Maya Kanakry is a pioneer of commercial photography in the Middle East, known for her refined control of light, surface, and detail. She received her Diploma in Advertising Photography from the European Institute of Design in Italy and continued her professional formation at Sinar in Switzerland, where she deepened her technical discipline in studio lighting and high-end product imaging.
In 1988, she returned to Lebanon and founded Bianconero, the first photography studio of its kind in the region at the time. Bianconero quickly became a reference in the industry, attracting major clients, public figures, and leading artists. Through this work, Maya helped shape a new visual standard for advertising, beauty, and luxury imagery in the Arab world — at a moment when that industry was still being defined.
In 2010, Maya established a fully digital studio equipped with advanced camera systems, precision lighting, and in-house production capability. This studio became the home of major regional advertising campaigns, producing visuals for high-end brands and complex commercial sets. Her work in product, beauty, jewellery, and food has been recognized for both its technical perfection and its sense of presence — the ability to make an object feel iconic.
Alongside her studio practice, Maya has built a parallel career as an educator. She has taught photography at ALBA and at USEK’s Académie des Beaux-Arts, and has led private workshops for working photographers, young professionals, and emerging visual artists. Her teaching is rooted in rigor, responsibility to the image, and respect for craft.
At the Fine Art Photography Academy (FAPA), Maya Kanakry leads advanced masterclasses in Jewellery Photography, Beauty Photography, and Food Photography. Through these intensive sessions, she passes on not only technique, but attitude — how to light with intention, how to design control in a set, and how to elevate commercial work to the level of visual signature.
With decades of practice and a legacy of firsts, Maya Kanakry remains one of the defining voices in studio photography in Lebanon and the region.