Shelley Pirzada
Mountain ridge with a lone cedar and a winding path

Photographs of light, silence, and the spaces between.

Selected Works

Nature — rocks in the sea

Nature

Landscapes and natural forms

 Architecture — Sagrada Família

Architecture

Buildings and structures

 People — portrait

People

Portraits and candid work

 Graphics — turquoise doors

Graphics

Colour, texture and pattern

Nature

Landscapes and natural forms, shot across travels and closer to home. An ongoing, evolving body of work.

Mountain ridge with a lone cedar and a winding path Wind-bent trees and clouds over a grassy hillside Rocky outcrop in dark blue sea with breaking waves Wide cloudy sky over the sea and a green headland Rugged mountain peaks above a gravel slope near Passu River gorge between tall rock walls and distant snow peaks

Interested in a print from this series? Get in touch.

Architecture

Buildings and structures, studied for their geometry, texture, and the way light moves across them.

Sagrada Família towers against a blue sky, Barcelona Long stone colonnade with a hanging lantern, Greenwich Patterned glass facade beside a steel staircase Brick arch against a blue sky, Arc de Triomf, Barcelona Historic building glowing yellow at night Brick wall and steel canopy under a cloudy sky Sculpted lettering on the Sagrada Família, Barcelona Green roof ring above red brick apartments

Interested in a print from this series? Get in touch.

People

Portraits and captures of people.

Bearded man in a turquoise turban sitting against a rusted wall Elderly woman in red and black embroidered dress holding long grass, smiling Elderly woman in a red shawl and blue headscarf sitting by a wooden door, looking up Three girls in black dresses with orange embroidery standing outside a bead shop Man in pale clothes standing barefoot in shallow water at dusk beside a camel Woman in black and orange dress with layered orange necklaces standing in a doorway Bearded man in a flat cap and long coat leaning on a walking stick by a stone wall Young girl in a turquoise headscarf and dress sitting thoughtfully among timber and netting Person carrying a bundle of green branches on their back, wrapped in a bright shawl

Interested in a print from this series? Get in touch.

Graphics

Colour, texture, pattern and form — everyday surfaces seen closely and read as graphic compositions.

Turquoise weathered doors beside a blue wall Dark shelving with sky reflected in each bay Green graffiti swirls beside a tree trunk Shadow of a rope bridge over river water Weathered rock face with carved figures and blue wash White tiles set in concrete beside a blue wall Mixed stone wall in green, gold and grey Clay pot hanging from a branch among leaves

Interested in a print from this series? Get in touch.

About

Shelley Pirzada is a Karachi-based photographer with over four decades of experience. She spent her earlier years as an artist/painter and later turned to photography in her twenties. With a collaboration of two distinct fields, expressed in an artistic form, she adds deep meaning to her photographs. Her images are a combination of originality with imagination and in a fast paced world, her work is a gentle reminder of the present moment.

Shelley studied Commercial art, obtaining a Diploma from Delhi/India and later a Bachelor’s degree in 1986 from London in the field. Following this she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Photojournalism from the London College of Printing, now known as the London College of Communication. She then worked with ‘The Independent newspaper’ gaining experience covering events such as ‘The Venice Carnival’ in Italy. Turning to commercial photography she worked with known names like Edward White studios, handling major assignments.

After moving to Karachi in 1988, she became one of the few female fashion photographers in the industry. Today with years of experience, with trained eyes through the camera she captures and shares her creativity.

Her current body of work covers landscapes, portraits, architecture and graphic images. The photographs are primarily printed on canvas.

In a Room

Illustrations showing how these prints could look in a living room, an office and a hallway.

Illustration: mountain landscape in a frame above a sofa in a living room Illustration: pair of landscape photographs above a credenza in an office Illustration: three landscape photographs above a hallway console Illustration of a large framed Sagrada Família photograph above a sofa in a living room Illustration of a framed colonnade photograph above a wooden credenza in an office Illustration of two framed architecture photographs above a hallway console table Illustration: portrait hung above a sofa in a living room Illustration: pair of portraits above a credenza in an office Illustration: three portraits above a hallway console Illustration: framed weathered rock photograph above a sofa in a living room Illustration: pair of framed photographs above a credenza in an office Illustration: three framed photographs above a hallway console

Want to see how a piece might look in your own space? Get in touch.

Contact

Interested in a print or an exhibition inquiry? Send a note — I try to reply within a few days.