Shanay was born to a rather divine Iranian mother and a mere mortal Austrian father, and spent nearly 20 years of her life in Tehran. When she was six, she dreamt of marrying a diplomat and traveling the world. When she was twenty three, she became one herself. She spent most of her career thriving in postings nobody else wanted, and has cultivated gardens in both Nigeria and India, from where she covered many neighboring countries. She is currently braving the many perils of life in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. Inherently misanthropic but with a relentless fascination for human nature, she has spent most of her free time and money documenting life, particularly for women, in developing countries such as Afghanistan, Nepal, and West Africa.