About
Where I am looking from
I am an Iranian photographer working across the region and beyond, approaching other cultures with the awareness that every place is more complex than an outsider can understand in a short visit. Coming from a culture that is often simplified from the outside makes me especially conscious of how easily people can become symbols instead of individuals. My aim is to stay curious, listen first, and photograph with enough humility to leave room for the people themselves.
Approach
Explorer, then observer, then participant
These are stages of a relationship rather than styles of photography. Most work stays in the first two. The third only happens when it is invited.
Explorer
Enter an unfamiliar place with curiosity, and look past what is immediately visible.
Observer
Slow down, watch and listen. Let moments happen instead of arranging them.
Participant
When trust develops, step closer: talk, spend time, follow part of someone's day, and keep listening.
The working ratio
80% observed reality, 20% thoughtful direction
The twenty per cent is light, timing, position and sequence. It is never a change to what happened. Make reality beautiful; do not replace reality with beauty.
Values
Five things the work is measured against
Authenticity
Truth before perfection.
Make reality beautiful; do not replace reality with beauty.
Human connection
People before photographs.
Connect first. Photograph second.
Joy
Leave something good behind.
Create images people can feel, not only admire.
Empathy
Understand before interpreting.
Photograph people with dignity and without stereotypes.
Preservation
Photograph what time may change.
Preserve not only how a place looked, but something of how it lived.
Field consent
How consent actually works in the field
An ethical position is only worth something if it survives contact with a real morning in a real place. This is the repeatable procedure.
Before
- Know the intended path for the images: personal, editorial or commercial.
- Prepare a consent explanation or release in a language the subject understands.
- Identify situations that need more care: minors, private homes, religious ceremonies, vulnerable contexts.
During
- Connect first. Explain who I am and why I am photographing.
- Explain the intended use honestly — a signature without understanding is not meaningful consent.
- Ask how the subject wants to be identified: full name, first name, role, or anonymous.
After
- Record consent and release status in the project metadata.
- Where practical, offer a way for subjects to see selected images.
- If withdrawal was agreed before publication, record and honour it within the defined window.
AI and editing
Public authenticity statement
Documentary images are edited for tone, color, crop and clarity. I do not add or remove meaningful elements, combine moments, or use generative AI to create documentary content. If an image ever uses reconstruction or generation, it will be clearly disclosed.
Allowed
- Exposure, white balance and tonal correction
- Colour grading that keeps colours believable
- Cropping, straightening and lens correction
- Noise reduction, sharpening and sensor-spot cleanup
Not allowed in documentary work
- Adding or removing meaningful scene elements
- Combining separate moments into one documentary frame
- Generative fill that changes what happened
- AI-generated people, objects, skies or backgrounds presented as documentary reality
If that sounds like the right way to work
The next step is a conversation about your place, your people and your deadline.