PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE
'Reflective Self Portraiture' workshop : Creating contemplative and conceptual self portraits with
Nadirah Zakariya
Explore concepts, composition and content in self portraiture, with emphasis in self-identity and persona.
MYR120.00 per participant, 3-hours. Maximum 12 pax.
[Minimum. 6 pax]
Saturday 31 October 2026
Time : 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm
Venue : GMBB Kuala Lumpur, Unit GM5-13
Join Nadirah as she shares the artists that inspired and influenced her personal work over the years. She presents her 'milestone' projects and commissions, and discusses the importance of portraiture in contemporary media, including editorial, storytelling, advertising and self-identity.
Under her guidance, during this workshop, participants may create their own self portraits that reflects emotional depth and narrative in the surroundings GMBB and immediate city vicinity.
Who is this workshop for?
• Photographers who seek to deepen their skills in creative self portraiture.
• Those looking to move beyond technical ability into making emotionally impactful images.
• Artists looking to explore storytelling through the people they photograph.
• Creatives who believe that self portraits holds a personal story and want to learn how to uncover and translate that into their practice.
What Participants Will Take Away
• A deeper understanding of how self-reflection may influence visual storytelling through the art of portraiture.
• Develop confidence and openness in front of the camera.
• New ways of approaching portraiture beyond technical skills.
• A self portrait created during the workshop that reflects emotional depth and narrative.
• A supportive environment for creative experimentation, self-reflection, and peer feedback.
What to bring?
Camera/smartphone, notebook and an inquisitive mind.
About Nadirah Zakariya
Born and raised in Malaysia, Nadirah Zakariya draws inspiration for her works through her non-specific geographic upbringing, focusing on the emotional impact and how it shapes who she is. Currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Nadirah received her Bachelor in Fine Arts from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.
In 2011 Nadirah was invited to hold her first solo exhibition “Daughters Ago” in New York. She later exhibited “GIRLHOOD”, another solo show, in 2016 at the Leica Gallery Kuala Lumpur. In 2018, her series “Fuji-san Love Letters” was showcased at Ilham Gallery. Her latest and biggest solo exhibition is Feeling Feelings Makes Me, Me which took place at temu house in May 2023 showcased nearly 40 of her photography works.
Nadirah is an internationally published photographer with works in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, VICE, Dazed and Confused, Refinery29 and Vogue Italia. In 2022, her artwork was published in Thames and Hudson’s Flora Photographica : The Flower in Contemporary Photography by William A. Ewing and Danaé Panchaud.
The book is described a “Vivid, bold, spectacular and unexpected: a definitive overview of one of contemporary photography’s most innovative fields, showcasing flower imagery by more than 120 of the world’s leading practitioners.
With a passion in photography and film making, she is the co-founder of Layar Lucida, a women-led creative studio and also the co-founder of Exposure+ Photo in Kuala Lumpur.