Alfred Yaghobzadeh

Legendary Photojournalist · Chronicler of War, Faith, and Humanity

Alfred Yaghobzadeh was born in Teheran, Iran, to an Armenian father and Assyrian mother.

In 1979 the Iranian revolution interrupted his university studies in interior design and he turned instead to photographing the turbulent streets of Teheran. Aged nineteen, he reported the devastation of the Iran-Iraq war and this formative experience set the agenda for the subsequent course of his career, both in the choice of subjects covered as well as the agencies that represented his work. He began with the Associated Press, followed by the Paris-based agencies, Gamma and Sygma. He spent two years in Lebanon for Newsweek during the civil war before finally joining Sipa Press where he remained for twenty-three years.

Alfred’s assignments have taken him around the world, reporting on breaking news and major conflicts in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. He was wounded and taken hostage in Lebanon’s civil war, and some years later seriously wounded in Chechnya that he was lucky to survive. Additionally, he has reported on humanitarian crises and politics in several countries but his work also spans fashion, sport, and in-depth reportage on a wide array of subjects and issues. Whatever he photographs he does so with a remarkable degree of professionalism and a relentless energy that is the mainspring for his substantial and accomplished archives. His work as a news photographer, as a social commentator and wry observer of the street, or as a historian of the contemporary world, has been duly recognised in international awards and publications. Particularly striking is his use of colour and light throughout the repertoire of his work and his portraits are always compelling.

His early work in Iran features prominently in two books, War Iran-Iraq and Faces of War. His in-depth coverage of Palestine and Israel over thirteen years was published in Promised Peace. The bodies of Yazidi women as a battlefield, Religious minorities in Iran, The collapse of the Communism and the resulting new religious freedom in Eastern Europe led Alfred to undertake an exhaustive reportage on Christianity in more than 24 countries. The work spanned 10 years and culminated in numerous magazine features supported by exhibitions in Perpignan, Paris, Missouri, Beirut, Bayeux, Dubrovnik, Milan, Budapest and Seoul. He also published a 220-page book, titled, Christianity around the World.

His work has received the World Press Photo first prize, first place in The American Overseas Press Club and the NPPA Best of Photojournalism. Alfred also won the first prize in the International Festival of Journalism and Scoop in Angers, and the Fuji Europe Awards. He has served as a member of the World Press Photo jury. He earned another first prize for his story on Christianity, Islam and Jews by the Art And Worship World Prize (AWWP) Teheran 2005. His photographs have featured on the covers and pages of numerous international publications including Stern, Time, Geo, Newsweek, Figaro Magazine, Paris Match, Elle, Life, El Pais, and Sette.