For athletes, sports fans, and photographers, Annice Lyn is not a personality that needs introduction. A trailblazer in every sense of the word, she has consistently proven herself in her field with her skills and eye for the action.
But for those who need an introduction, Annice “shoots people for a living” as she describes it – with a camera of course. “I like to think of myself as a bit like Ethan Hunt or James Bond. I get a brief, a location, and a time. I show up with my gear, handle the mission, and get the job done,” she jokes.
True enough, she does shoot people and she shoots them well. Annice is a photojournalist and visual artist, capturing news, social issues, sports, politics, and human experiences with accuracy and impact, using cameras and lenses to capture moments that tell a story in one frame.
“I hope to be versatile in the future, expanding beyond photojournalism into roles like producer, editor, or filmmaker. I see my skills as a gift, and like any tool it’s not just about having them, it’s about how you use them to create meaningful work,” she says.
She continues, “I’m an introvert. I observe at lot, I tend to be quiet like a fly on the wall and that allows me to notice things.” Being observant both comes from and feeds into her love for photography, and being able to capture the moment as she sees it into an impactful image is the culmination of that intuitive observation.
A tool to connect and to understand
Her first foray into photography started while she was studying, but the roots of it stem back to her younger days as a shy child. She explains, “My parents are extroverts, and a majority of my friends are too. So, photography was able to bridge that gap for me because when people see a camera they start smiling, and it allows for a connection between photographer and subject.”
When asked to recall the photograph that convinced her this path was right for her, it all came down to a feeling instead. She explains, “The camera is a tool that can make people feel seen, heard, and understood. That’s how I realised that there is something more to it at first. Even now, there are certain photos that I know would be ‘right’ even before it’s processed into the computer. It can be felt from the moment and the whole experience.”
As Annice continued to shoot, she discovered another point to photography that makes it compelling: it breaks down the boundaries of social status – all that matters in that moment is the subject standing before the lens.
“One day I could be assigned to photograph the Prime Minister, and the next I’m in Taman Negara photographing the Orang Asli. You’re using the same camera, same energy to photograph the people who already have a voice, as well as those who might need you to elevate theirs,” she notes.
“You’re using the same camera, same energy to photograph the people who already have a voice, as well as those who might need you to elevate theirs.”
For an introvert like Annice, there’s another plus side to the industry: dealing with fame and recognition still allows a good amount of privacy. “I sometimes miss the days when nobody pays attention to what I’m doing, although I am very grateful that my work is being recognised! Photography gives the best of both worlds because I can still ‘hide’ behind my camera, while letting my work speak for itself,” she states.
On trailblazing for women in photography and sports
Annice has a unique position and eye when it comes to sports photography, particularly because of her own personal experience as a national athlete. She was a former national figure skater in her younger days, and she would save up to buy her official competition photos at her events.
“I always wanted a set of photos from every competition because that was how I knew my hard work was documented,” she says. But once she received these images, they often weren’t the most flattering. “It came to the point where I started to believe that I wasn’t a graceful figure skater because the photos would suggest that. I realised that as athletes, we were rarely portrayed in a way that truly celebrated our efforts or represent us well,” Annice says.
Because of that, it became her mission to capture athletes the way they see themselves, especially for women. After retiring from competitive skating, she was offered the chance to coach but offered to focus on photography instead, recognizing the lack of specialists in capturing a sport that requires deep understanding and practice, especially in a tropical, equatorial climate.
Given her lack of experience at the start, she was only a supporting photographer and would experiment in taking photos of little details on costumes or equipment close-ups. “I realised I could piece a story together, from warm-up behind the ice rink and pre-competition rituals right up to their performance on the ice. The parents would love it because they never got to see their children that way in the midst of the competition,” she explains.
A pivotal moment for Annice was when Farah Ann Abdul Hadi won a historic gold at the 2015 SEA Games – but all people would talk about was her leotard. “The on-site photographers would have been working with continuous shooting speeds of up to 20 frames per second, why was that particular photo chosen? I realised that as a photographer, it’s not only about how you press the shutter; it’s about how you connect with the subject,” she says.
“As a photographer, it’s not only about how you press the shutter; it’s about how you connect with the subject.”
She continues, “I told myself if I ever get the chance to shoot Farah, I wanted to photograph something that she’s proud of. It made me start asking athletes how they wanted their photo to turn out.”
Years later, Annice did get the chance to shoot Farah in action when she was on assignment during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The response that Annice received stayed with her. “Farah told me: ‘Annice, you captured my dream.’ Everyone has an image of themselves and I managed to put it into a picture for her. That really changed me,” she reflects.
And just like how it began, Annice’s experience as a woman and the discrimination she faced – from the way people commented on her body as an athlete to the way they belittle and discredit her work today – all give her an intuitive edge to be able to tell the right story with her photographs.
“I think it comes from knowing what it feels like to be pinned down on the ground and standing back up after. To this day, it’s an ongoing challenge,” she explains. “I used to think that if I work hard to gain my credentials and grow to be an internationally known photographer, people wouldn’t have anything to say – but I think it gets even worse because your work is out there and [the way others react to it] is out of your control.”
