One of the biggest Instagram accounts in the Arab world is that of Ahlam Alnajdi - a woman from Saudi Arabia. She's not a celebrity - but a photographer and artist - and she now has more than one million followers. Ahlam means "dream" in Arabic, and there's no doubt that Ahlam Alnajdi is living her dream right now. A couple of weeks ago, the number of followers on her Instagram account edged over one million. She now has the biggest following on the photo sharing site of any woman in the Arab world - and has overtaken the well-known singer and Arab Idol judge Ahlam Al Shamsi. Alnajdi is 30 years old and lives in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Entirely self-taught, she creates small - incredibly life-like - sculptures out of clay and then takes photos of them. Food - and cakes in particular - are a running theme. "It's what people like more than anything," she says simply. Saudis are particularly avid social media users - one recent study estimated they are the heaviest Twitter users in the world.
Women in Saudi Arabia face many obstacles in the workplace - not least because of a ban on women driving - making social media an attractive choice for women like Alnajdi. It may have started as a hobby, but Alnajdi's Instagram account is also now running as a business. Brands - including Kit Kat, Starbucks, and Instagram itself - feature heavily in her work, but she insists she is not paid for these, but rather makes them because these brands are so ubiquitous and popular. Alnajdi has a small team working with her, has written two books about her craft, and generates a decent sum of money, she says, from occasional paid adverts on the site. "I think my work proves that with a bit of ambition and persistence, it's possible for any young person in Saudi Arabia to build a successful business," she says. "People are proud of me and I think I'm a good example of an Arab girl who managed to reach people from across the world with her work."Reporting by Abdirahim SaeedRead his story in Arabic here.
/trendingFollow @BBCtrending on Twitter and tweet using #BBCtrending Subscribe to our podcast Our radio show airs every Saturday on BBC World Service More from the Magazine Answering life’s questions through daily features, quizzes and opinions.One of the most popular Instagram accounts in the Arab world belongs to Ahlam Alnajdi, a 30-year-old artist and photographer, BBC reports. Alnajdi makes miniature, life-like sculptures out of clay and takes pictures of them for the account. They look SO GOOD. Why aren’t they real? A few weeks ago, Alnajdi received over one million followers, becoming the most followed woman on Instagram in the Arab world, even surpassing famous singer and “Arab Idol” judge, Ahlam Al Shamsi. She marks her follower gains with sculptures like this. Saudi Arabia is hip to social media: one report shows that Saudis are the most active Twitter users in the world. And as BBC points out, social media can be an outlet for Saudi women who lead a limited public life due to the ban on female drivers and other restrictive laws.
Alnajdi posts pictures of a lot of brands. She told BBC she is not paid by these companies, but rather makes them because “these brands are so ubiquitous and popular.” But she has profited from her work: she has written two books about her art, and said she generates a decent amount of income. “I think my work proves that with a bit of ambition and persistence, it’s possible for any young person in Saudi Arabia to build a successful business,” she says. “People are proud of me and I think I’m a good example of an Arab girl who managed to reach people from across the world with her work.” It’s very cool to see young Saudi women using social media to create their own businesses, generate income, and achieve economic independence. Not to mention the people she has inspired — including a small team of artists she’s hired as employees to help create and photograph the sculptures. Here are a few more photographs of her work:Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin to Pinterest+You've seen them appear in some of our earlier posts on freebies.
But today we decided to put all the eBooks together (and many more!) in a single, mega post for you. These will keep you busy for a really long time. Go ahead, download them! Print them if you want to, or save them on your smartphone to read them on the go. This guide by National Geographic can be a serious resource for a beginner in photography as it covers almost every aspect of the basics of photography. From explaining camera settings to tips on composition and perspective, everything is nicely explained. It can also serve as a handy reference guide to refresh your basics. Thomas Leuthard is a street photographer who is known for his adept storytelling through his street images. In his eBook, he writes about his approach to street photography full with inputs based on his experiences all through these years. If you’re interested in street photography, this is one resource you must really check out. This is an inspiring compilation of essays by photographer Scott Bourne.
Coming from his personal experiences, the essays touch upon his insights on topics like storytelling, seeing, creativity, and vision. The wide variety of tips scattered across the eBook are sure to help you grow as a photographer. This eBook on landscape photography covers everything from what gear is best suited to landscape photography to how to make the best use of available light to create stunning landscape images. The author also shares useful insights from his experiences that are sure to motivate you further. Do check it out. We’ve all gone through situations where bad light played a spoilsport in our photography trip, or so we thought. You don’t have to worry about it any longer because Darwin Wiggett, in this eBook, gives you plenty of tips and techniques that you can learn to create great photos in bad outdoor light. Light will no longer be your excuse for bad photos. Photoblogging requires you to have a knowledge about a wide range of areas, from hosting your site to getting traffic to it.
