Lauryn Gray | Jan. 29, 2011
 |
| Courtesy photo |
| Photojournalist Alexandra Avakian showed photos from her book during her talk Thursday. |
Related |
After talking to classes Wednesday and Thursday, she presented photographs from her book, Windows of the Soul: My Journeys in the Muslim World, in a public lecture Thursday evening to a crowd in Ernie Pyle Hall auditorium.
“I’m not an expert on Islam. It’s my personal journey, my personal experience,” Avakian said of the book, which represents 17 years of working and living in places such as the Gaza strip, Somalia, Sudan and Lebanon. During that time, her work was published in National Geographic, Time, Life and The New York Times Magazine.
In his introduction, professor Steve Raymer said Avakian is no “parachute journalist,” one who covers the action and then leaves the country.
“She provides a passionate, informed, and brilliant look at our troubled planet,” said Raymer, her colleague and fellow photojournalist at National Geographic.
Avakian let her photos speak for themselves. On two screens, she showed slides divided into sections, each depicting the different cultures in which she worked. Behind every photograph was a personal story, the subjects’ and her own.
While living in Gaza, she was once beaten bloody by Hamas. She described how four men jumped on her and beat her, ripped up her camera and film, then accused her of being an Israeli spy. Luckily, she was rescued by Palestinian friends.
Her photos captured reality, too. Some showed lifeless, bloody bodies, fighting soldiers, protesters, the fallout of battles. Avakian commented on each photo, setting the scene for her viewers. She also shared some of her techniques as a photojournalist.
“Composition is communication. Through composition, you can tell this man’s story,” she said, of a photograph of a dead soldier lying in a street.
In the midst of her photographs depicting tragedy, a photograph of children smiling and playing filled the slideshow screen.
“There’s beauty everywhere you go,” she said.
Avakian spoke of her opportunities to meet prominent figures in the Muslim world, including Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, with whom she traveled for several months while reporting. Some of her photos showed his wife and children, as well as Arafat in a quiet moment.
 |
| Photo by Alexandra Avakian |
| As she showed her photos, such as this one of a child with a dove, Avakian talked about the people in them as well as the process of taking them. "Composition is communication," she said. |
Her slideshow stopped on a photo of a starving child. Avakian told the audience that this was one of several photographs she took during this time that were never published because they were in black and white, and Time wanted color.
“I promised myself these photos would get published, their stories would be told,” Avakian said. This formed the basis for her book.
Other photos were from her time in Iran during the reign of Mohammad Khatami, where for the first time in 20 years an American journalist was part of the presidential entourage. She showed photographs of a village in Sudan, featuring children playing, then told the audience that all of the people in this village were massacred two weeks after she left.
She talked about how she gained access to political leaders and to situations. She learned to be patient, to drink tea, "lots of tea," as a way to show people she was serious, to show she was willing to wait. For example, she said, gaining access to Hezbollah, “the most secretive organization after Al Qaeda in the Middle East,” took eight weeks, but she did win over leaders.
Once in, Avakian attended summer camps where young children trained to become political and guerilla leaders.
“I had to do everything I could to paint a picture of their lives,” she said.
Avakian’s last slides explored Muslim America, one of her favorite stories, she said.
 |
| Avakian's 2008 book was borne of a conviction that people's stories "would be told." |
Professor Raymer said during Avakian’s visits to classes last week that she “is the real deal,” that her fearless dedication to not only getting great photos but also to shining light on people’s lives sets her apart from many photojournalists.
Avakian attributes her passion to her own roots. Her father was a movie director and taught her at a young age about cinematography and film editing. Avakian also credits her heritage for her interest in working in the Middle East. She is half Armenian.
“Half Middle Eastern…deeply Middle Eastern,” she said of her ancestors. “Knowing your family has fled genocide. My grandmother fled Stalin.”
“It is of the utmost importance to me to express the stories of people under pressure, in trouble,” Avakian said.
Students found Avakian’s stories as captivating as her photographs.
“I thought it was really interesting how she talked about all the people that we see on the news and on TV as being resistant and secretive,” freshman Mark Felix said. “I was surprised of how open they were to her. She showed us a softer side.”
Freshman Katherine Beyer agreed.
“It was just so fascinating to hear her talk about all of the cultures,” Beyer said. “It made me think, ‘they’re just like me.’ It brought a connection.”
After her slideshow, Avakian opened the floor for questions and answers. Students asked questions about her career path, and others asked about the tough market for photojournalism.
Avakian answered with something her father used to tell her.
“If you have to do it, if you absolutely cannot do anything else, then do it.”
Questions? Comments? Email the Web editor.
