Vidhyaa Chandramohan

Motivational letter for scholarship

I am writing this motivation letter to apply for the scholarship for the 2021-2022 NATIVE Masterclass.

 I am a freelance photographer based in Abu Dhabi and also working on independent documentary photography stories. My primary job is working in the engineering consultancy as a bid coordinator; I always feel photography gives me an identity, whatever i do.

I would be very much delighted if I might have selected for the scholarship. The Native agency currently mentors me for the International Environment project, and I am working on an unseen story about the environment in UAE. So, I am aware of the quality of education and mentorship from them. Unfortunately, again I am unable to pay for this workshop due to financial conditions.

I want to introduce myself, how I started photography. I am a native of Madurai, the southern part of Tamil Nadu, India. After marriage, I moved to Abu Dhabi. I have completed MBA. The work I am doing is not related to what I have studied due to my family situation; I have taken the job with a marginal salary. I contribute a significant part of my salary to my family and children's education. In this situation, owning the camera was a dream; with my savings, I bought a camera in 2015; my salary was lesser than the camera price; with my hard work and passion, I started exploring for a year. In 2016, I started freelancing for a local, new agency; from here, I got some additional income to buy gadgets for further assignments and work on independent documentary stories. But now, due to the Covid 19 freelance restriction in UAE, I cannot get frequent tasks from the agency, which drastically affects me financially and mentally; if I get an opportunity in the scholarship, I will be happy and utilize the learning experience positively. So kindly consider my application and provide me a scholarship.

I want to develop my skills in pitching the story and update myself in this industry.

Social Handle : Vidhyaa Chandramohan (@vidhyaac) • Instagram photos and videos 

Emirati women in the art of falconry

For the past two years, i witnessed as falconry has shifted from being a purely male-dominated sport.
For thousands of years, falconry has been a male-dominated sport, but this is slowly changing. In 2017, Ayesha Al Mansoori began offering free training classes for women at the Abu Dhabi Falconers’ Club. Within a year, more than 50 women had signed up. “It’s important to promote it as a sport and emphasise the role of women,” Al Mansoori says. i spend past two years documenting these female falconers, following them into the desert around Abu Dhabi and capturing the candid moments that unfolded as they honed their skills.

“Female falcons are used for hunting because they are larger and more powerful than the males, and yet, historically, most falconers were men,” 

“Throughout history, falconry was transferred from generation to generation, from fathers to sons, but now this is slowly changing in the UAE. The transfer of skills has altered from mother to daughter. "People have been practising falconry in the UAE for 4,000 years, primarily for hunting. Four years ago it was included in Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a pastime that continues to unite families and communities – a thread that connects the country’s past, present and future.

“My goal is to explore untold stories from UAE"

For Vogue

Recent Assignment for Vogue Arabia by Vidhyaa C
Recent assignment for Vogue Arabia , story about "Women in Falconry - UAE" which is published in third anniversary March special edition. 

'Breaking stereotypes': 11 photos showing the UAE's female falconers
For the past two years, photographer Vidhyaa Chandramohan has paid witness as falconry has shifted from being a purely male-dominated sport

World Falconry Day: Meet the 7-year-old Emirati falconer transforming the 4,000-year-old tradition
Osha Al Mansoori has been trained by her mother from a young age to join the next generation of female falconers

CNN Arabic
بمشهد مفاجئ.. مصورة ترصد نساء إماراتيات تمارسن الصقارة بصحراء أبوظبي
في مشهد مفاجئ لبعض الأشخاص، أمضت المصورة الوثائقية، فيديا تشاندراموهان، العامين الماضيين في توثيق صور النساء اللواتي يمارسن الصقارة، حيث تتبعتهن في صحراء العاصمة الإماراتية، أبوظبي، لتوثيق مهاراتهن.

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