The tag of being the first Emirati woman wildlife photographer hasn’t come easy to engineer and architect Suaad Al Suwaidi. Hers is a story of letting go of something she truly loved and making the hard choice to do something she was very, very good at; shooting wildlife in arduous terrains, from the majestic lions of Africa to the snow leopards of Himachal Pradesh, India.
You would naturally presume that a wildlife photographer would descend from a family of animal lovers or wildlife photographers. Or that she was inspired by a close relative or friend who spent his/her time in the midst of wild animals and in deep forests. None of that is true in the case of Suaad.
She was born in Abu Dhabi and raised in Louisiana, US — where her father was a student — from the age of two. She recollects a fun and boisterous childhood in the States. “I giggled, ran, played, swam and spent time with children from different backgrounds. I enjoyed my childhood to the fullest,” she says.
It’s probably also the reason she is at home with different cultures. “When I travel from one country to another, I feel that I am not just crossing geographical boundaries, I am travelling into [a new] world.”
Turning fear to love
So, how does the love for wildlife bloom in a child with a sheltered childhood? “You can say that I was petrified of any animal that had more legs than mine,” she laughs.
She then went on to pursue undergrad in Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, a subject she wasn’t particularly fond of. “My mother was keen that I become an engineer and I went on to fulfill her dream, not mine,” she says.
During that time, she felt she needed a companion and that’s when she spotted her first camera.
Proof’s in the picture
In her spare time, she would wander around the Schuylkill river in Philadelphia and click photos of a few birds. What she didn’t realise then was that the same photos would prove that she was the first Emirati woman wildlife photographer. “I had a Kodak disposable camera and a Sony [one] too. The photos innocently taken back then became registered proof of being the first wildlife pictures clicked by an Emirati woman and are now part of the UAE Encyclopedia.”
For her post graduation subject, Suaad chose a field that she loved immensely. She pursued architecture, at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. “It became my passion and I won a lot of awards and accolades. I returned to Abu Dhabi and worked on a lot of projects in the UAE while earning more certificates.”
But her vast recognitions made her over-qualified for the jobs she applied for, and she was left pondering what to do next. “I am very attached to my mother, who by then had gone through her divorce. She motivated me to look for other opportunities.”
In 2019 Suaad, decided to give up architecture and take up photography full time. “I gave God my architectural career to protect and moved on as a photographer. Coincidentally, in the same year, I was declared as the first Emirati Woman Wildlife Photographer.” Her family reacted with shock and surprise. “I couldn’t believe it too,” she laughs.
But how did it all happen? “In 2019, I was in the middle of the forest in Africa clicking pictures of wildlife. Someone noticed that there was an Emirati lady in the middle of nowhere, and the news spread”.
Then came the press, the TedX talks and the awards.
Framing emotions
Owing to her work in the field, Suaad is hesitant to see animals in captivity. “The animal kingdom, similar to our kingdom, has families, emotions like jealousy, rage, love and affection. Through my work I try to bring out these emotions in them.”
Suaad feels it is her purpose in life to capture the most dangerous creature of all — the mighty lion. “I cannot imagine life without [photographing the] lion. We have read about dinosaurs and we know pandas are very rare. But we need to be able to see them. It is about [creating] awareness. Our wildlife is important because our planet is important.”
As for what the wild world has taught her, she says: “Every living creature goes through hardships not just human beings. So be empathetic.”