Photojournalism
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Sister Embrace | Istravashan, Tajikistan - 2005
This photo was taken in 2005 in the town of Istravashan, Tajikistan. Tajikistan is the smallest country of the 'stans' in Central Asia, situated just north of Afghanistan. Tajik culture reveres women's unibrows. They are deemed a symbol of feminine beauty. Many of the women in the country are natural and bushy. In other cases, they are painted on as seen on the girls in this photo.
This photo is a reminder of what one culture believes a beauty standard is - such as waxed and plucked eyebrows in North America - another one deems the opposite beauty standard.
Travel allows us to challenge the norms in which we live, think and act. One person’s way of life is not always another’s.
City Awake | Aleppo, Syria - 2010
I had the privilege of visiting Aleppo, Syria early in 2010. Then, Aleppo was Syria’s largest city with 4.6 million residents. It was, and still is, one of the longest inhabited cities in the world. The cities intricate souqs (traditional markets) and culture were felt everywhere you went. It’s cities residents were kind, and curious, and overwhelmingly hospitable.
The Old City of Aleppo is a UNESCO Heritage site and the city, from all aspects, was an architectural wonder. A citadel centres it and a sea of streets, alleyways, minarets and domes could be seen from a far from it. That is the photo that you see here - the grandness of Aleppo.
Since 2010, the country of Syria has plunged into a devastating civil war, prompting a humanitarian and refugee crisis. The fighting has also resulted in devastating consequences to cities in the country such as Aleppo. It is no longer the largest city in population in Syria, and the photo you see is the not the city that it is today.
Rebuilding efforts are underway, but a lot of the beautiful buildings and cultural historic landmarks in the country are no longer.
Aleppo has survived multiple empires, a host of invaders, natural disasters and just like every other time in history, it is still standing. And it will rise again.
That Face | Bolivia, Brazil - 2009
In 2009, I spent several weeks in the country of Brazil as part of an international development project with Habitat for Humanity. I got to lead a team of volunteers in the favela of Bolivia, helping to build affordable housing units.
Favelas in Brazil - otherwise understood as low-income areas that have settled in their respective areas without any government help and with a history of poverty and neglect - can be found across its country. The favela of Bolivia, close to the city of Valenca in the province of Bahia, used to be an air landing strip. Over time, more and more locals moved into the area and it became a full fledged town of inhabitants.
This type of growth comes with many challenges - lack of infrastructure, lack of services and underdeveloped housing units. It was a great experience to work alongside the locals to understand these challenges and see how they are trying to build a future for themselves and their families in a country that lacks social services.
This photo, that I took during my time, really encapsulates the hope and determination of that town. The girl looks stern and uninviting at first, but her eyes, in the photo and in real life, projected a warm fierceness - a quality I felt amongst all of the residents of Bolivia.
The Coffee Trail | Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador - 2011
When you look at this photo? What do you see?
I took this photo in 2011 in El Salvador in part of the country called La Ruta de Las Flores (The Route of the Flowers). The photo captures a woman tending to coffee beans at one of the many important coffee bean establishments in El Salvador.
El Salvador, is the smallest country in Central America, but it is also world-renowned for its coffee. El Salvador is the fourth largest global coffee producer and this trade has been a staple of El Salvador’s economy for over 100 years.
The Face of a Survivor | Toul Seng, Cambodia - 2014
A bloody and painful history. A docile and friendly people. A mesmerizing countryside. An economic transformation happening.
Cambodia is a small country in Asia. Is it also one of the poorest, where the majority of the population resides in rural areas. It is slowly recovering, socially and economically, from the Khmer Rouge era - where almost 2 million people of its then 8 million population were executed, tortured or thrust into extreme starvation. The scars can still be seen today.
During my time there in 2014, I visited prison S-21 or as they call it in Cambodia - Tuol Seng (Hill of the Poisonous Trees.) It was where 14,000 Cambodians were tortured and then sent to the Killing Fields across the country to die. It was a tragic reminder of the cruelty of power, ideology and hatred. Of the 14,000 Cambodians brought to S-21, only 7 survived. Today, two of those survivors are still alive.
I was lucky enough to meet and photograph one of the survivors - Bou Meng. You could tell from his face and mannerisms, he was a man of great dignity and strength. He survived the prison using his skills as a painter, even painting portraits and sketches for the guards and wardens. Years later, he would use these talents to depict the horrors of torture during his time there.
I asked him how he had the strength to come to the prison and relive these horrors daily. He said that for years he felt deep rage, but then realized his revenge would come through peaceful means and through educating a younger generation of Cambodians of this history. It is the reason comes to the prison everyday at 2 p.m. to meet with its tourists.
Just a few days later upon my return from Cambodia, the United Nations-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal found two of the Khmer Rouge leaders guilty of crimes against humanity, sentencing them to life in prison. Bou Meng could be seen silently weeping and hugging the other survivor as the verdict was read.
On the day I met him, I asked him if he had led a good life. He said although it had taken years, that his life was now a good one.
I hope a good life now includes seeing justice being brought to Bou and the thousands of others scattered and buried across Cambodia.manblack and whiteCambodiaThe Killing Fieldstoul sengHistory