CNN Features Metrography
The CNN Photoblog has just done a lovely feature on Ali Arkady’s work on their website. Check it out.
What We Don’t See
A few days ago I received an email from a US Army sergeant stationed in Iraq. He was writing to tell me how much he wished he had his camera so he could take pictures of the military drawdown going on right now. In lieu of images, he describes a scene in a parking lot [...]
A Soldier’s Answer to “Why Would Anyone Miss War?”
Over two weeks before Sebastian Junger’s Op-Ed in the NYTimes was published I was in the middle of a vibrant e-mail correspondence with a sergeant in the US Army I’d met in Kirkuk. He wrote to tell me–among other things–that he had read my piece on covering the conflict in Libya and it had struck a [...]
Metrography features on TIME Magazine’s Lightbox
Check out TIME Magazine’s Lightbox piece about Metrography. I’m so proud of these photographers who worked so hard to make these amazing images. This really is the dawn of a new age of Iraqi photojournalism. Be part of it. Show your support. Spread the word!
The Dawn of Iraqi Photojournalism
Over the past week I have–and with no exaggeration–witnessed the dawn of Iraqi photojournalism. We printed the photographs from the workshop last night and will be hanging the show all day today. Photos and videos will come shortly after. And here–drum roll please–are the photo stories from the workshop. Enjoy!
Patrick arrives!
Patrick Witty, the International Picture Editor at TIME Magazine, arrived in Iraq yesterday. Here he is meeting with his students.
Iraqi Photo Workshop is Up and Running
Almost exactly a year ago Stephanie Sinclair gave me the idea of running a workshop for Metrography photographers. For those of you who don’t know, Metrography is the first Iraqi photography agency that I started with my friend and colleague, Kamaran Najm. It’s taken a year to get here, but with the generous support of [...]
A Mixing of Cultures Beyond Your Wildest Imagination
I remember when I first came to Iraqi Kurdistan two years ago I was hyper-sensitive to all the little quirky anomalies in the region. Over time that sensitivity has dulled and now I barely register any of the weird things that used to send me running to my laptop, intent on emailing everyone with what [...]
More Time Spent on the Iranian Border
Last week I was up on the Iranian border filming another story for RT. This one was about alcohol smugglers bringing booze from Iraq into Iran. The smugglers camp sat right on the river that makes the border between the two countries and all the time while I was filming I could see Iranian border [...]
A Story from Kirkuk for RT
The last two days have been hectic putting this piece together for RT. If you can believe it, this is what it looks like to shoot full HD video in the back of an Iraqi Police pickup going 110 mph:
Video with the Canon 5D Mark II
Due to the lack of a functional viewfinder, this is what it looks like to record video with the Canon 5D Mark II: Thanks to Rebin for the lovely albeit embarrassing photos.
Kurdish Fishermen
Here’s an image I took while filming a report on water pollution in Iraqi Kurdistan. I was in the middle of shooting some fantastic video, but was overcome by the urge to snap this image. I ruined the video footage, but got a nice little frame. Oops.
An Old Photo I Found
This is a photo I took this past May in Mosul while I was embedded with the US troops. It shows a soldier from the Mississippi National Guard scanning the retina of a suspected terrorist in a Mosul jail. This scan, along with fingerprints, a photograph, and the suspect’s personal information will have been put [...]
A Nice Mention in the Telegraph
Just found this mention in the Telegraph after checking some stats on the ole (and now very out-of-date) website. Cool!
I’ve joined the ranks of the multimedia journalists…
I’ve just done a video for the Guardian about the American troop withdrawal in Iraq. Check it out here. A much needed vacation is on the horizon and with it will come some well overdue stories. Promise.
Bradost Mountains
Last weekend I went on my second hike with the Kurdistan Mountain Climbing Federation–referred to here on out as the KMCF. The KMCF is run by two Iraqi Kurds who grew up in Iran, Anwer and Amin. The former holds a PhD in theoretical physics and the latter is a professor of medical biology at [...]
Hawraman
The Hawraman district of Kurdistan that straddles the mountainous Iran Iraq border is one of the more remote and stunning areas in the region. The houses are still made from stone instead of the horrible ubiquitous concrete that’s spreading across Iraq like a virus. The traditional music is a warbling male a cappella solo that [...]
Understanding English
One of the most frustrating and similarly rewarding parts of being in a foreign country is language. Frustrating because you can’t communicate and rewarding because you figure out how to. Sometimes you figure out how to by learning the local language. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to find someone who speaks your native language. And sometimes [...]
A long overdue story
It’s been a very long time since I’ve written down any of the totally strange things that have happened to me over the past weeks, but finally I’ve found a little time and a little inspiration to tell you a few stories. The first takes place a few weeks ago in Aziziya, a village in [...]
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