The Gulf at Henderson Point
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Sunset Beach - Vancouver
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Lake Mowich
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Sunset Beach - Vancouver
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Mt. Rainier
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Lake Mowich
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Texans vs Saints
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More sketching while I await Match Day 2018
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StudioBE
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Sydney Opera House
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Halloween on St. Charles St
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Testing my new iPhone 7+ on the beach
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The Mangrove Forest:
GeoPark:
Naz Island:
The Persian Gulf:
Something needs to change. Some days are so bad you are under house arrest. Stepping outside-even for a minute or two-burns your eyes, nose, and throat. There has not been a day in Tehran that I've come home without a headache.
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The all too common Iranian American myth goes something like this: we are the wealthiest, smartest, most successful diaspora community in the United States.
Unfortunately, by perpetuating this myth, we ignore or refuse to acknowledge the very serious challenges facing the Iranian American community.
In the last decade, various national organizations and numerous individuals have worked tirelessly to combat the racist and misrepresentative images of Iranians in mainstream media. The 1979-81 Iran hostage crisis created a wave of anti-Iranian sentiment that in some measure continues to linger today. In response, many in the Iranian American community have sought to take control of its public image. However, the narrative we've created for ourselves is one of extreme levels of success: we are not the bearded and veiled religious fanatics of yesteryear, but instead, we demand recognition as the CEOs, bankers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, and engineers pioneering the United States in the 21st century.
Although our successes in the United States need to be celebrated, we are treading a treacherous slope with our narrow definition of success. As with any community, our socioeconomic conditions are diverse. The real difficulties faced by our community are not a matter of public relations and image; instead the complications emerge from exclusivity. We are marginalizing scores of our own who do not fit the golden image of success...
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SHENANDOAH- TRAILER- A FILM BY DAVID TURNLEY from David Turnley on Vimeo.
Just saw this at DOC NYC and it was incredible. Director David Turnley is a master storyteller and one of the best working documentary photographers. Hopefully the documentary will get a wide release, and if it does, go see it.
From their website:
An epic feature documentary about a coal mining town with a fiery immigrant
heritage, once pivotal in fueling America's industrial revolution and today in decline
and struggling to survive and retain its identity, soul and values - all of which were
dramatically challenged when four of the town's white, star football players were
charged in the beating death of an undocumented Mexican immigrant named Luis
Ramirez. Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Turnley's most personal work,
SHENANDOAH creates a deeply felt portrait of a working class community, and the
American Dream on trial.
In Association with EPIC MATCH MEDIA, and LOUVERTURE FILMS
Executive Producer Billy Peterson, Executive Producers Joslyn Barnes, Danny Glover, Ted Sarandos
Photograph by: Iwan Baan
This photo was used on the cover of New York Magazine. It really captures the Gotham like feel of NYC during the blackout caused by Sandy. New York was a tale of two cities during last week.
]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2012
Contact: Narges Bajoghli
Phone: 347-722-1532
Management Companies Neglect Tenants in Lower East Side Following Sandy
New York, NY – Contrary to media reports, numerous buildings in the Lower East Side in Manhattan remain without power, heat, and properly functioning water systems in freezing temperatures. Landlords and management companies are taking advantage of the situation and are not acting fast enough. In one building on 8th Street and Avenue C, managed by K&R Realty, we have had reports of tenants who have had asthma attacks due to the cold and the fumes from the flooded basement, as well as a tenant who has had to leave the building because he is undergoing chemotherapy and the building is too cold for him.
Although ConEdison has worked hard and fast to restore power to lower Manhattan, management companies have not responded in kind to get the necessary equipment to restore power, heat, and water in the buildings they manage. As a result, thousands of residents in the Lower East Side are in uninhabitable buildings, two days before a snowstorm is forecasted.
We have therefore started a campaign to put pressure on landlords and management companies to take care of their tenants. We need the help of housing lawyers and media to get the word out and put pressure on these entities. Please contact us if you can help.
Here is the letter we sent the company listed above.