This eBook by Nancy Messiah tackles the topic in a comprehensive manner with attention to specific details about getting your site running and everything that you need to keep in mind. Street photographer Alex Coghe shares everything he has learned through these years in this eBook. A really comprehensive guide on street photography, it gives a first hand account of how to approach street photography and get better, with some really insightful tips coming from his experience. While it’s true that image sharpness should not be the ultimate gauge of a photo’s merit, it should also be remembered that sharper images can have a much higher impact than their blurred counterparts. In this eBook, photographer Scott Bourne gives you tips to get sharper images and avoid blur. You should check this out. Photographer Neil Ta has been involved in urban exploration photography for quite some time now and through this eBook, he shares everything he has learned over the years.
If you are fascinated by urban exploration and looking to learn the ropes, this can be a valuable resource. So, grab your camera and start exploring your city for abandoned spaces! Street photographer Thomas Leuthard shares his viewpoint on the numerous aspects of street photography and how he's been able to learn different lessons along the way. Filled with lots of fantastic insights on the craft, this eBook will give you a lot to think about and offer you plenty of ways to improve your street photography. This is a unique eBook in that it combines bicycle touring with photography. Written by Paul Jeurissen, it uses the travels of a bike touring couple (the author and his wife Grace Johnson) as a backdrop to impart photography lessons on composition and techniques. If you like cycling and photography, you are going to love this one. This is a very concise guide on external flash photography. The book is barely 9 pages long and it gets straight to the point. From using flash indoors to using bounced flash, it covers all the important areas.
It has dedicated sections on explaining the use of flash outdoors and how to achieve great results, all in an easy to understand language. If you like food photography, this eBook will prove to be a valuable resource for you. From lighting considerations to composition suggestions, a lot has been covered in this book to get you started. According to the book, there are essentially two things that make a stunning food photo – appropriate exposure and a thoughtful composition. For more tips, download the eBook! Flickr’s Explore is a double edged sword. On one hand, it brings tons of views and activity to your photos, and on the other hand, it makes you want to see all your photos on Explore, for the very same reason, almost to the point of making you addicted to it. A celebrity in his own right on Flickr, street photographer Thomas Leuthard shares some tips to get your photos on Explore. The ever popular online lessons on lighting in photography, Lighting 101, can be downloaded as a single file for a handy reference.
It will teach you everything about lighting – lighting equipment, artificial lighting, balancing it with natural light, lighting patterns and many more tricks. If you are looking for an in-depth primer on lighting, Lighting 101 will be a great place to start. As photographers, we periodically experience a creative block that leaves us unmotivated. Scott Bourne’s motivational essays can be a great remedy for it. These nine essays tackle the issues of photographic motivation, creative rut, and getting photographic inspiration in different ways. A must-read for all photographers. Many of us are shy when it comes to photographing in certain situations but that's definitely not something that cannot be taken care of. In this eBook, photographer Lauren Lim tackles the issue by providing you practical tips that will boost your confidence during a photoshoot, in a meetings or while traveling. If you are looking to start a photography business but have no idea how to go about it, this eBook will be a great place to start.
With advice from experts who share real life knowledge, you will learn how to focus your niche, market your work, lock in clients, and manage your finances. Everything is explained in a manner that is easy to understand. Street photographer Thomas Leuthard likes photographing strangers on the street, from a very close distance and of course, without permission to maintain the candidness in his photos. Controversial as it may sound, he has produced a magnificent body of work. This eBook takes you through his experiences photographing strangers, and how you could do it yourself. The eBook approaches the issue of ethics in journalism and how digital technology has affected the ‘reality' in photojournalism. It lays down certain guidelines, sort of axioms for photojournalists, that can guide them. Also included are famous cases of altered photos and staged shots from the past. If photojournalism interests you, you should check out this eBook. Photographer Eric Kim provides a road map for beginners in street photography by laying down 31 days' worth of tips.
Each day there's a new lesson to apply to your photography and see gradual improvement. After a month of learning, Eric is confident you would have learned the craft quite well. A great guide for the budding street photographer. It may be easy to take photographs but it may not be as easy to sell them, or so you might think. This eBook by Photoshelter will provide you with tips from photographers and industry professionals to hep you with selling your fine art work. From what to do and what not to do when selling your work, the guide covers everything. Victoria Brampton, of The Lightroom Queen, has put together a great guide for those looking to get started with Lightroom 5/6/CC. Right from installing and importing photos in LR to explaining the workspace and basic editing techniques, the guide covers everything in great detail. Ritesh has been photographing for about seven years now and his photographic interests have varied from nature and landscapes to street photography.