Back in November 2019 during the first term of LAU, I was invited to a surprise event for Ikram Abdi Omar. Ikram is a fashion model and the first hijabi model to feature in the Winter Burberry Campaign, which is a massive achievement. We wanted to celebrate this and show her how proud everyone is of her. I was invited by Amran Abdi who is also known as Amzy OBR, she is a freelance photographer who is killing it in the photography scene. The event was based in London so I booked my tickets and took a camera out to bring, so I could capture some candid shots of the event.
Ikram Abdi Omar for Burberry. Photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. Courtesy of Burberry
It was a great opportunity to meet Ikram and other creatives, hearing other people talk about their craft or upcoming projects. Networking and building contacts, while celebrating a great achievement. I brought friends that are also photographers and musicians so we could all build our confidence and connections. I captured the whole night, everybody enjoying themselves and mingling which allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone which is my editorial genre.
Below are a few images I captured by simply making friends and kindly asking if I could take a few snaps of people.
IMAGES SHOT BY ME
Getting advice from Amzy who is experienced in the current photography world was great and really helpful. She was informative on hacks around the camera and capturing faces, Amzy guided me the whole evening and trusted me enough to snap the whole night. Not only did I build body of contacts but also a following on my Instagram, from simply talking and getting to know other creatives. I was being tagged on Instagram for the rest of the weekend, after I edited and emailed everyone’s images – which really gave me a confidence boost that people liked my work!
MINI SHOOTS
While being at this event I came across many quirky and awesome fashion models that I had to take photos of. Me being me, I made conversations with them all and managed to do mini photo shoots, making them feel comfortable but also working with what we had. Zinzi and Lala were lovely and great with the camera. I love these shots I snapped of both of them but also separately for a variety, the warm tones and lighting really compliment their skin tone.
Below are some portraits of them both.
ZINZI + LALA 
ZINZI + LALA
EllaMaeWardpp1 