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]]>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2012
Contact: Narges Bajoghli
Phone: 347-722-1532
Lower East Side en Manhattan es una de las áreas mas afectadas tras el paso de la tormenta Sandy. Todavía un gran numero de Edificios se encuentran sin electricidad, ni calefacción y las temperaturas están bajando considerablemente. Los dueños y compañías que son responsables por el mantenimiento de estas edificaciones no están actuando de la manera mas eficiente. Este es el caso de uno de los edificios localizado en Calle 8 y Avenida C. La compañía K&R Realty no ha actuado de una manera eficaz y ha sido negligente a la hora de prevenir a los habitantes del edificio de tomar las medidas cautelares antes que la tormenta pasara. Teniendo en cuenta que el pasado año con la tormenta Irene el edificio sufrió daños de inundaciones. Se han reportado habitantes con Asma debido a las bajas temperaturas, y uno de los vecinos tuvo que abandonar el edificio porque esta recibiendo quimioterapia y no pudo resistir el frío en su apartamento.
Aunque ConEdison ha puesto un gran esfuerzo en la restauración del servicio eléctrico en Lower Manhattan, las compañías que administran estos edificios no han respondido con el equipamiento necesario para restaurar el agua, calefacción, y electricidad de estos edificios. Como resultado miles de residentes del Lower East Side están en edificios inhabitables a dos días de una tormenta de nieve anunciada por el Instituto de Meteorología.
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1) 394 E 8th St was not the only building flooded on the area: but why we are the last building on our street not working?
2) The building is not only damaged but it is not at all habitable. There is no power, no light, no heating (outside temperatures are extremely cold right now) and no water. It is forbidden to use the toilet, as we were told by a sign on the front door, or else the building would flood again. These conditions are far from calling the building a residential apartment. We cannot live inside at all. We do not have even the minimum basic utilities we need to live there.
3) There is a terrible smell inside the entire building which makes it difficult to breath. One tenant had an asthma attack on Saturday. This shows that the quality of the building is not safe and poses serious health risks. These smells and vapors evidently come from the basement, which need to immediately be cleaned, dried, and fixed by a cleaning company.
4) Until today, Monday, we have not received any significant information about WHEN the building will be habitable again. Furthermore, the last email from K&R contradicts your previous email which stated that we would have power by and living conditions by Monday or Tuesday.
This demonstrates clear evidence that the management company has no idea about the situation at hand and is not taking it seriously enough to repair the damages.
6) Thus it seems evident that there has been evident negligence on behalf of K&R in the entire process of taking care of the building and its inhabitants before and after Sandy.
For all of these above reasons, we demand clear answers from the management company about when we can expect to move back into our buildings. Furthermore, we will not pay rate from the day the power has been restore in the area (Friday 2nd November) until the day that we receive power and living conditions in the building. We demand that our rate be prorated.
In conclusion, we are still waiting to be informed of the specific date to move into the building, after all the health and safety requirements have been fulfilled by the management company according to the law. Furthermore, if by 2pm on Monday, November 5th, we do not have an answer from K&R, we will release a press release and make this a public matter by stating that K&R has neglected all the inhabitants and the building in the aftermath of Sandy.
A play I wrote in 2010 for fun during some down time at work. I was organizing my files on my computer when I came across this.
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The Skin That Burns (21 mins) is the story of Iran’s volunteer soldiers who were exposed to chemical bombs during the Iran-Iraq War. The film follows veteran Ahmad Salimi, who is now legally blind and has scars throughout his body due to burns from exposure to chemical weapons over 20 years ago. His wife, who volunteered to marry a wounded veteran, is his strongest support. From the numerous pills a day that Ahmad has to swallow to stay alive, to the inhalers he has to use to breathe, Ahmad’s story reveals the deadly affects of chemical bombs that are rarely talked about in modern warfare. This film is Ahmad’s story as he struggles to stay alive and fights for peace.
The Skin That Burns explores questions surrounding the controversial issue of chemical warfare, families struggling with disability and illness, and the determination to live, despite it all
Shot in Tehran, Karaj, Ahvaz, and Abadan, this film follows Ahmad as he receives his medical treatment, works at the Tehran Peace Museum, and carries out his duties with his family. The film also features verite footage of Ahmad with his wife and two sons, interviews with veterans at the Tehran Peace Museum, and Ahmad’s physician, as well as archival footage of the war.
This film was produced in NYU Department of Anthropology, Program in Culture and Media
I've been a little inconsistent with my blog entries because the dreaded MCAT exam is ONE MONTH AWAY! I feel like I'm in a prison studying for this exam. Who was the architect of NYU's Bobst Library? I swear it reminds me of Emerald City from HBO's Oz.
To quote Professor Nash from A Beautiful Mind, "I'm terrified, petrified, mortified, and stupified by [the exam]"
Photo taken by my iPhone 4s using Instagram
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During my last trip to the Middle East (August 2011), I wanted to experiment with stop-motion photography. I did some handheld stop-motion on the Wall in the West Bank. I have some other handheld panorama shots from Lebanon that I need to edit and upload (hopefully in the near future).
