Fardin Waezi Aina Photo Journalist & Free lancer Photo Journalist

Fardin Waezi Aina Photo Journalist & Free lancer Photo Journalist

Fardin Waezi is one of the most outsanding photojournalists working in Afghanistan today with an archive exceeding 10,000 imgages.
Fardin Waezi was born in Kabul, and started photography with a box camera with his father when he was only seven years old.
“When the Taliban captured Kabul, one of their first assaults was against photographers. They rushed to burn my father’s wooden camera which was our sole source of income; they burned down our studio, but I saved the camera.”
Fardin, 14 at the time, hid the camera way in a secret place. He had spent all his childhood at his father’s side, taking thousands of 6x4 portraits in the streets of Kabul with his camera. He became the bread-winner for a family of 11. Eventually he took the camera from where he had hidden it and cautiously started taking ID photographs in one of the city streets. Fardin was arrested many times by the Taliban for taking pictures, but refused to stop shooting, and continued to record the real life of Afghanistan and its people.
During this time, he met an Iranian photographer, Manoocher Deghati, brother of Reza who is the founder of Aina Afghan Media and Culture Center, and consequently started his training as a photojournalist.
Fardin started studying photojournalism at AINA in 2002 and in 2004 graduated with a diploma. Since that time Fardin has worked for AINA Photo as a teacher of photojournalism and has on numerous occasions given lectures in the area of journalism at Kabul University.
Fardin Waezi is now the Director of Aina Photo Agency and is also a member of the Afghanistan Photojournalist’s Union. As a freelance photojournalist he has worked for and been published by many national and international publications and has also worked on assignments for the UN, World Bank, BBC, NATO and The French Embassy.
Fardin Waezi wants to express through his images the problems, developments and improvements taking place in Afghanistan. He is dedicated to teaching young Afghan youths the craft of photojournalism in an effort to give a voice to future generations and help heal the wounds of a people still suffering the consequences of three decades of war.