NAME :
Anna Maria Nielsen.
OCCUPATION :
Full-time photographer and owner of sustainable swimwear brand OHOY SWIM.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN :
Torremolinos, Spain.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE :
Al Safa area, Dubai.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A PHOTOGRAPHER :
My mum was a photographer when she was younger and I loved storytelling, adventure and traveling.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START OHOY AND WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED :
My passions besides photography are surfing and free diving. I also like design, so when I started the brand in 2017
there were not many sustainable options available. I travel a lot and wear a lot of swimwear!
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS :
Creative, impatient, and curious.
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY :
One of my earliest memories is sitting on a long-haired camel in Copenhagen with my mum, weird, it was a traveling circus I believe.
WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A KID :
I was a highly sensitive, perhaps neurotic kid. I was hyper-aware of people and situations and struggled with feeling safe anywhere. But that said I kept putting myself in extreme situations.
The sports I pursued and the interests I had. I was also obsessive and focused on everything I started.
I am a middle child in a family of 7 kids.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION :
My surfboard shaped in Portugal, my silver spoons from my Grandmother, my photographs of my mum when she was young and a blue comb from my sister who passed away in 2021.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE :
Hmm, maybe Michelle Pfeiffer ca. 2006 (I mean she was way better looking).
CHOOSE A SUPERPOWER :
Being able to breathe underwater.
YOUR WORST TRAIT :
I am too sensitive and take things personally (I also have slight road rage).
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT :
Being old with no savings because I pursued a creative career.
YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT :
For me it’s the quality of work I have produced for the magazines I dreamed about working for when I was younger.
DO YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS :
I listen to a lot of podcasts: NYT Modern Love, RadioLab, This American Life, and a lot of investment podcasts.
YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE :
My guilty pleasure is going to bed way too late sleeping in and having coffee in my bed for hours.
Another would be Mirzam hot chocolate and to go spearfishing alone.
WHAT IS THE CLOSEST YOU HAVE COME TO DEATH :
I broke my neck horse jumping. I also ignored a burst appendix because I was working and almost died.
YOU ARE HEADING TO THE ISS, INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR A MONTH, CHOOSE 4 PEOPLE TO TAKE ALONG :
Mick Jagger, Gabor Mate, Maia Nielsen (my niece), and Mo Farah because he loves board games and I have stayed in an Ethiopian training camp with him before and he was lots of fun.
WHAT DOES YOUR PERFECT DAY LOOK LIKE :
My perfect day looks like clean head-high waves in a warm place and dinner with friends and family.
IF YOU COULD BE FRIENDS WITH A FICTIONAL CHARACTER WHO WOULD IT BE :
TinTin.
IF YOU WERE NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER / ENTREPRENEUR WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING :
A Goldsmith Jeweler with a studio and a big dog.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF BEAUTY :
Beauty to me is kindness, confidence and imperfection. The world to me is so mind-blowingly beautiful and I sometimes can’t believe how magical it is especially when I am in nature, under the water, etc.
WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB :
Meeting new and interesting people whilst creating interesting images.
ARE THERE DAYS YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO TO WORK :
Yes, a lot of the time I do jobs that don’t inspire me.
CHOOSE YOUR FAVOURITE MAGAZINES :
British Journal of Photography, Time, Konfekt, It’s a passion thing, and HUCK.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU :
Ambition to be better, sustainability, and conservation.
ANY EYE OR TECHNICAL SKILL, WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT :
Having an eye for sure and also having an interesting life. If you lead an interesting life you meet interesting people, and find yourself in interesting situations and opportunities, If you have nothing interesting to say a good eye is a boring eye.
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU DID YOUR FIRST SHOOT :
At 12 years old, I won a competition shooting my friends and horses on black and white film I developed. I won a CD hahaha.
IF YOU COULD SPEND A DAY PHOTOGRAPHING ANYONE WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE :
Mick Jagger.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC DESTINATION :
Mongolia, I dream of shooting portraits there, the people are beautiful and braid their hair with natural stones and gems stones and fly eagles.
WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC DESTINATION :
Kuwait, I sometimes work there and there is such a ban on what you can show and the country is not very visually interesting. Also, I would have to say trade shows, They kill me.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTO :
A portrait I took of a girl in Beirut, She looked like a young Madonna from the 80’s.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOSHOOT :
By far the most challenging was a commercial shoot for a large international brand with a low budget and crew and they expected me to turn a scene shot at 3 am in the morning into a daylight location with limited time and equipment. I find it easier being in a third-world country without understanding the language.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE HEADING INTO THE INDUSTRY :
Don’t do it. Hehe. No, I would recommend educating yourself on the business side equally with the creative side. Most photographers struggle to make a living and work way too hard because they don’t know how to navigate the industry. I would also advise you to develop a visual language that makes you different. Be more niche.
WHAT IS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST :
Tracking Mongolia on horseback and getting into a long barrel wave.
DO YOU LIKE BEING INTERVIEWED :
I don’t mind being interviewed but like may be a stretch.
A PERSONAL MOTTO YOU LIVE BY :
Ignore and shine on.
IF YOU HAD A BOAT WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED :
Betsy or whitebait.
@annamaria_nielsen
www.anna-nielsen.com
@ohoyswim.com
www.ohoyswim.com
