International Women’s Day: Women of MPB

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting some of the women inside and outside of MPB Brighton, Brooklyn and Berlin who are creating outstanding imagery today. In this article, each visual storyteller shares their favourite work, background and advice for other women in the field. 

A big thank you to Claudia Di Rito, Monica Krystal Rose, Lisa Marie Asubonteg, Jamella Binns, Stephanye Floyd, Renèe Nielson, Gess Puglielli, Isabel Malia, Coco Torres, Chloe Imbach, Maggie Hinton, Irene Cruz, LA Creativity, Hanna Hong, Nataliia Petrishyna, Mariam Salahvarzi, Marie Staggat and Le Quyen Nguyen.

Read on to learn more about each visual storyteller and check out their imagery.

Claudia Di Rito

MPB Brighton

My favourite picture is a picture of the lead singer of Dream Wife. I really like this picture because she looks very powerful. That was a very powerful performance. But also, it is very hard to take pictures in gigs with a wide aperture because it can sometimes focus on just a microphone and not the performer. 

My name is Claudia and I am a product specialist at MPB and a music photographer. At this gig, I used my Nikon Z6, which is very good in low light, and I've used the 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM. 

My advice as a music photographer is: be persistent and don't be scared of emailing someone—like the promoter—five times because this is usually how you get a photo pass for a show. And also be nice to yourself, and also to all the photographers, because photography is very competitive but it's very important just to be nice.

Monica Krystel Rose

MPB Brooklyn

Hi, my name is Monica Krystel Rose. I've been a photographer for ten years and I'm based in New York City. But this image is from my series Unrequited, so it was originally supposed to be about duality, about the realness of relationships. The red symbolises not so much shame, but also just that, what people see outside is not usually what we experience in relationships. 

I use the Sony A7R III with the 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM FE lens. It's very rare that I stay in one place when I take photos and it's usually I ask my models to move and I'm moving with them. So I feel like that's the most natural portrait that I can take rather than just being stationary in one spot. It is a portrait image, but you don't see the people in the photo, but it still gives you that emotion that there is something there in the image. 

I think the viewer gives their own interpretation when they look at the image, and I feel like that's like the best art you meant it for something and then everyone can just like have their own stories behind, you know, the art you created.

Lisa Marie Asubonteng

MPB Berlin

My name is Lisa Marie Asubonteng. I'm a fashion and portrait photographer based in Berlin. So one of my current works is The Hall of Women, which I shot in Ghana last year. And it's about women who have been sexually abused by men. It’s all about uplifting women and also bringing their story out, how they actually want to be portrayed outside of the world. I shot the series with the Canon EOS R, which I have in my hands right now, and I have an 24-105mm f/4 L IS lens. 

My advice for other women or other photographers who are coming into this business or want to explore this side of photography—just be yourself. Not only be yourself but try to identify yourself as a person and as an artist. And what do you actually want to capture with your lens and what do you see in this world?

Jamella Binns

UK Black Female Photographers 

My name is Jamella and I'm the owner of Mellz Photography LTD. I'm a portrait and wedding photographer. This is one of my favourite portraits, it is a maternity portrait of one of my clients. I absolutely love how it came out, simply because at this stage I feel like I was really trying to master my light within photography. Everything I envisioned came to life on that day. 

The way the light hit her was absolutely amazing. With this portrait, I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and my 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM lens. I love it because it's so versatile, especially when I have such a small studio space, it’s the perfect thing for me.  My advice for any woman in the photography industry is not to allow people and their opinions to take your power away from you. And when you have your camera in your hand, you know what you're doing. So go out there and create some magic.

Stephanye Floyd

MPB Brooklyn

I'm Stephanye Floyd. I've been a photographer for maybe ten or eleven years now, and I am the Product Specialist Trainer and Quality Control Specialist here at MPB. So I went to a Fujifilm pop-up for World Photography Day, and they had a raffle for the Fujifilm X-H2S, which I won. So I won the H2S along with the 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR, which is my current kit. So that's actually the kit that I used to shoot this image. 

I am a street photographer, first and foremost, so most of the stuff that I shoot is on the go. Sometimes I shoot through the subway rails or through people's arms. This image came along when I was on a crowded subway and somebody's arm was over me. And I saw this guy sitting here on the subway and I was like, Oh, he looks pretty cool. Again, I like to try and capture people's emotions during that time. So I don't want to say he looks very sad, but he looks like a normal New Yorker on his way to work, just doing his own thing in his own zone. And I just liked the emotion and his white hair. And that's how I captured the image.

Renèe Nielsen

MPB Brooklyn

My name is Renèe, I'm a graphic designer and part-time photographer. My favourite image—I have so many. The one I've chosen, I was just starting photography in New York City. What I really like about it is the makeup, actually. The artist I was working with was also a little more experimental and I just gave her free rein. I also really enjoyed the depth of field in the photo. It really highlighted her.