Any feedback from above would be great and much appreciated : )
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I am the President of the Board of Advisors of Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB), a non-profit that works to develop community leaders with high school and college students. This month, IAAB's Campus Action Network (I-CAN) is launching the first ever Iran Awareness Month: No Hate.
Participants from 20 university campuses nationwide will participate in this month long event. Participants in Iran Awareness Month: No Hate will take action in any of the following ways:
Student groups and representatives host on-campus events that raise awareness of Iranian culture and promote anti-hate message such as:
- Panel, speaker, or townhall meeting
- Film screenings, art exhibits, and tablings
- Cross-cultural and interfaith dialogues
- Cultural activities such as poetry readings, hokm nights, and backgammon tournaments.
In response to the a recent wave of hate crimes, IAAB's Campus Action Network expands Iran Awareness Month to also include a message of not hate against all communities. I-CAN's Iran Awareness Month: No Hate will include actions honoring both Trayvon Martin and Shaima Al Awadi, two victims of recent hate crimes, as well as a coordinated action condemning the unwarranted surveillance of New York's Muslim student associations by the NYPD.
As part of the campaign, I took the photograph above for IAAB.
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Does having Microsoft Word make you a writer?
Does knowing Final Cut Pro make you a film editor?
Nah...I didn't think so!
That's my philosophy when it comes to cameras and photography. Every time I am asked what kind of camera I use I know I am about to get judged. "Oh, you use an Olympus?" is usually followed by the person taking a step back and giving me a disapproving shake of the head. But, increasingly I've become OK with the hate people have for Olympus. It's not a Canon and it's not a Nikon. I'm not a fool...I know those two brands are superior but it's not the camera that takes the photos, it's the person using the camera. If I feel comfortable with the camera and have the ability to maximize the tools offered by my E-volt 500, then why should it matter what brand the camera is?
I know many people (former co-workers), who buy expensive cameras and spend lots of money and time perfecting the technology behind photography and filmmaking that they missed the whole point of what a camera's main function is. A camera's job is to tell a story. You can have a 100 megapixel picture, the latest HD camera but if your frame cannot narrate a story to its attended audience then what is the point?
I've touched on this matter before in a previous blog entry but I felt like I needed to come out of the camera closet once and for all. I use an Olympus and I'm proud of it! I'm not a household name in photography or photojournalism nor am I close to being one. Photography is a craft and like any craft it requires hard work, dedication, and a devotion to storytelling. If you don't want to take my word for it, check out Ken Rockwell's blog on this subject matter.
Olympus for life!...or at least for now :)
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Checkout these *AMAZING* time-lapse portraits by paper artists Ryuta Lida & Nerhol (Yoshihisa Tanaka). The portraits were taken over a three minute period.
Read This Colossal's blog entry about the project and see the portraits.
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Deadline: March 31, 2012
"The Next Great Storyteller is a way for National Geographic Traveler and Matador to discover new talent while bringing important work from writers, photographers, and filmmakers in front of a large audience. The tight word counts (300 for blog, 700 for article) for written stories, and short length (5-photo / 3-min ) requirements for photo essay and video, make this contest all about the storyteller’s ability to move, entertain, inspire, and surprise readers in a short amount of time."
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I took this photo back back in 2008. Below is the same location from a different angle in 2011. Both pictures were taken just outside of Jerusalem, inside the West Bank Occupied Territories. I could not take the photo from the same angle because it has been completely fenced off.
Attn: DC area folks. “Frida Kahlo: Her Photos,” through March 25 at the Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Information: 703-228-1855 or www.artisphere.com
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Photo by: Tyler Hicks / NY Times
Images from the Free Syrian Army and besieged towns by Tyler Hicks, on his last assignment with Anthony Shadid.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/03/03/world/middleeast/20120304-IDLIB.html?src=tp#6
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Photograph by: Tim Hetherington
Yossi Milo Gallery Announces Exclusive Representation of The Estate of Tim Hetherington
Tim Hetherington, whose estate is now represented exclusively by Yossi Milo Gallery, photographed the experience of war from the perspective of the individual, mostly in West Africa and the Middle East. His film Restrepo, which he co-directed with Sebastian Junger about a platoon of soldiers in Afghanistan, was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2011 for Best Documentary Feature. Through his photographs, writing and films, Tim Hetherington gave us new ways to look at and think about human suffering. Tim was tragically killed on April 20, 2011 while covering the conflict in Libya.
