Maika Elan Ho Chi Minh | VN
Biography
Maika Elan is a Vietnamese documentary and street photographer, whose visceral, color-rich images, permeate with palpable atmosphere, and collectively impart a nuanced portrait of life in her homeland.
She first began taking pictures after graduating from Hanoi’s University of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2008, initially capturing her everyday surroundings, though transitioned to professional photography shortly after, collaborating with editorial clients and fashion firms in her homeland.
Her first forays into documentary photography came in 2010 in the form of The Pink Choice, a deeply-intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of gay couples in Vietnam, which went on to be featured in a number of international online and print publications and be awarded ‘Best Photo Essay’ at Indochina Media Memorial Foundation, 1st prize for Stories, Contemporary Issues, at World Press Photo 2013, and 1st prize Documentary Story at the Pride Photo Award 2013.
She is currently based in Hoh Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she works on commercial and editorial assignments along with personal photographic projects.