She goes on, “Knowing this, you’re able to come in, get the job done and everything else around it is just white noise.” Of course, it does get disheartening and frustrating for Annice, a sentiment she shares with her peers as well, and it’s easier said than done to let everything go. But she finds strength in knowing the truth at her core that allows her to not be shaken up by anything else.
Women Photographers Malaysia and the gender divide
There’s a concentrated effort now to include women when it comes to traditionally male-dominated fields, and photography is one of them. Even for Annice, who’s seen the industry change over the years, it’s good to see when more diverse voices are able to contribute to the story.
But the topic of inclusion and diversity is a continuous one for Annice. “There’s no ending argument, nor do we have solutions. Sometimes we are given a place just to fill a quota – I don’t want that either. I want to be counted by merit, not as a token,” she states.
“Even with Women Photographers Malaysia, we often get asked whether women are better photographers but that’s not the conversation we want to have. Reversing gender discrimination isn’t the goal, we’ve come across many men who are incredibly supportive and work as allies. I still don’t have a perfect answer to that question, but one thing I do know is that we can move forward together with those who support us. At the end of the day, I can only speak for myself, and I will always do the best I can,” Annice opines.
“Sometimes [women] are given a place just to fill a quota – I don’t want that either. I want to be counted by merit, not as a token.”
Women Photographers Malaysia (WPM) is a community Annice co-founded alongside friend and fellow photographer Aisha Nazar in 2020. The community creates spaces and opportunities for emerging photographers to explore and grow their skills, through workshops, exhibitions, and partner projects with brands as well.
“It was a healing project for me, because I was being gang bullied in 2019 and later again in 2023. I was just hoping that whatever I went through, it could be more lenient for other emerging female photographers,” Annice reveals, proving more so that she is a pioneer in the industry not just through her skills but with her ability to create space for others as well.
For a lot of WPM’s self-initiated workshops or photowalks, there’s a welcome participation by men too. “We don’t want them to feel unwelcome, because we know how that feels,” she says.
Photography is a sport
On the unseen challenges of photography, Annice describes how much of the struggles are related to physical and mental capacity. It takes a lot of strength in both aspects to keep up with the intensity of assignments, from the heavy and cumbersome gear (which can weigh between 18 to 21 kilograms) down to the long hours required.
“I always have to train for at least three months. If I know I have a big assignment coming up, I can roughly measure how much gear I need to carry and I train accordingly. On a daily basis, I go for strength training to make sure my body can keep up. Of course I would love to lose weight, but my mentality when going to the gym is to prepare for the job,” she says.
Aside from that, there are the challenges of navigating a male-dominated field, and one with an environment that includes unspoken rules of hierarchy too. On this, Annice finds she needs to behave in certain ways in order to make it through assignments without ruffling any feathers.
She explains, “I used to downplay myself when I’m at assignments around my male peers to not be seen as a threat or attract unwanted attention. When I realised I was doing that, I asked myself why I was tip-toeing around my peers just to boost their ego? So, I try to outshoot them, not to compete with anyone else but as a motivation to do my best every time.”
Changing the industry to #AccelerateAction
Annice concedes that there’s still a lot of work to be done to make the industry more welcoming, not just in photojournalism, but also for women athletes and other visual artists.
“I’d love to see more women being part of the big decision making. Instead of having a preconceived notion of what women want, we’d rather be invited to a seat at the table,” she starts.
Fielding opportunity for women is another aspect where Annice wants to see change, in a way where single opportunities are transformed into long-term partnerships with corporations and brands. “It shouldn’t just be one-time opportunities. For example, International Women’s Day is one event where women are being sought out to reach a goal and fill a quota. It would be great to have these women in other months of the year too,” she states.
“Instead of having a preconceived notion of what women want, we’d rather be invited to a seat at the table.”
As a final word, what advice does Annice have for women like herself when navigating the ups and downs of being a woman in a room full of men? “It starts with first being able to forgive ourselves. Sometimes you may not know better, you’ll make mistakes. Take responsibility for them,” she starts, explaining that it’s important to be kind to yourself in an industry that may not be kind to you.
“The second is to find a group of people, other women or men, that you trust to give you valuable advice to move forward in life with. It’s important not to belittle others just to make yourself feel better – remember that empowered women empower women.”
Read FirstClasse’s past digital Inspire covers here.
Featured image: Annice is decked out in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton
Editor: Natalie Khoo
Interview and words: Neda Al-Asedi
Creative direction: Driv, assisted by Chin Yi Ting and Mon Kai Siong
Photography: Imran Sulaiman, assisted by Khairul Irsyaduddin
Videography: Haoyii Lim
Video assistant, concept, and subtitles: Charmaine Loh
Styling: Angel Ong, assisted by Grace Lau and Alicia Wong | Sasha Ivan Styling
Makeup and hair: Fiona Yip