Respectful greetings to you, dear Yvette!

Gears - my favourite:  D850  - 14/24 | 24/70 | 16 | 45 |105