jon lowenstein on the ground in ferguson, missouri

Since last week NOOR photographer Jon Lowenstein has been covering the protests and upheaval in Ferguson, Missouri - the St. Louis suburb where Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot by police on August 9th 2014. Follow his Instagram feed for the latest from the streets and the community of Ferguson.

Jon is covering this pivotal moment with his long-standing commitment to in-depth documentary that confronts the realms of power, wealth inequality and violence. He is available for assignments.

collaboration with radio netherlands wordwide

NOOR Foundation is proud to announce a collaboration with Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), aimed at improving visual reporting on human rights, free speech and sexual rights issues.

RNW is an independent media organization that promotes free speech through independent journalism and the use of new media. RNW is active in China, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Arab world, in areas where freedom of expression is severely restricted. RNW offers thought-provoking content for young people around the globe and provides a safe space for them to tell their stories and exchange ideas.

In the coming years NOOR will support RNW in developing their visual reporting through their different platforms. Initially this will mean training editors from the regional desks at the RNW headquarters in Hilversum.

In addition, local training and mentorship for young and aspiring visual storytellers will be conducted by NOOR photographers. Later this year a pilot project in Mexico will start, consisting of an intensive masterclass, followed by a three-month mentorship program. Participants will develop their visual storytelling skills under the guidance of a NOOR photographer.

“Radio Netherlands Worldwide was traditionally a radio driven organization. Since 2013 we have been targeting young people around the globe and providing a safe space for them to tell their stories and exchange ideas via our online platforms. As a result visual reporting has become an important aspect of what we do. We strongly believe that NOOR is the right partner to improve RNW’s content and the visual quality of our work, which is essential when you want to reach young people nowadays. NOOR’s experience in training and education will benefit our organization,” says RNW Director Robert Zaal.

“We were very attracted to the opportunity to be involved with developing RNW’s visual reporting because their core values appeal to NOOR’s mission. We look forward to working with their editors and training a young generation of visual storytellers in Mexico,” says Evelien Kunst, NOOR’s managing director.

The training in Hilversum is open for RNW staff only. More details on how to apply for the training in Mexico will be announced soon via this blog.

benedicte kurzen’s coverage of northern nigeria in le monde

Continuing her long term work on Nigeria, NOOR’s Benedicte Kurzen traveled to the north of the country to cover the Boko Haram kidnappings and turmoil in the region. Le Monde recently published some of her images from Chibok and Maiduguri.

sebastián liste and asim rafiqui join NOOR

Per 1 July 2014 Sebastián Liste and Asim Rafiqui join NOOR as associate members, with the aim to become full members and to expand the roster of NOOR’s accomplished and award-winning photographers. The coming twelve months will be used to explore the mutual relationship and reassure from both sides this beneficial collaboration.

Sebastián Liste (Spain, 1985) is a documentary photographer and sociologist devoted to documenting contemporary issues and the profound cultural changes in Latin America and the Mediterranean. Currently, he divides his time between Brazil and Spain.

Asim Rafiqui (Sweden/Pakistan, 1966) is an independent photojournalist who has reported from Haiti, Japan, India, Pakistan, USA, Afghanistan, Israel, Palestine, Sweden and Ukraine, among other places.

On joining NOOR Sebastián said, “We, as a photojournalists, confront a transformed media environment thanks to the new digital platforms. I'm excited about those new horizons and I really want to be part of NOOR in this crucial moment of transforming the landscape for socially engaged, visual storytellers.”

Asim shared, "Joining NOOR is for me an act of tremendous optimism because I believe in the work we do - the ideas we argue, the issues we document and the challenges we raise through photography. Our work is a critical part of the civil societies and democracies we either belong to or are working to strengthen. Being part of an agency that believes in the same values can only make my own work stronger and clearer."

About taking on Asim, NOOR photographer Nina Berman explained, “The group was really taken by Asim's ability not just as a photographer, but as a writer and investigator. His Pakistani Justice Project is stellar work that left a deep impression on the group. He is also a generous collaborator and kind person. We are so excited to have him with us, especially on our group projects.”

On Sebastián’s joining the agency, NOOR photographer Pep Bonet said, "I have known Sebas for some years now. I'm very excited that he will join the NOOR family.” Fellow NOOR member Andrea Bruce added, “Sebastian's intimate and passionate long-term work in Latin America drew us to him immediately. We are excited to bring his enthusiasm and energy to the agency.”

SEBASTIAN LISTE

Sebastián Liste’s work has been exhibited internationally in numerous shows and festivals including Visa Pour l´Image, Look3, Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism, Noorderlicht Photo Festival, Angkor Photo Festival, The New York Photo Festival, Speos Gallery and Host Gallery.

In 2010, while pursuing his Masters degree in Photojournalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Sebastián won the Ian Parry Scholarship for his long term project Urban Quilombo. In 2011 he was selected to participate in the 18th World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in Amsterdam. The same year he was named one of the 30 photographers to watch at PDN 30 and received a Citation at the Olivier Rebbot Award.

Sebastián’s numerous industry accolades include a Lucie Award, the Rémi Ochlik Award at Visa pour l´Image and the Community Awareness Award at Pictures of the Year International. In addition, Sebastián received a Magnum Emegency Fund Grant, the Getty Editorial Grant to develop a new project in the Brazilian Amazon, a Spanish Fotopres Grant and the Alexia Foundation Grant to continue developing his ongoing project about crime, punishment and security in Latin America.

