RPS Woman Science Photographer of the Year

My practice combines emerging and established research and art symbolism to provide pertinent photographs that will inspire and/or support the work of others.  As a former forensic scientist, (I was a fingerprint expert) I get a real buzz from the detail.

To achieve my goals, I design and build complex studio sets and lighting rigs and create bubble solutions that can sometimes take months to reach a good working consistency.         

In December 2014, I was made a Visiting Research Assistant to Prof. Stefan Hutzler, Leader of the Foams & Complex Systems Group, School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, (not that I’ve done much ‘visiting’ since the first lockdown!).  Contracted Image Contributor to the London based Science Photo Library and its affiliated agencies worldwide.  Artist Collaborator for Elegant Clutter, specialists in creating, curating and installing bespoke artwork for the global hospitality, commercial and marine and care sectors. 

Yas Crawford is an internationally awarded Art Photographer who has exhibited in the UK and Europe. Crawford was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales where the landscape and biological make-up have subliminally influenced her artwork and she now works in ‘The Grey Space’ in-between disciplines.

Crawford held her first solo exhibition ‘Cellular Flow, I’ve been thinking’ in Turin 2022, she was awarded the Art of Neuroscience Award in 2021 for ‘Cognition IX’ and was a finalist of the RPS SPTY in 2019 for ‘Oxygen Ib’. Collaborations include designing a video animation with an MSc graduate from The University of Art, Tehran, front cover images for John Curtin School of Medicine Neuronal Signalling Group, Canberra and visually mapping neurons for The Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Her research continues to map evolutionary change and the impact it has on mankind. 

Gigi has been a professional photographer for over 30 years.  She is a Fellow and Accredited Senior Imaging Scientist of the Royal Photographic Society; a Fellow of the BioCommunications Association (BCA) in the USA, and of the Australian Institute of Medical & Biological Illustration.

She has been the recipient of many awards for her medical and scientific photography including the top honour of the BCA, the Louis Schmidt Award.  In 2016 she left her role as the Director of a large creative department at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, to concentrate on her personal work. Since then she has been recognized with over 80 international awards for her landscape photography and is an example of a photographer working across the scientific – artistic spectrum. She is a judge for the International BioImages competition. 

I have always had an interest in art and photography and dabbled in both over the years. I purchased one of the first Canon DSLR’s that came out and spent many years happily snapping family and travel pics - relying heavily on the ‘Auto’ setting as I hadn’t had the time to learn more. In 2019, I left the corporate world and ‘retired’ in Somerset. Finally having time to dedicate to learning more about photography, I enrolled in an Open University course run in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society. I was hooked!

I took over as the Chair of the RPS Women in Photography group in October, 2021. We are building our programmes and exploring new projects that our Members can participate in while also trying to encourage others to join up. It’s an amazing opportunity to meet so many talented women from all walks of life.