Forough Yavari
Canson® Infinity Ambassador
EIZO APAC Ambassador
Forough Yavari is an award-winning fine art portrait and fashion photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. Inspired by her life experiences as a woman from a middle eastern country, Forough’s work focuses on portraying the narrative behind the lives of women from around the world.
Born in Iran during the Iranian Revolution, Forough was passionate about art from a young age, drawing and painting imaginary subjects as a child. She went on to formally pursue painting in university, where she discovered her passion for photography while modelling for a photography student.
Forough began creating digital art, combining her knowledge and technical expertise in painting and photography. In 2011, she moved to Australia, where she built her photography business and became established as an international photographer. Increasingly, she found her work to be influenced by her personal experience as a woman from a middle eastern country. Her interest in women’s issues led to two series, “Revision of Portraits” and “Eternal Icons,” which were exhibited in Iran and Australia.
Her recent series, “Salvation,” was motivated by the poetry of Langston Hughes, which she read during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. These dramatic portraits of Black women are mixed media works, in which Forough adds 24K hand-made gold pigment to the printed image.
Forough is particularly interested in creating portraits of unique people with distinctive stories. Expression, lighting, and the stories behind the individual figure, play central roles in her images.
Her work has been exhibited in various galleries and venues internationally.
In 2018, Forough was awarded the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Master of Photography. She was awarded the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) Master of Photography in 2019, and the Double Master of Photography from WPPI in 2020. She received her Master of Photography with Distinction from the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) in 2021.
SPEAKS
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2024 The Photography and Video Show, NEC, Birmingham, UK
- 2023 PhotoWest, Fine Art Portraiture workshop and presentation, sponsored by Nikon, Perth, Australia
- 2023 NZIPP New Zealand Photography Show, Christchurch, New Zealand
- 2023 APP, Capture Connect, Studio Lighting One to Three, Melbourne, Australia
- 2023 WPPI, Fine Art Portrature, From Concept to Execution, Las Vegas, US
- 2022 Photographic Society of Queensland, Fine-Art Portraiture, Brisbane, Australia
- 2022 Refocus Retreat, Melbourne, Australia
- 2022 National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia
- 2022 Brisbane Camera Group, Fine-Art Portraiture, Brisbane, Australia
- 2021 Melbourne Camera Club, Fine Art Portraiture, Melbourne, Australia
- 2020 Behind the Lens, Part 1 and 2, Nikon School Australia
- 2019 TAFE Queensland, Fine-Art Photography Workshop, Brisbane, Australia
- 2019 Aspley Camera Club, Fine-Art Portraiture, Brisbane, Australia
- 2018 TAFE Queensland, Post Production Tips and Trick, Brisbane, Australia
- EDUCATION
- 2003 BA in Painting – Art University of Tehran, Iran
- 1996 Diploma of Experimental Science, Tehran, Iran
JUDGING
- AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography) State Awards
- AIPP Silver Lining Photograph Awards
- NZIPP (New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography) IRIS Awards
- NZIPP Asia Pacific Photograph Awards
- RISE International Photography Awards
- International Portrait Photographer of the Year Awards
- COSMOS International Photography Awards
- Australian Photographic Prize
- Annual International Imaging Competition
- MPI Mater Photography International