behind the camera
Hi, my name is Christelle Terzian
I shoot on film because some things deserve to be seen slowly, deliberately, and with the kind of intentionality that only analog can provide.
My journey to photography wasn't direct or conventional.
My path here wasn't a straight line. I studied hospitality management, then earned a master's in food sustainability — years spent understanding what makes a place, a menu, a business actually work before I ever picked up a camera to tell its story. That background hasn't left me. It's still what I bring to every shoot: I'm not photographing a plate, a face, or a garment. I'm looking for what's true underneath it.
Dubai moves fast, and its feeds move faster — a constant scroll of polished, near-identical content. Film can't be rushed, and it can't be filtered into sameness. It forces patience, and patience is what makes a photograph honest. That's what I want every frame to hold, whether it's a couple's quiet portrait, a restaurant's morning prep before the doors open, or a fashion label's newest collection.
My work moves across three threads that share one eye: intimate portraits for individuals and families, culinary photojournalism for Dubai's food businesses, and editorial photography for fashion labels — each one an exercise in finding the real story before the polished one.
I work in English, French, Spanish, and conversational Arabic — because the best stories come out when people can tell them in their own words.
-- If you'd like to be photographed — or have your business seen — the way film sees it, get in touch. --
