The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Sept 2014 back issue
by Behrouz Mehri
Afghans - wandering in Herat on March 30........
Let's vote - A banner in the city of Herat on April 2 which reads in Afghan Dari "Dear
compatriots, Let's take part in April 5, 2014 presidential election to fufill our national
duty. Our vote, Our future."
Afghan boy - Boy playing in the old city of Herat on March 31.
Homeless Afghans and vendors sit under an anti war slogan, Herat, April 1.
Geometric Afghanistan - Afghans put up an electoral banner for pesidential candidate,
Ashraf Ghani alongside his campaign in Herat on March 30.
Afghan women in a campaign of Ashraf Ghani in Herat on March 30.
Sitting under one banner! Suporters of presidential candiate Abdullah Abdullh sit under
an Afghan national flag during his campaign rally in Herat on April 1.
Guarding the possible president - An Afghan policeman stands guard under an
electoral banner of presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani in Herat on March 30.
All the possible president's men - Supporters of presidential candidate Abdullah
Abdullah filled the Herat stadium during his campaign on April 1.
Piled ballot boxes - Afghan election ballot boxes piled in a warehouse in Herat on April
3 before being distributed to the polling stations.
Afghan watchman - Afghan watchman sits at the gate of a warehouse in Herat on April
3, where ballot boxes are loaded before being distributed to he polling stations.
Dyeing threads - Mohammad Hossein dyes thread at a carpet manufacturer in Herat
on April 1.
Afghan woman leaves a hospital in Herat.
Traditional Hammam bath.
Flying carpet! - Afghan residents discuss the purchase of a second-hand carpet
outside a shop in Herat on April 2.
Machine gun - An Afghan soldier of National Army sits behind a machine gun as he
guards the trucks carrying the ballot boxes to the polling stations in Herat on April 3.
Hotel guard - Afghan man who guards the hotel I stay in looks at me at the gate.
I have been to Afghanistan several times since the start of war in 2001 but this was the first time I framed it in the square
format of mobile photography. The applications let us try a new way of storytelling which is more artistic in a way that we
can use different filters and effects without changing the essence of our story in documentary photography and upload
them right away in Instagram and other social networks. I pictured Afghanistan’s presidential elections in the western city
of Herat with my iPhone to capture the square pictures while I was on a mission for AFP with my SLR camera. Afghans
are still living in the twilight of war and democracy but it's hard to believe they can easily walk through this difficult period.
For a country that was facing invasions, warlords, monarchy and tribal conflicts in the last decades is very difficult to
stand up and walk towards modernization. What people care about the most is their safety and the peace that has been
promised to them since the fall of Taliban.
The third presidential election, for which the voting ended in June, has no result yet and the votes are still in the process
of being recounted between two candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani.
