All posts filed under: RAW Talent

Meet Mary, an accomplished photographer specializing in documentary and portrait photography – and shortlisted for the 2023 Student Photographer of the Year for the Sony World Photography Awards. As a person of Nigerian heritage and a devout Christian, Mary’s work always bears a piece of her identity, diversity, and faith. Having dedicated six years to honing her craft, Mary understands the importance of discovering one’s purpose and embracing personal passions – and bringing those to life via her imagery and stories. We had a chat with Mary about how she turned an essential part of herself into an impressive shortlist submission for the SONY World Photography Awards and her experiences in the medium. You’ve recently been shortlisted for the SONY World Photography Awards with your project “Expressions of Worship.” What was your brief? The series was created in response to Sony’s brief, ‘In a Changing World,’ which asked for positive stories motivated by topics such as the environment, technology, and how we work and live. We were told to create work for this as part …

Despite moving to the UK at 19, Wika Wójcikiewicz has not left her Eastern European roots behind. Allowing for curated “mistakes” in her work, the Polish photographer is inspired by the natural, raw, and sometimes gritty side of life and often brings elements from her own upbringing into her photos through the colors, motifs, and subjects she captures. The soon-to-be London College of Communication graduate shares her thoughts on the in-between moments that create true beauty, mixing media and genres, and how to understand your own aesthetic. What was your first experience in photography like? I recall one of my first endeavors with photography occurring when I was gifted a small, plastic, pink-colored Nikon camera at eight years old. I got it for my first communion and started having fun by taking my first images and filming with my friends where we would even partake in styling, set design, and putting together childish scripts. At twelve years old, the idea of becoming a documentary photographer came into my mind. My interests in other subjects, such …

Having a tendency for introversion and quiet observing, Hong Kong-born photography student Manyi Chan leans into these personality traits with her work. This has resulted in a unique, quiet personal expression in her images, in which she explores topics like her own relationship with food, sexual fantasy, and violence within her specific cultural context as an East Asian woman. We had a talk with Manyi about how she is finding her voice as a photographer, who she looks up to, and what advice she has for others just entering the world of photography. Tell us, how did you first get interested in photography as a form of artistic expression? Since middle school, I’ve been an extremely introverted person, spending much of my time alone and in silence, observing the surroundings and researching material, texture, functionality, and composition of things around me. My interest in photography appeared to come naturally. When I first got a smartphone in high school, I began to take pictures everywhere and intend to record all the intricacies of life that I …