I shot it on a Sony A6000, which was my first camera and I actually just sold that last year. I was using 30mm f/1.4 DC DN E and 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM A prime lenses at the time. 

My advice would be to always reach out to your community. I've had so much success from just asking any other woman who does creative work to help me out on shoots. Also, don't underestimate yourself. Other people can always see your potential, even if you don't see it in yourself.

Gess Puglielli

MPB Brighton

I chose this picture because it's not perfectly sharp, but it does tell the story and it wasn't staged. And there was this woman and this man sitting in the pub, and they were both sitting under the ladies and gents sign. And the colour palette was perfect—red and blue—and they weren’t noticing anybody around them. And I was really hoping that they wouldn't notice me because that would have ruined the whole story. To shoot this image, I used a Canon EOS R with a 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM. 

I am Gess, I'm the lead product designer at MPB and I am also a photographer. My advice for other female photographers would be to be confident. Don't feel like you have to conform to stereotypes. Be safe. Really don't be afraid of putting yourself out there. Keep your portfolio up-to-date and your social media too. For example, a few months ago, Amazon bought some of my images to be used in a show with Anne Hathaway, and that was because I was confident enough to just put them on my portfolio online and all my social media. So be confident and don't be afraid to put yourself out there.

Isabel Malia

Fine Art Photographer

My name is Isabel Malia, and I've been a fine art photographer for four years. So this is my favourite image, probably because it's my most recent. I feel like I'm at this point where every time I create something, it's my new favourite. It's the new best photo I've ever taken. 

This image features my model, Bailey, and I just invited her over one day because I had an 'image' of still life—but with a person. And I really love her jet-black hair. So this is really a contrast that I wanted to capture. And I have so many fruits and flowers and fabric laying around that we just threw together and made it happen. 

To create this image, I used a Sony A7 III, which I got second-hand a few years ago, and a 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM FE. One of my main goals, and it's been my goal since I started photography, is to be inclusive. I came in as a model and I really wish that there was someone to capture me in a very specific way. That's part of what makes my job really fun—I get to make people live out their fantasies and it's really important that everyone can see themselves in this beautiful, dreamy way.

Coco Torres

MPB Berlin

Hello. I am Constança, but I like to present myself as Coco. I'm a dispatch operative in MPB Berlin, and a graphic designer and street photographer. So my favourite picture, I took it in Italy. It's basically a little car and it had a horse head through the window—I really like these kinds of random pictures, where it doesn't make sense. They are just mysterious because they have storytelling. 

I took it with this little camera my mom gave me. I really like to shoot it around with colour film. I prefer to do street photography and just focus on what's unusual around me. My advice is to pay attention to what's around you and try to capture it because it’s unusual, it's what makes the memories more interesting.

Chloe Imbach 

MPB Brighton

The reason why I really like this image is that it is of a band that is female fronted and the image itself is really dynamic. The two performers create a nice ‘X’ shape, which I think is very visually appealing. And also it's one of the first pictures I’ve taken of a gig, which I was really proud of. This particular shot I got on my Canon EOS 80D with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. 

I’m Chloe from MPB and I'm a music photographer. The reason why I love photographing bands is because of the energy that they have on stage. There's always a story to tell within the music. Photographing that story is a really big passion of mine. My advice for female photographers is to just get yourself out there and tell everyone you know, in particular in the field that you want to be in about what you do.

Don't be intimidated by anyone, especially in the music industry. There'll be a lot of people in the pit. Also, don't be afraid to speak to other photographers so you can collaborate. On this particular shoot, because it was quite a small venue, I just spoke to a photographer. He was also there, we swapped sides and we were just trying to help each other out as well to get the best shot that we can.

Maggie Hinton

MPB Brooklyn

I’m Maggie Hinton, I work in partnerships and collaboration here at MPB. I don't know that I would have ever referred to myself as a photographer, but photography has been a new love. My favourite image that I chose was actually from a recent event that we did with our partner Pursuit of Portraits. It was at an event where we had actual models and it was one of the first photographs that I had taken where I was actually engaged with a model and just looking at it from a purely photographic stance. And that was really an interesting thing for me because it was just about the moment and the photograph. 

I got to borrow a piece of gear from MPB, the Sony A9, as opposed to the Sony A7S that I normally use. So a little bit of a shift in gear. And that was also really fun to get to play with something new. When I look back on photographs that I've taken, this one sort of stands out as a moment where I started actually thinking about myself as a photographer.

Irene Cruz

MPB Berlin

I’m Irene Cruz and I'm a Spanish photographer, based in Berlin for ten years now. This is my favourite image ever—it was actually the first photo I took in Berlin. It was raining and I was feeling inspired by this light after the rain. I think this image is so beautiful because I think it transmits the feeling I was having at that time. I was totally happy. And I think somehow I found my voice in photography. 