Born in 1970 in Liverpool, Tim Hetherington studied literature at Oxford University, and Photojournalism at Cardiff University. Yossi Milo Gallery will present the first major exhibition of Tim Hetherington’s photographs in April 2012.
Source: http://www.yossimilo.com/exhibitions/2012-04-tim-hetherington/
]]>Post-production work is well under way. We've completed the story-board and now are in full-fledge editing mode. The picture is of me editing and the one below it is of my sister, the director of the project. As a reminder, the documentary is about Iranian veterans who were exposed to chemical weapons during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88). More updates to come soon.
Photo by Paolo Marchetti
Check out Paolo Marchetti's amazing photo essay on The Daily Beat called Gangs of Port-au-Prince.
I think my next photo essay will also be in Haiti before the end of 2012.
]]>Robert Fisk: The heroic myth and the uncomfortable truth of war reporting
This is an interesting viewpoint from a reporter who has covered many wars during his prolific career. His basic thesis is that covering wars is not about the war itself or the war victims: it has become about the reporters who cover the war. Fisk is voicing his opinion during a 3-week span where a number of journalist have died covering the Syrian uprising.
What are your thoughts on this article?
Article's subtitle: "Like other correspondents, Robert Fisk has risked his life to 'witness history". But after almost four decades, he feels ambivalent towards his profession."
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I'm not sure who took the above picture or who the brave photographers are in the link below, but check out these amazing photos from Syria taken during the last week.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/photos/2012/02/few-options-for-west-in-syria.html#more
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"The true function of the cinema is not tell fables"
Cesare Zavattini is the acclaimed screenwriter of Victor De Sica's The Bicycle Thief. Whenever I take my camera out to photograph subjects I am reminded of Zvattini's essay Some Ideas on Cinema. Zavattini is a renaissance figure in the Italian Neorealism movement that occurred after the end of World War II. When I am traveling to photograph people in their surroundings, I seldom take my camera out on the first or second day. I spend time to observe. I get acclimated with my surrounding because I am a guest in their community. I interact with people. I do not rush my camera out, pointing my lens in people's face for the sake of taking a photograph for an invented story. Understanding my story and my subject's lives takes patience. As Zavattini says, "life is not what is invested in "stories"; life is another matter. To understand it involves a minute, unrelenting, and patience search."
A photography philosophy of mine is to capture the reality of my subjects. In every story I have covered, every subject I have captured through my lens, and every short film I have directed and produced, I have attempted to tell a story without forcing conflicts on my subjects in order to advance a storyline. I, like Zavattini, believe that stories do not need to be exaggerated and made into heroic tales of protagonists struggling against antagonists, instead, if observed closely, the daily activities of individuals reveal stories that garner a better understanding of human life and condition.
Hebron, West Bank. August 2011
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Stills from The Bicycle Thief:
Shoot Like a Painter, Think Like an Artist -- by Dan Ballard
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1983-2012
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This photograph and the ensuing article in The New Yorker (February 13, 2012 issue) magazine is daunting. It's an incredibly captured photo and the article is captivating. It's about Dallas Wien receiving a face transplant in Boston. If you have a chance please read this article. Unfortunately, you have to be a subscriber to the magazine to read it online.
Article: Transfiguration: How Dallas Wiens found a new face. By Raffi Khatchadourian
Photograph by Dan Winters
]]>Every World Press Photo Winner From 1955-2011
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/every-world-press-photo-winner-from-1955-2011
I've copied and pasted 3 samples below from Francoise Demulder, James Natchwey, and Robin Moyer. Check out the rest of the winners from the link above.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/every-world-press-photo-winner-from-1955-2011
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My images were blurry. The camera felt heavy and awkward in my hands. I had no clue what the capabilities of the camera were. I was very disappointed and I was about to quit photography all together. However, I came across one photo from South Africa that I really felt had some potential. It was enough to motivate me to become a student of photography.
Instead of taking classes I bought books. Any book I found on Amazon.com I had to have. I read them all and followed the lessons in each book. To this day, I still use my "beginner's camera" as my main camera. I have come to realize that it's not the type of camera you have that makes you a good photographer, it's your ability to frame objects and tell a story.
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Who said you can't take good photographs with a mobile phone. I dished out $300 (on a student budget) on the new iPhone 4s solely for the camera capabilities. Below are two samples from November 2011 and December 2011.
NYC, November 2011
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Iran, 2011
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