Where you will find me.
Leila Boujnane
Leila Boujnane is the founder and CEO of TinEye. TinEye is an image search company using computer vision, pattern recognition, neural networks and machine learning to make images searchable.
Leila changed the course of image search by leading the team that built TinEye, the world's first reverse image search engine. Leila and her team are merging innovative computer vision approaches and large-scale computing to create image search solutions for millions of users, Fortune 500 companies and startups alike. Leila and TinEye are regularly featured in global media, including Canadian Business, CNET, Fast Company, Financial Post, Forbes, Le Monde, Popular Science, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Wired for creating what the media have called “a reverse image search engine on steroids.”
In addition to her role at TinEye, Leila is a supporter and an evangelist for Canada's startup and grassroots maker communities and an adviser to various start-ups and non-profit organizations.
She organizes community conferences about technology, hacking, and machine learning in her spare time. She is also a self-taught photographer and an animal advocate. She believes all animals are sentient beings and hopes to create an emotional connection between you and the animals she photographs. Leila is #plantpowered.
Born in Morocco, she now lives in Toronto (Canada) with Paul, her partner, and her dog.
Why photography?
I have always loved photography, although as someone with no background in photography, I preferred reading photography books and admiring everyone’s work. But then I decided to travel to Africa. I was born in Morocco but had not returned for a visit in 25 years. I am still to return for a visit. My first trip back to Africa was to East Africa, visiting Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. And then DRC Congo. And then Tanzania. Picking up a camera while travelling allowed me to be quiet and listen. Documenting animals, people and scenery. And then I remembered how much I love Africa.
While travelling and photographing, I aim to create photographs that inspire a more conscious world and deepen our human-animals relationships. Animals are sentient beings, and I believe photography can illuminate our complex relationship with them and compel us to protect the planet we collectively share.
I am #plantbased, and when not working in the tech industry or travelling to Africa, you will find me in the forest, attempting to identify birds by their calls.