Saniya Farooq

I am a photographer passionate about social documentary, environmental portraiture, and visual sociology. I try to place ethics at the core of my practice, often working in socially engaged ways and via partner negotiation and collaboration. Previously I was a firefighter for 24 years, and then transitioned to event production, working globally with renowned clients like Duke Dumont, Wu-Tang Clan, Pusha T and many others. After leaving the touring life, I earned a BA and MFA in photography (with distinction) at the University for the Creative Arts and now here I am doing what I love.

Hello, I’m Jess 👋 I’m a British freelance illustrator, creating playful, character-led illustrations with bright, limited colour palettes and a hand-drawn feel. I help businesses communicate ideas visually, whether that’s telling a story, explaining a concept, or making a brand feel more human and approachable. My character-driven work has been used across event branding, editorial, publishing, packaging, and advertising to help projects stand out and be remembered.    

I deliver learning, engagement, interpretation and digital comms. My website has examples of what I can deliver. I work in a couple of ways – Off-the-shelf – I have existing packages I can tweak to meet your needs if you’re looking for work around reminiscence, training or family workshops. Bespoke – if you’re looking for support with a project or new activity including exhibition text, trails, consultation etc. Coming from a land-based background, I have a particular interest in rural communities and issues around land-based occupations, community and heritage. I have a portfolio career made up of freelance work, a part-time job, and 3 part-time, freelance clients. #portfoliocareer #manyhats #freelance