A selection of Sebastián’s work and a full biography can be viewed on the NOOR website. Sebastián’s archive will be integrated into NOOR’s online archive in the coming weeks.

ASIM RAFIQUI

Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Asim Rafiqui moved to New York in 1984 to study engineering at Columbia University and has since lived, at various times, in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Lahore, London, Munich, Bangkok, Stockholm and most recently, Kigali, Rwanda. 

Asim was recently the recipient of an Open Society Fellowship and has since 2012 been using a variety of media to present a more nuanced and personal perspective on the issue of access to justice in Pakistan. Previously, Asim was a Fulbright Fellow to India, where he worked on a project that looked at India’s heritage of cultural and religious pluralism and syncretism. For this project he was also a recipient of an Aftermath Grant. Asim also received a Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting grant to document the impact of the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip on its residents. He authors the photography blog The Spinning Head.

A selection of his work and a full biography can be viewed on the NOOR website. Asim’s archive will be integrated into NOOR’s online archive in the coming weeks.

For additional information or for publications, please contact NOOR at office@noorimages.com or +31(0) 20.616.4040.

NOOR pechakucha in new york

NOOR’s 7th Annual General Meeting was held in New York City from June 9 to 13. This year, we organized a special public event on Friday June 13 for people to come meet NOOR at a PechaKucha evening. With presentations from our photographers, the event showcased NOOR’s dedication to explore the human side of complex, global issues, as well as long-term and collaborative projects.

See some photos from the event below.

Stanley Greene presented his work from Chechnya and Dagestan.

Francesco Zizola spoke about his new ongoing project on overfishing around the world.

Andrea Bruce spoke about her most recent project about the cotton widows of India.

Kadir van Lohuizen presented his Rising Sea Levels project.

Benedicte Kurzen presented her work on the Boko Haram kidnappings in Nigeria.

Nina Berman first spoke about NOOR's outdoor installation project at Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Later, she presented her work Evidence, part of NOOR's Modern Day Slavery group project.

Jon Lowenstein presented his long-term project about the South Side of Chicago.

NOOR in new york

NOOR's 7th Annual General Meeting will be held this year in New York City from June 9 to 13. This is a unique occasion when all the NOOR members, usually dispersed across the world, come together. At the Annual General Meeting, NOOR photographers and staff evaluate agency and foundation activities, and plan how to continue NOOR's mission in coming years.

This year, we have organized a special public event on Friday June 13 for people to come meet NOOR in New York. Please join us for a NOOR PechaKucha evening. With presentations from our photographers, the event will showcase NOOR's dedication to explore the human side of complex, global issues, as well as long-term and collaborative projects.

PechaKucha is a dynamic presentation format in which presenters show 20 slides, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and the presenter talks along with the images. PechaKucha nights are inspiring events now taking place in more than 700 cities around the world.

Seating is limited, so reserve your place as early as possible. For tickets and RSVP please visit click here. NOOR is looking forward to seeing you there!

Event Details:

PechaKucha night 'Visual Dimensions' featuring NOOR

PKNY #14 co-hosted by NOOR Images and the SVA Products of Design MFA

13 June 2014, 7:00-9:00pm

SVA Theater

333 West 23 Street

New York, NY 10011

This program is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.

benedicte kurzen's coverage of boko haram kidnappings in le point

In light of the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria by Boko Haram, NOOR's Benedicte Kurzen traveled to the country's north to cover the story. Her images from Chibok and Maiduguri were published in French weekly Le Point. See her work in the tearsheet below.

 

yuri kozyrev's syria coverage in time magazine

Even NOOR's Yuri Kozyrev, who has photographed wars for decades, was unprepared for the extent of the devastation in Homs. "It's worse than Grozny," he said. After waiting years for his Syrian visa, Yuri documented locals returning to the ruined city to salvage belongings from their former lives.

“It was a powerful, emotional moment to follow them to their houses, or what was left of their houses,” said Yuri. “Many seemed unable to find where they once lived among all the rubble.”

Yuri also travelled to Damascus to photograph the fragile, relative normalcy of the Assad stronghold.

This work in Syria was the cover story for this week's TIME Magazine. Check it out in print or see the extensive LightBox here.

francesco zizola's work on brazil's new middle class in l'illustré

In the run up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Swiss magazine L'illustré recently ran a feature of NOOR's Francesco Zizola's work on Brazil's growing middle class. The story is part of NOOR's group project The New Brazil.

alixandra fazzina featured among top female conflict photographers

NOOR's Alixandra Fazzina has been featured in an audio slideshow and article on the Guardian's website with fellow conflict photographers Lynsey Addario and Kitra Cahana.

"I've been shot at on numerous occasions and had more than a few kidnap attempts," Alix said. "I've had a few run-ins with the Taliban, who have specifically targeted me. There's a lot of times in my career I have been really, really scared."

"On the other hand I've had access to a lot of stories because I'm a woman," she continued. "Women can be more trusted, can make barriers fall down a bit more."

Hear her words and see her pictures in the audio slideshow here.

And read the full article here or see the tearsheet below.