Yumna is a young photographer working in New York who’s evocative, color saturated work captures milieus from NYC fashion parties to the gingerbread skyscrapers of Yemen.
Your photography ranges from reportage in the Middle East to fashion work. What unifying elements do your pieces share?
Starting college, I was never sure of what I wanted to do because I always felt as though I had so many interests and was generally good at teaching myself pretty much anything I wanted to know. My initial interests were fashion related. My blog focused on my personal style and I was keen on developing something that was unique but not out of my financial realm. People took interest to my sense of style and I eventually began selling vintage pieces on eBay. I would do everything for the store from photographing to modeling to advertising… all on my own. After finishing my associate’s degree, I took a trip to the Middle East. It was my first time being there since I was a little girl and having obviously matured since then, I had the ability to take in a whole new side of my life that had been so untouched for years. Documenting my entire experience was only natural for me. I felt as though I had opened a whole new realm of my life-I felt so in love with my roots and wanted to share it with everyone-just the same as I had been doing with pretty much every other aspect of my life. The Middle East and fashion are two things I absolutely love-but sharing it all is truly my passion and basis for most everything I create.