I shot this picture with a , which I acquired in 2011. Actually, it was used already. I was studying so my budget was not very big. I remember I used a 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM lens. I went for this one because it was more dynamic. 

My advice to other female photographers would be just to see themselves when they are thinking about pictures and to express whatever they are feeling at that moment, to be authentic, and just to find their style, their voice, in the photograph.

LA Creativity

Multi-disciplinary Visual Artist

One of my favourite images is from a tribal body art series that I created in lockdown. This is my favourite image because it allowed me to use different mediums to create the final product. So I painted the tribal body art on my subject and then photographed it. I used my Canon EOS 5D Mark IIIand a 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM—it’s a beautiful lens—and then I used the Elinchrom D1 light. 

I'm a multi-disciplinary visual artist and I shoot creative portraits. The advice I would give to other female photographers is that once you find the area that you want to pursue, stay true to it. Don't allow other people to sway your opinion. Follow your heart.

Hanna Hong

MPB Berlin

I'm Hanna. I'm an account manager at MPB in Berlin, but also I’m a wedding photographer. So this is one of my favourite shots from a Berlin wedding of a couple I really, really love. It all just fell perfectly together. It was the perfect couple on a very nice day in a natural environment. It's just perfect, I really like it—the composition, the light—everything was nice. I shot it on my Sony A7 III with an 85mm f/1.8 FE lens. 

My advice for female photographers would be—since the photography world is very male-dominated, and there’s a lot of mansplaining going on—don't listen to what other people say too much. Trust your own gut. Be curious, be brave and be confident. Just do everything you want.

Nataliia Petrishyna

MPB Brighton

This picture is a reflection of how I feel about my homeland, Ukraine. My name is Nataliia. I work at MPB and one of my hobbies is photography. If you are talking about the spirit of a country, Ukraine is usually a female character. And in this horrible situation of an actual war, this female character seems so fragile. But, at the same time, so strong and beautiful that you automatically become inspired by this and you want to protect this.

And what is most impressive for me, personally, is that I didn't even plan that my model will look like a butterfly. I believe you have heard about the butterfly effect—how the world is actually deeply interconnected—and how powerful this effect could be. The kit I used to capture this image was Sony A6000 and 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN E. 

My advice to female photographers is: Find what really matters to you and show it to the world.

Mariam Salahvarzi

MPB Brooklyn

My name is Mariam Salahvarzi and I'm a cine specialist. I've been a photographer for about five or six years. I took this image for fun with my best friend during the summer, during Covid. I shot this photo on the Sony A7S III and my 35mm T1.5 DS FE lens with a two-light setup. I just got one of those black plastic tablecloth covers and I hung it up just for the background. You know, we were balling on a budget. 

We had gone in with this idea, like on a theme of a Barbie-like style, what the ‘ideal body’ looks like. The Barbie box has this plastic in front of it and the Barbie is stuck in her box. We had the cellophane straight over and it was cool. And then we started wrinkling it a little bit. We liked the way the light was reflecting off of it. Like we're crushing that plastic box, we're breaking out and trying to break the glass ceiling. 

I felt like the image was more powerful because we're not necessarily still stuck behind the cellophane and this glass. We're breaking through it and we're pushing. Like there's still a standard, but we're kind of putting an end to that.

Marie Staggat

MPB Berlin

I'm Marie. I'm a photographer from Berlin and specialize in artists, musicians, and portraits. My favourite picture is a portrait of Juan Atkins, which I shot in Detroit in 2010. The picture shows him with his eyes closed.

It's a close-up portrait. He put his hands on his face, which are the tools of artists. To this day, it is simply my absolute favourite picture, because it is so close to a person who actually doesn't want anyone to get that close to him. It radiates such an unbelievable calmness and it still inspires me today. I took the picture with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a 50mm f/1.8 STM.

My advice to other female photographers is to just listen to your heart, do what you feel like doing and don't let yourself be pushed into a certain direction. And have fun.

Le Quyen Nguyen

MPB Berlin

My name is Le Quyen Nguyen—but you can call me Quyny—and I'm a portrait photographer from Berlin. My favourite photo is posed, I shot it in a fashion editorial. It's my favorite picture because it just looks very different from the photos I usually take. It looks very cinematic. You can't really see the person in the picture, but the eyes are super beautiful.

I shot the photo with the Mamiya 645 and the film was a Portra 400. I also had a lighting assistant, who used the Razor 7, with me. The picture could never have been taken without teamwork. Everyone did their best, it's a super nice memory and the picture will stay forever.

One tip I can give to female photographers—it’s a saying I saw in a museum in London—"always take the shot." If you feel good about it, go for it. There are still photos to this day that I regret not taking. It's also super important to have a good support system. Have people who believe in you when you don't believe in yourself. Always stay true to yourself, experiment, be authentic and take as many photos as you can.

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