An Eye for Iran

Through his use of conventional black-and-white film and a belief that a good photograph is the result of constantly watching to predict the perfect moment, Kazem Hakimi's work harks straight back to the photojournalism of Cartier-Bresson and those early Magnum photographers who were able to capture moments that superficially contained nothing, but which when printed onto photographic paper became iconic images. With the United States and Iran once again squaring up to each other in the Persian Gulf and the actions of firebrand president Ahmadinejad never far from the news, "An Eye for Iran" provides a welcome opportunity to view images that show the human side of a nation we are being led to distrust.Here and there someone spies the lens as the shutter opens, but the drift of Iranian society is caught in the postures of the everyday: human faces in the streets, relaxing in the parks, the glimpse of designer clothes under a chador, pride in a motorcycle, a young couple enjoying a game of chess...Throughout, Hakimi shows how well he understands the techniques of traditional photojournalism: he remains both present but still invisible to the people in the scenes his lens has captured. The result is a captivating book that will appeal to all those wishing to gain an insight into life in this unique and fascinating country.