Zico House and Photo-Festivals invite you to the 4th session of Photo Forum Beirut on Tuesday 19th October 2010
**Format of the session
We are thrilled and honored to hold a session dedicated to photographers who participated in the Middle East and North Africa training programme of World Press Photo.
Carole Alfarah, Laura Boushnak and Grace Kassab will speak about their experience and show the work they developed during the training program.
Carole Alfarah, Laura Boushnak and Grace Kassab will speak about their experience and show the work they developed during the training program.
This fourth session will take place at Zico House on 19th October 2010 from 19.00 to 21.00.
*** Carole Al-Farah
© Carole AlFarahCarole Al-Farah will present the series 'The Little Survivor'
My passion in photography started when I was 19 years old. I began with small steps, by taking pictures of everything around me; I found I could express as a person better through pictures.
In 2001 I studied business at the institute of commerce in Damascus, but during this period I taught myself photography by reading and admiring books by great photographers.
In 2004 I was sure that I wished to be a professional photographer. Therefore, I decide to study photography at Contrast Institute in Brussels, Belgium. I spent two years taking courses and learning among other things about Art of Photography and Black and White photography. At first I thought I had an interest in fashion photography because I was working with French fashion photographer who was working in Belgium. However, I soon realized that my passion was in photojournalism, and that telling real human tales was my true interest. I was not searching photographs that looked always perfect, I was looking for reality, the truth beyond the camera.
When I returned to Damascus in 2007 I began working as a freelance photojournalist doing work for local and regional publication, specially magazines. During the period of 2009-2010 I participated in a MENA photojournalism workshop organized by World Press Photo.
In 2001 I studied business at the institute of commerce in Damascus, but during this period I taught myself photography by reading and admiring books by great photographers.
In 2004 I was sure that I wished to be a professional photographer. Therefore, I decide to study photography at Contrast Institute in Brussels, Belgium. I spent two years taking courses and learning among other things about Art of Photography and Black and White photography. At first I thought I had an interest in fashion photography because I was working with French fashion photographer who was working in Belgium. However, I soon realized that my passion was in photojournalism, and that telling real human tales was my true interest. I was not searching photographs that looked always perfect, I was looking for reality, the truth beyond the camera.
When I returned to Damascus in 2007 I began working as a freelance photojournalist doing work for local and regional publication, specially magazines. During the period of 2009-2010 I participated in a MENA photojournalism workshop organized by World Press Photo.
More about Carole Al-Farah's work here
*** Laura Boushnak
© Laura BoushnakLaura Boushnak will present the series 'Out of Beirut's Closet'
Laura Boushnak is a Palestinian photographer born in Kuwait. She is currently based between Beirut and Pristina, where she works as a freelance photographer in Kosovo for the French News Agency (AFP). Laura is also represented by Dubai-based photo agency ArabianEye.
She began her professional photography career with the Associated Press in Beirut, and later joined AFP at their Middle East headquarters in Cyprus and then in Paris. Laura has worked on assignments in conflict zones such as Iraq and Lebanon, and her AFP work has appeared in many international publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, The National Geographic and Le Monde.
Her personal documentary work focuses on social issues such as refugees, Islam, the aftermath of war, women in general and Arab women in particular. She holds a degree in Social Sciences from the Lebanese University in Beirut and a diploma from the New York institute of photography.
She began her professional photography career with the Associated Press in Beirut, and later joined AFP at their Middle East headquarters in Cyprus and then in Paris. Laura has worked on assignments in conflict zones such as Iraq and Lebanon, and her AFP work has appeared in many international publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, The National Geographic and Le Monde.
Her personal documentary work focuses on social issues such as refugees, Islam, the aftermath of war, women in general and Arab women in particular. She holds a degree in Social Sciences from the Lebanese University in Beirut and a diploma from the New York institute of photography.
More about Laura Boushnak's work here
*** Grace Kassab
© Grace KassabGrace Kassab will present the series 'Five Survivors'
Lebanese photographer Grace Kassab was born in June of 1976 in Beirut. In 2002, she receives a diploma in Photography from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik. Upon her graduation she works as an assistant at the studios of Lebanese photographer Roger Moukarzel and quits in 2004 to work on her personal projects. In 2005 and after the withdrawal of the Syrian troops from Lebanon after a three-decades presence in Lebanon, Grace visits Lebanese residences that were occupied by the Syrian troops and documents them; this body of work was published in the Lebanese magazine L'Orient Express. Beginning of 2006, she works as a trainee at the Reuters photo desk in Beirut and at the end of 2006, she gets the job of a photo editor and photographer at the Associated Press in Beirut where she has been working until now.
Her photographs have been published in different international magazines and newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, the Sign On San Diego and L'Orient Express amongst others.
Her photographs have been published in different international magazines and newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, the Sign On San Diego and L'Orient Express amongst others.
*** About the MENA training program
World Press Photo is organizing a region-wide training program for photojournalists from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A combination of online and face-to-face workshops will offer 15 photographers impulse in developing photojournalistic, editing and post-production skills.
The first part of the program, carried out in cooperation with the London College of Communications, consists of a 16-week online course, given in Arabic by two local tutors - Aladin Abdel Naby (Egypt) and Rula Halawani (Palestinian Territories). Next comes a week-long workshop in Istanbul, identifying and shooting picture stories. The five most promising candidates will be invited to a follow-up course on story-telling, ending in a further workshop in April 2010. Additionally, a workshop will be given to 10 photo editors in the region on picture editing and picture management
The first part of the program, carried out in cooperation with the London College of Communications, consists of a 16-week online course, given in Arabic by two local tutors - Aladin Abdel Naby (Egypt) and Rula Halawani (Palestinian Territories). Next comes a week-long workshop in Istanbul, identifying and shooting picture stories. The five most promising candidates will be invited to a follow-up course on story-telling, ending in a further workshop in April 2010. Additionally, a workshop will be given to 10 photo editors in the region on picture editing and picture management
More about the program and complete list of participants here.
