Tanya Rex is a South African commercial photographer living in Dubai and has been part of some seriously exciting and glam projects. She photographed Nicole Richie for the Cosmo ME cover six years ago and recently shot the Adidas Women’s Swimwear campaign…underwater!
Her flashy life came to an abrupt halt last year when self-isolation became the norm. Tanya chose to channel her creative energy into something positive and came up with an unusual idea. She sent out 30 disposable cameras to teenagers around the world to document their lives during quarantine. And so began…The Quaranteen Project! (Get it? Quaran-teen!…we think it’s pretty genius, too!)
There was *one rule* for the photos- no edits, no filters, no corrections. This project was about keeping everything raw and real. Just like 2020.
Receiving the first few cameras back
When Tanya first sent out the disposable cameras, she wasn’t sure if any would make their way back to her. When the first few arrived, she had tears in her eyes. One of the first images she saw was two children sitting in a tree at sunset in Kabul, Afghanistan and she was moved the beauty and simplicity of the photo. Shortly afterwards, cameras started rolling in from all over the world, including The Netherlands, USA, and Belarus.
Similarities and differences
As Tanya received more and more cameras back and sifted through the photos, she realized that regardless of the cultural, financial, and religious backgrounds of the teens, they were *all* struggling with the same things. Loneliness, confusion, fear, and restriction were universal emotions. These sentiments were felt by every person behind the lens of the disposable camera.
Favorite photos
One of Tanya’s favorite images is shot by a Sri Lankan eighteen-year-old named Sama. The photo is of three girls laughing as they cool down with a bucket of water.
The other side of the camera
Tanya herself shot a roll of film using a disposable camera. The struggle was real for this profesh photographer! She found it quite difficult to take the photos since she couldn’t adjust the focus or exposure. She commented that it was especially hard to take selfies. Most of her photos were of her family and, as she puts it, underexposed.
During a time when people were isolated from one another, Tanya sought an alternative way to find human connection…and she did!
Ultimately, she received 24 of the 30 cameras back. She started this project on a whim and it helped her reassess what she values the most in life- family, human connection, and her love for photography.
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