Today is World Photography Day and what better way to celebrate photography than to share the mesmerising work of some of the most talented Maldivian photographers.
At Maldives Secrets, not only do we strive to promote The Maldives as an ideal holiday destination, but we also focus on promoting the wonderful local talents of the Maldives, by spreading the word and highlighting their incredible work.
Of course, there are many photographers in The Maldives and we are certain that there are some we haven't yet heard of or had the chance of coming across, but for now, we are sharing with you the best Maldivian Photographers, born and bread in the naturally beautiful country of The Maldives - who's work we absolutely adore and cannot wait to share with you today, World Photography Day 2020.
Hassan Ishan
Hassan Ishan, also known as See From The Sky, is a self-taught photographer based in the Maldives. Five years ago, he started his photography journey while documenting his travels around Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Showcasing his adventurous travels was life-changing for him and Ishan described to us that 'his passion for creativity and photography ignited like a midnight bonfire' as he continued creating outstanding content of The Maldives.
Currently, he photographs the beauty of The Maldives, from lavish resorts to exotic islands... He can't wait to continue creating mesmerising content and follow his dream of travelling and inspiring people all around the world. Ishan is also a lover of nature and one of the things he loves to do is share knowledge about marine life and the environment through his content.
Amongst many, this is one of Ishan's favourite photos taken in The Maldives. This drone photograph was captured on a beautiful, sunny morning. Ishan was sitting on Rasdhoo beach when he noticed some Manta Rays in the distance, flapping their wings in the ocean. He called his local friend Rishaan (also a photographer - his work is seen further down) and asked him to grab a stand-up paddle board for a creative photo. Ishan immediately started flying his drone over the crystal-clear ocean. It was an amazing moment to capture, Ishan mentioned how lucky he was that the ocean was so calm, enabling him to capture a clear shot of this phenomenal moment that would only happen in the Maldives.
Check out more of Ishan's work:
Instagram: @seefromthesky
Website: https://www.seefromthesky.com
Mohamed Aleef
Mohamed Aleef, also known as Leef Photos, began his photography journey by purchasing his first Sony camera whilst he was at school studying his GCSE O'Levels. Through the growing popularity of Facebook, Aleef successfully grew his audience by sharing his beautiful photography on his page. As a consequence, he was highly motivated by the immense support and positive feedback and decided to pursue photography as a career.
After having spent time working on a fishing boat (fishing being the second largest industry in The Maldives), Aleef had saved enough money to invest in his first DSLR camera and from there, his career has taken off. From resort photography, to local weddings and events... Aleef's photography skills quickly became a business and he was called to do interviews and TV appearances. Now, Aleef specialises in wedding, lifestyle and travel photography as well as social media content creation. In the future, he looks forward to travelling the world and exploring more destinations beyond The Maldives.
This is one of the most beautiful photos Aleef has taken in the Maldives. He photographed it whilst he was on a wedding photoshoot at Constance Halaveli, he says that "one of the best things about this photo is how it encapsulates nearly every aspect of Maldives nature from the school of fish, to the birds, the white sandy beach and the palm trees."
Aleef managed to capture the serenity of the beautiful Maldives blues. This photo not only became one of Aleef's favourites, but for many others also - it was shared on the popular travel accounts Beautiful Destinations and Earth Pix, Aleef also had requests from several International travel magazines asking to feature the photo. For him, it represents a treasured moment in harmony with Maldives nature and he is so happy that, as a photographer, he can inspire others around the world to travel to the Maldives.
Mohamed Ahsan
Mohamed Ahsan, also known as Shampzz, is a renowned action and sports photographer and a team member of Red Bull Photography. He specialises in stunning drone shots; the best way to caption action and adventure. His career in sports photography really took off in 2013 when he signed a freelancer contract with Red Bull, being one of the company's official photographers based in The Maldives. Since then, he has been fortunate to travel to exciting destinations around the world, have fantastic experiences and make many new friendships.
This is one of his best captures of The Maldives - it's amongst his favourites because it encapsulates his passion for extreme sports and the beauty of his home country. As the kite-surfers glide across the turquoise ocean, the Maldivian flag is perceived from above, which can only be captured by a drone. This was a national Maldives kite-surfing sporting event organised by Raalhugudi. The main purpose of Raalhugudi is to make kiteboarding the most popular extreme water-sports in the Maldives and encourage Maldivian youth and athletes to take up kiteboarding.
Check out more of Ahsan's work:
Instagram: @shampzz
Aishath Shifa
Aishath Shifa is an incredibly talented photographer and dreamer. Exploring and travelling the world has always been a childhood dream of hers and eight years ago, Shifa chose a career that helped her chase that goal. She became an air hostess, which allowed her to explore new places and meet new people everyday. That is how her journey into the realm of photography began.
