Dominic Nahr is a freelance photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya. Nahr, a 2008 graduate of Ryerson University, has been published in TIME, GQ Magazine, The Fader, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Stern and others. Nahr was a student at the 2005 Eddie Adams Workshop where he won the Getty Images Assignment Award. View his website here.
This is the third segment in a series on international photography. To view the first profile on Michael Rubenstein, go here. To view the second profile on Kevin German, go here. To view the fourth profile on Andrew Henderson, go here. To view the fifth profile on M. Scott Brauer, go here.
VS: Describe your current work situation.
Nahr: “Currently I work out of Nairobi, Kenya and will do so for a while. Most of the time I work for magazines and newspapers. The stories are news related features or portrait features and mostly range between 3–5 days. I sometimes do one-day assignments, but not regularly. My area of coverage for assignments is concentrated in East Africa, although when I pitch stories to clients they include North and South Africa as well as the Middle East.”
Two Congolese government soldiers lie dead on the road at the front line five kilometers near Kibati, north of Goma in eastern Congo, November 12, 2008. Both shot through the head, were killed during fighting on Tuesday a few kilometres from a refugee camp at Kibati sheltering 80,000 civilians displaced by violence. CNDP Rebels and government soldiers are only separated by less then half a kilometer and fighting flares up regularly. (Dominic Nahr)
“My first time in Africa was in the Democratic Republic of Congo covering the war there in late 2008. I instantly liked East Africa, and although it took me almost half a year to finally move into the region, I finally did so in May 2009. Earlier in the beginning of the year I had tried to work out of Cairo, but it didn’t work out for me. Although I received assignments and was also excited to work on my own projects, I found living in such a crowded city overly stressful. I wanted to live more “out there†(I grew up in Hong Kong, so it’s always been my idea to be as far away from big cities as possible).”
VS: What best prepared you for working abroad?
Nahr: “This questions a bit hard to answer, because I have been living abroad all of my life. 22 years in Hong Kong, 3 years in Toronto and now Nairobi. I include Toronto as living abroad, because I am originally Swiss, and to live in North America was very foreign for me.
But I think it helps that Hong Kong was my teaching ground. Maybe the advice I can give is to look for countries where one of the languages is one you speak. It’s obviously always easier to live in a foreign place without having to deal with not understanding anything. This was the case for me in Hong Kong, as well as now in Kenya.”
A young girl who stayed with her family in her home town stands next to a Congolese military Soviet-made T55 tank after he had been firing over positions of Forces loyal to renegade Laurent Nkunda in the mountains of Rugari, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the provincial capital of Goma, DR Congo. (Dominic Nahr)
VS: Who were you influences and who do you lean on now for support or advice/wisdom?
Nahr: “My influences first and foremost are my parents. I used to listen to their exciting stories of traveling the world and living in places like Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Egypt. So I guess I am searching for something in the same way my parents did.
My support system is very strong and I think to truly work well and independently out of places like Kenya you need that. My gallery in Toronto as well as clients, researchers and agents are my safety net and I am very grateful to all of them for the work they do.
I try to have a strong network of industry people who I will ask for advice (never be too scared to ask!). Some help with my editing/deciphering the photographs in my stories; others give me advice about the countries I am about to work in.
I think it’s always good to find one or two very experienced photo editors who you can go to for advice and mentoring. Workshops are always great, but it should not end there. Why not be your own workshop with your mentor and discuss and analyze the work you are doing right now.”
A young boy runs away from a sand storm in Dagahaley Refugee Camp, Dadaab. (Dominic Nahr)
VS: What advice do you have for students who want to work abroad?
Nahr: “I think it’s important to choose a place that will stimulate you and push you to work on your own stories. I would normally say you should also feel comfortable, but sometimes it’s good to feel a bit uncomfortable.
Also, know your medical history and be sure that you are up to date with all of your shots and those specific to the area you are going to live in. Also expect to get sick for the first couple of weeks. Its normal!
It is important to get a feel for the real photo world, which is a lot different then what school, or even your own mind tells you. You need to find out if this is really for you (i.e. photojournalism, etc.). That’s what I did. I ended up being a cadet staff photographer for my local Hong Kong paper the South China Morning Post. I worked 6 days a week and did 3 – 8 assignments a day. Sometimes I would spend 5 hours just sitting around waiting for news stories. Other times I would find myself running around, from the beaches to the housing blocks to making a portrait of some big CEO, all in the same day. I also did a lot of boring shit, like photographing people for the classified section, or shooting food (I did actually start to enjoy that though). I think shooting for a paper is good because you try it all, portraits, fashion, interior, exterior, food, news, door stepping (waiting outside a door until the subject comes out, then photographing them paparazzi-style). You might also spend time at a desk editing images coming in from the international wires.
What happened to me was that I covered my first riot (and Hong Kong’s only proper riot in close to 30 years) and I made some horrible stuff. But I was excited, I felt like I was standing in the right places, like I could read the situation well. I just had to get a handle on staying calm enough to take pictures. So a year after joining the paper, about 5 months after the riots, I left and went to photograph a rising conflict in East Timor. It was my first conflict experience and when I landed I knew it felt right.”
A group of girls wearing the khimar, a more conservative form of the hijab, enjoy the sunshine and Mediterranean Sea along the waterfront in Alexandria, Egypt. (Dominic Nahr)
VS: Where do you see yourself in the future?
Nahr: “I hope I will be working on longer-term projects and producing books. I am not really sure where I will live; it might still be in Kenya or perhaps somewhere completely different. I usually live close to the places I want to work in, but I realize how important it is to have a base; somewhere that editors and clients can identify as your beat. So I will probably spend some of my time in the Middle East, while still being based out of East Africa.”
VS: How important is it to have a sense of community/family within photojournalism?
Nahr: “I think as freelance photographers we rely heavily on our colleagues in the photo community when we travel for information, places to sleep and the personal connections that might feel fleeting at times. For me this community is what keeps me sane and my closest friends are all a part of it in some form. In many cases the people you spend the most time with in a conflict zone, or in one of the jumping-off points such as Nairobi, become your family.”
VS: How important is balancing work and personal life?
Nahr: “It gets very hard to balance work and personal life in this business. One of the downsides of living abroad is that you will always be surrounded by waves of people coming and going, including yourself. This can be a nice thing, but to form any lasting relationships and to have any regularity it gets hard.”
As the sun sets Egyptians wait for local busses in downtown, Cairo, Egypt. (Dominic Nahr)
