At 16, Dunia Sulaiman Almanji began nurturing a deep connection with photography, starting with nothing more than an iPhone 6 and an eye for the details others often overlooked.
An ordinary afternoon, a candid gesture or a small detail could become something beautiful in her eyes. She rarely let a moment pass without reaching for her phone.
Her passion for learning extended beyond capturing images. If a photograph did not match the picture she had imagined, she would edit it through one application after another until it reflected her vision.
“It was never about having one perfect app,” she recalls. “It was about the result I wanted, and I just had to find my way to it.” With her family’s encouragement, photography gradually became more than a hobby. She began a small personal project photographing products, children and everyday details.
A teacher, Khalood Al Habsi, who ran her school’s activities programme, also played an important role. She encouraged Dunia to enter a photography competition through the regional education directorate. Dunia entered without much expectation and placed among the top three.
“It wasn’t the result I was expecting at all,” she says. “But it told me this was something worth continuing.” After turning 18, Dunia saved enough to buy her first camera. For her, it represented the first tangible piece of a passion she had built herself. But financial circumstances later forced her to sell it.
“I didn’t sell my will and passion to continue,” she says. “I went back to photographing with my phone.” A new chapter In January 2024, Dunia took her first serious step into wedding photography, joining a photography team. One of the conditions was owning a camera, which she received as a gift, marking a turning point in her journey.
However, difficulties with shared equipment eventually led her to leave the team. Under its membership terms, work she had delivered could not be published under her own name, leaving her without a portfolio to present to future clients.
“I kept asking myself: how do I build trust with clients from zero, with no portfolio behind me?” she recalls.
Then came the opportunity that changed everything.
After starting independently, Dunia received her first wedding booking almost by accident. The bride had originally booked the team Dunia had left, but less than 24 hours before the wedding, the team cancelled. A former colleague recommended Dunia.
With the help of her sister, who assisted with equipment, and a relative who lent her a car, Dunia managed to prepare for the wedding within hours.
“I kept asking myself if I was really capable of carrying that responsibility,” she says.
She delivered the wedding as the bride had hoped.
“I hope that whenever anyone asks her about her wedding, she remembers it fondly,” Dunia says. “And I hope she remembers me kindly too.” That single booking opened the door to more. Brides began recommending her to their sisters, cousins and friends, allowing her business to grow one wedding at a time.
Looking back, Dunia says her progress was never defined by equipment or a team’s name, but by her willingness to continue.
“Real passion isn’t the good feeling that makes you start,” she reflects. “It’s the persistence that brings you back after every setback and makes you begin again even in the moments you’re sure you’re about to lose everything.” Fear, she says, was always present, but she never allowed it to decide the future of her career.
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