Having always been passionate about photography, alongside her extensive travels, Shifa felt inspired to share her images so that she could share her travels with her loved ones. Although they are but a small glimpse of the adventures she had, nothing made her happier than to see people getting inspired by her travels.
Here is her best, unique, authentic photo taken in The Maldives - it actually turned out to be one of Shifa's preferred pictures of all time. She recalled how she had so much fun exploring and experimenting on a beautiful morning in the jungle with her lovely friends. Posing in the photo, Shifa describes as her 'little Dora', full of curiosity and wander as she explores the jungle with the rest of the group, with the rays of light piercing through the coconut tree palm leaves. Shifa leaves us with one of her favourite quotes:
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on camera is captured forever. It remembers little things long after you have forgotten everything.” - Aaron Siskind
Check out more of Shifa's work:
Instagram: @eyeschipha
Shauzab Adam (Shauk)
Shauk, also known as Life of Islander, used to experiment with photography ever since he received his first smartphone. He began to seriously enjoy photography with his travels, especially his once in a lifetime trip to Europe with his friends. Shauk always received the support of his brother and friends who kept inspiring and supporting him to pursue photography. Back in the day, Shauk mainly took photos on his iPhone until the day he saved enough money to invest in his first DSLR camera. Ever since that day, he has been creating and learning everyday and hasn't looked back as he creates stunning and inspiring imagery of the Maldives.
Above is one of Shauk's best photos taken in The Maldives - this is his favourite because it represents such a beautiful, natural, untouched moment. Shauk recalls that it was a very calm day and that he and his friends were on their way to Dhiffushi Island, near Malé, on a small sailboat. Out of the blue, they were greeted by these friendly spinner dolphins. Shauk recalls that he quickly ran to the bow of the boat and managed to capture few shots - it was a great day!
Check out more of Shauk's work:
Instagram: @lifeofislander
Ahmed Rishaan
Rishaan is a professional photographer and content creator living on a tiny, but absolutely beautiful island of Rasdhoo in North Ari Atoll. Luckily for him, he literally has the perfect setting to photograph the natural beauty of The Maldives right at his doorstep! From sandbanks, to local islands, to exceptional marine life and more... Rishaan never gets bored of photographing The Maldives.
Here is Rishaan's favourite photo taken in The Maldives - this is his favourite because it illustrates a heartwarming moment between mother and son, as they take in the beauty of the crystal clear, aquamarine ocean of The Maldives. Rishaan quotes "... and she loved a little boy very, very much. Even more than she loved herself. "
Another reason why Rishaan adores this photo is because it was taken on his island of Rasdhoo. This photo captures the phenomenal beauty of The Maldives, without needing to add a filter. Rishaan believes that this is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the Maldives.
Check out more of Rishaan's work:
Instagram: @ahmed_rishaan
Aiman Shiyaam (Aik)
Aiman Shiyaam, known as Aik, is from an island called Maafushi, which is a quick speedboat ride from Male. He loved capturing the natural beauty of The Maldives and sharing his photography across his social media platforms. He is a drone photographer but also loves capturing the fascinating underwater world of The Maldives on his dives.
Here is Aik's favourite photo taken in The Maldives - this is his favourite because for him this photo is the perfect example of Maldives. This is what the true, authentic Maldives is like. A tiny island with a few coconut trees completely surrounded by white sandy beaches and of course, the mesmerising crystal clear turquoise water.
Check out more of Aik's work:
Instagram: @aik.aiman
Haifa Abdul Haleem (Hayya)
Hayya began her adventurous career as a professional photographer back in 2015, since then, she has evolved into a freelance photographer. Her creative journey started with the encouragement of her mother, who motivated Hayya to do something that most Maldivian girls don’t do: photography training. Hayya's mother saw her daughter's potential and upon completion of the training, Hayya was named as best female photographer of the batch.
As a female living in The Maldives, Hayya admits that it’s a very challenging field of work. Especially since Muslim society doesn’t encourage girls to do such things. However, Hayya's photographic journey so far has been amazing and she cannot wait for all that is to come!
Here is Hayya's favourite photo taken in The Maldives. She strongly believed that all of her best photos are captured in the vibrant light of sunsets and sunrises. Hayya loves the magic of the warm, golden tones and loves playing with the colours. Hayya cherishes the nature of The Maldives so much and finds it to be so therapeutic. She claims that it calms her mind and her heart and brings out the best in her.
Check out more of Hayya's work:
Instagram: @ha_yya
Congratulations to these amazing photographers for their inspiring work!
We hope you enjoyed this blog post, alongside discovering Maldivian talents and being inspired by their beautiful photography - a fantastic way to honour World Photography Day.
Let us know if you have any questions!
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