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Kota Kinabalu: Malaysia’s renowned sports photojournalist Annice Lyn, who was behind the viral photos of Algeria’s first female boxing gold medallist Imane Khelif in the recently concluded Paris Olympics, has shared some tips on how aspiring photojournalists in Sabah can make a name for themselves globally.

Lyn, a photojournalist famous for her Olympics shots and other things, has worked in Sabah.  

In September 2021, she was assigned to document rural vaccination efforts amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the state. 

“It was a memorable experience for me, having just returned from covering the Tokyo Olympics a month prior and then being posted to Sabah,” Annice told Daily Express.

The viral portrait of Khelif garnered 761,000 likes on Instagram, just one of many shots that show Lyn's ability to capture the essence of her subjects.

“I received just 15 minutes’ notice to prepare before [Khelif] and the Algerian contingent arrived,” she recalled, adding that her aim was to capture the athlete’s spirit and project her courage and resilience to the world.

“Despite the tight timeline, it was thrilling to document such significant moments, including touching the gold medal and draping the Algerian flag around her,” she said.

“This demonstrates how photography transcends social boundaries, whether documenting those of high societal events such as the Olympics or giving a voice to marginalised communities."

When asked to share some tips to aspiring photojournalists from smaller regions like Sabah to gain visibility on the global stage, Annice believes being intentional and working with the resources at hand, while focusing on their unique perspectives, can help build a distinctive and impactful presence.

“Understanding their 5Ws and 1H: where they are, what resources they have or to work on from there, where they want to go, the stories they aim to tell, who will resonate with these stories, when is the time to put up your camera and down if is necessary to be ethical and how they plan to execute them,” she explained.

As a co-founder of Women Photographers Malaysia, she is also passionate about improving the representation of women in photography and sports media. 

“Despite progress in gender equality, women are still underrepresented in these industries. It is essential to create opportunities and set the stage for more women to pursue their aspirations,” she said.

Also in 2021, she worked with Sabah-born artist Red Hong Yi for a feature piece on the cover of Time Magazine, illustrating the dramatic effect of climate change by setting an artwork on fire.

She shared on Instagram the entire process took the team two months of planning, two weeks to assemble the art piece and just two minutes to watch it all go up in flames. 

“The essential purpose of photography is a form of communication that compels us to inform, reform and have the ability to impact and unite others as visual storytellers,” she said.