became a friend to me.” It was around this time
that Akhundova began to connect with local
photographers, enabling her artistic growth in
a city ripe for exploration.
Guangzhou fuelled her adventurous curiosity
and adoration for museums, bringing endless
scenes of opportunity to Akhundova, such
as the view captured in her favourite piece,
Dark Water. “Water is my favourite element,”
she elaborates, explaining its thematic presence
in many of her works.
Again, in Girls Do It Better, Akhundova
casts femininity within the structure of a
metropolis, creating an otherworldly feat by
towering over Guangzhou from the top of a
gargantuan bridge.
As a self-described “visual perfectionist”,
Akhundova never publishes an image that
doesn’t meet her full satisfaction. “At the
beginning, my shooting process was random
and chaotic, but now I always have a plan,” she
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explains, organizing the details of each project
around the location that inspires the idea.
While Akhundova is always two steps ahead
of her shots, the challenge she continually must
overcome is the competition she holds with
herself—the drive to stay innovative, to churn
content into a constant flux of new concepts.
When she feels that her photography is
becoming repetitive or “boring”, Akhundova
turns to her community for creative sustenance
and encouragement; “The best way to overcome
it is getting support from your family, friends and
followers. This is very important for every artist.”
Currently working on her new project,
Another China, Akhundova plans to document
“futuristic places, mysterious landscapes and the
human interactions within them.” In addition
to her law degree and current occupation
in fashion, her striking collection of art can
certainly add ‘photographer’ to Akhundova’s list
of achievements.