Maryam’s tips for photographing people

Develop a concept

Start by researching and analysing your ideas. Create various mood boards to help plan your portrait. If you’re shooting in a public space, plan to shoot as soon as the sun rises, to avoid busy times. If you’re shooting a self-portrait, you can use a self-timer or wireless/remote trigger to take the shot, although this can be difficult to manage if you are working with your camera in Manual mode.

Know your subject

Let people know your intentions for taking their portrait. Get to know who they are and what they believe in. Look around for the best light source. Inspect shapes around the location where the person you are focusing on could be framed. Carefully position your subject; move them around until you feel they frame the image beautifully.

Feeling at ease

Once you have made someone feel comfortable, they are more likely to open up. Try out backgrounds against your subject that have a special meaning for them.

In this image, for instance, my subject is a conservation scientist for the Aga Khan Centre for Culture (Lahore, Pakistan), and she worked on restoring the heritage site behind her: a proud moment for a young woman.

Shoot unique images

For this image, I followed my mother around a graveyard in Lahore, where her parents rest. There were draped and knotted materials attached to the trees. The shapes they created were poetic, and as I saw Mum move through the trees, I could see her standing still and alive with them. Work with your subject to create a unique photograph.