Born in the US and raised between the United Kingdom and Saudi where she is currently based, Tasneem Alsultan is an investigative photographer, storyteller and global traveller. With an inquisitive eye and camera at hand, she offers intimate and unique perspectives into the everyday lives of her subjects, telling their stories from her heart while striving to humanize and connect their realities to her audiences. Her work largely focuses on documenting social issues and rights-based topics in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf region through a gender lens, challenging stereotypical perceptions of the Middle East and portraying a region and people that do not conform to expectations. Covering stories primarily for The New York Times and National Geographic, Tasneem documents ground-breaking developments in Saudi and the region, including most recently, the lifting of the driving ban for Saudi women.

She was invited in Global Artist Committee of Asian Art Association in July 2021. In addition, she will be the judge of Asian Press Photo 2022.

Photographer and Ambassador
National Geographic
2016 - Present

• Pitched and created photo essays for the National Geographic website and magazine
• Curated and posted content for the NatGeo Instagram accounts with combined following of 260 million

Global Ambassador
Canon
2018 - Present

• Developed and taught a six-month long-form-photography curriculum for 50 Saudi students to challenge outdated modes of storytelling
• Taught emerging photographers through the Canon Program in Europe and the MENA region with over 500 students each year
• Focused on multimedia style of photography and collaborative portraiture

Lecturer
Fort Worth Contemporary Arts, US
2018

Freelance Photographer
2015 - Present
New York Times, TIME, Bloomberg News, Washington Post, Le Monde, Guardian, Spiegel, Stern, Vice Arabia

• Two front cover stories for New York Times print edition
• Included in NYT The Year In Pictures 2018 for women driving
• Time Magazine feature for “Saudi Tales of Love”
• Washington Post “Arab World Coronavirus Photo Project”
• Bloomberg “Saudi Arabia Valentines Day”
• Stern 21 page spread on Saudi youth

Sony World Photography Awards
1st place in “Contemporary Issues” category exhibited in Somerset House London, UK (2017)

Prince Claus Fund Grant (2020)

Catchlight Fellowship Grant - One of four recipients (2019)

‘Princess Noura University Award for Excellence’ in the Arts category (2019)

Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism - Honorable mention (2019)

Stern Grant 10,000 euros, to realize the theme “Between tradition and modernity – The youth and the upheaval in the Arab world” (2018)

British Journal Photography
One of the best 16 emerging photographers to watch (2017)

PDN’s 30 photographers to watch (2017)

Arab Documentary Photography Program, funded by Magnum Foundation/ Prince Clause/ AFAC Mentorship award - One of 10 grantees for the six month mentorship program (2015)

Solo Exhibition: And Then There Were Women at the King Abdul Aziz center ITHRA, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Tales of Love exhibited at Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
Solo Exhibition: Saudi Tales of Love, East Wing Gallery, Dubai, UAE
Solo Exhibition: Saudi Tales of Love Photo Kathmandu Festival, Nepal
Saudi Tales of Love, Paris Photo, Paris, France
Saudi Tales of Love, Gulf Photo Plus, Dubai, UAE
Rawiya Photo Collective, Fort Worth Contemporary Arts, Texas, USA
Middle East Now, Florence, Italy
Rawiya Photo Collective, Aperture, New York, USA
Where Are We Now? East Wing presentation at Paris Photo, Paris, France
Tbilisi Photo Festival, Georgia, USA
Slideshow at Visa Pour L’Image, Perpignan, France
Photographing the Female, Focus Photo Festival, Sun Mill Studios Compound Lower Parel, Mumbai, India