New partner to IMAGO and Syrian photographer, Ahmad Fallaha’s captivating documentary photography showcases the lives of his community living in the shadow of crisis, poverty, war and revolution. Often with the focus and through the lens of children, their stories, and his own, are beautifully depicted through authentic photography showing the struggle, courage and resilience of real people living in the aftermath of crisis, with no bias or hidden elements. Real photographs. Real people.
Read his full interview with IMAGO here:
What made you start photographing and pursue it as a career?
At the beginning of 2011, the Syrian revolution against the Syrian government began. At that time I was eleven years old, with the acceleration of events in Syria and the tendency of the Syrian regime to suppress the revolution, my city became a real battlefield because of the bombing the region witnessed in 2012. Imagine that you are looking at the sky to see more than 6 airplanes !! Yes, my friend, this is how the scene in Syria became at the end of 2012. There was a group of young people in my city working in the media field and documenting the bombing that was taking place in the area and I used to sit with them most of the time to see how they documented the course of the war with cameras. Several photographers have been killed documenting the war since.
I was really inspired by the work of these photographers documenting the war in Syria.
The first process of taking pictures was in 2014, when I started to become interested in the field of photography in order to document what was happening, transfering realistic images to the media.
I was photographing everything, the streets, the people, nature, the bombardments, the heritage, etc.
In 2016, three of my companions and I established an informational page to transfer news and photos from northern Syria to the outside world. This was a starting point for learning a lot of things in photography and documentation.
After that, I continued photography as a primary profession to create realistic images of what was left by the war in Syria.
Having said that, I don’t just photograph war scenes, as there are many damages caused by the war in Syria and still are. Children are the group that has been greatly affected by the acts of history and most of the time I document stories about children and the harm the war has caused to them. I also have a passion for photographing traditional things and elements of our country.
What/ where do you gain the most inspiration?
Photography is for me a therapy and an unending passion.
What is your creative process?
Think, search, plan, capture!
I am constantly thinking about how to obtain new images that narrate and document reality. Searching for new interesting ideas. Planning how to get different and the most interesting angles.
What are the main challenges you face as a photographer?
Among the most important challenges are the poor security conditions in Syria for a photographer, on top of the difficulty of working in general in light of the war.
Do you see yourself as a storyteller for your community?
Yes, because through my lens I document most of the joy, sadness, hope, disappointment that this community experiences, and the commitment to life in the shadow of a merciless war.
Do you have an overall message in your work that you want your audience to receive?
I hope that I have conveyed as many clear pictures as possible about the war in Syria, and the motivation our community has of persevering in life, despite this war and its aftermath.
Your photographs will give many a glimpse into another world and culture. What is the most important element they should take away with them?
The most important element I hope to have portrayed in my photography is what is like for the people here. Real lives and real communities in times of war and crisis.
What do you want or predict for your photography in 2021?
I expect a lot of development in photography and more personal photography achievement.
To see all the latest images and updates from Ahmad Fallaha, visit our IMAGO site.
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