Through the Lens of Tasneem Alsultan: Jeddah-Based Photographer

Tasneem Alsultan, a Saudi-American photographer/photojournalist based in Jeddah and Canon brand ambassador, started her journey in photography when she documented her move from America to Saudi Arabia. Friends were interested in her photos and asked her to take pictures of their kids. It wasn’t until she was asked to shoot a wedding that she actually felt like a professional photographer. She went on to use her talent to break the biases against Saudi women who are usually portrayed as oppressed victims.

When she exhibited a photo in the Nepal Photo Festival of a single mom divorcee, a man commented on how he relates to the subject regardless of the gender and ethnic difference. Tasneem describes this by saying, “Emotionally we are all very similar – we grieve and celebrate in the same way, but a lot of the differences we see are portrayed by the media.”

For her part in the media portrayal, Tasneem undertook a project titled Saudi Tales of Love in 2015 that highlighted the plight of women in marriage, divorce, and widowhood from their perspective. The project was so successful and was exhibited worldwide in Paris Photo, PhotoKathmandu and at the prestigious Visa Pour L’Image, Perpignan in 2016, and on Time’s LightBox online photography section.  

Tasneem explains, “If a shot triggers emotion, then I’ve succeeded as a photographer. That’s my aim – to have an impact on people around the world who may never get a chance to meet these women. I want to change the way the rest of the world sees Saudi women and help people relate to them.”