Women in Uniform: Focus on remarkable women in world of work at Yorkshire gallery

The new exhibition runs until May 12, will feature photos of 84 women many from the Bradford district all taken by photographer Shy Burhan.

Ms Burhan is a Shipley-based photographer who’s lived nearly all her life in the Bradford district.

After turning to photography as a mature student, she managed her own portrait studio for two years.

She then took on a new role as an Enterprise Officer, supporting local women with self-employment and this sparked an interest in working in a more socially engaged way.

The Women in Uniform exhibition builds upon Ms Burhan’s passion of showing women in positive ways.

The project explores the world of work identity with a focus on women of colour, especially those in professions where women commonly are underrepresented.Crucially for Ms Burhan, although the women are from all over the UK, many of these pioneering ladies are from the Bradford district.

The women featured in the exhibition are from a range of professions including civil engineering, policing, carpentry and law.

Shy Burhan, said: “This is sure to be a fascinating exhibition showcasing not only the talents of this fabulous local photographer, but also highlighting just some of the many remarkable women that make up the Bradford district.”

The exhibition had its official opening which will involve the screening of a short film featuring interviews with some of the women featured in the exhibition.

The work is also a tribute to her younger self, who was told not to “think too big” and get a “real job”.

She said that was something that stuck with her.

She said she did not know I was going to be a photographer but she remembers thinking “I wish I had a camera” and the skill set to photograph something adding that she was always inspired by memories.

Of her beginning as a photographer, she said: “A friend gifted me with an ‘ancient’ Leica M3 in my early 20s.

”Soon after I enrolled and later graduated from the Photography HND course at Bradford College in 2005, and worked freelance for a number of years.

"I was subsequently hired as a photographer by a studio franchise, which in turn, inspired me to set up my own commercial studio in 2012, in Shipley, West Yorkshire, which I operated for two years.”

In 2015, she became interested in a more “socially-engaged practice” and documented her first “social documentary” project.

This culminated in a very successful exhibition launch in Saltaire and a revised launch at the Saltaire Arts Trail in 2016.

Find out more at www.bradfordmuseums.org.