Today we came across an evocative account of one photographer’s journey from Duhok to the city of Sinjar in the northern-most region of Iraq. These days, it is nearly impossible for Westerners to visit this part of the world but in Andy Bush’s case, he had special permission from the highest Yazidi authorities and the assistance of a local Yazidi interpreter.
On assignment with the Sun Newspaper, Andy’s goal was twofold. As he states in another article on his website:
The initial brief was to meet with and photograph Yazidi women who had escaped from Islamic State after being sold into slavery. The second part was to track down and meet with any foreigners fighting with the Kurdish forces against IS, preferably British.
What immediately impressed me as I started reading the article and scanning the images was the stark contrast between the striking mountainous landscapes and the war-torn cities. I can only imagine how beautiful this place must have been before conflict ravaged the terrain and its people.
Equally striking are his black and white images from the frontline where Western and Yazidi soldiers are shown firing at the Daesh down in the city and shielding themselves from the counterattacks. More than once, he managed to take the shot even though he himself had only narrowly escaped injury.
I’ve often wondered what the life of a documentary photographer must be like, especially those who visit parts of the world most of us will never see, and Andy’s account has certainly given us some insight. If you have time, I invite you to read not only his most recent post, but the full series as well. So far, there are six posts in total with updates occurring every 1-2 months.
The full story of Andy’s trip to Sinjar can be found on his website.
