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Portraits and street scenes in Erbil and across Iraqi Kurdistan.
This series of portraits and street scenes was made in Iraqi Kurdistan, mainly in Erbil. It shows faces, gestures and places of everyday life, far from the usual images of war.
Iraqi Kurdistan is a region of northern Iraq with broad autonomy. Erbil is its capital. In the streets and cafés of the city, documentary photography first looks for encounters. So each portrait is the result of an exchange, even a brief one, with the person photographed.
You meet a man smoking a small cigar, men sitting at a table in the light of a café, an elderly man in dark glasses holding a cane. These images tell of time passing and of the dignity of faces.
In the crowd of an Erbil market, an old man rides a bicycle. Further on, the serious gaze of a woman veiled in black stops the viewer. These street scenes complete the stories made elsewhere in Iraq, in Sinjar and in a displacement camp.
Together, these series form a portrait of Iraq through its people. They show that life goes on, even in a country marked by years of conflict. Each photo invites you to look at the people before the setting.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, these photographs continue long-term work on Iraq. They were made with one concern: stay close to people, without staging, and let their gaze speak. You can browse them in the gallery above, then open each image in large size. This approach keeps the images honest and close to daily life.
This story is part of Alexander Bee’s documentary photography portfolio. You can also discover Displaced persons camp or Turkana: water, land and labour. To buy a print or use a photo, contact me. To learn more: The Kurdistan Region on Wikipedia.
Photos © Alexander Bee – all rights reserved. Prints and licensing: contact me.
