Javad Moghimi Parsa (born 18. november 1985 in Sari, Iran)

I started photography when I was 18 years old. At the beginning I worked as a waiter in a restaurant in Sari, in Northern Iran, to earn some money to buy me a camera. In 2005 I began taking pictures for Fars News Agency in Iran after I met its picture editor by chance. I still remember that during that time I hardly knew how cameras worked. While I was shooting for them I used to experiment a lot and in those four intense years I ve always tried to find interesting ways to shoot the subject which I was interested in. I was born in a country, Iran, where real democracy is not existing. Even today there are two kind of journalists: the ones who work for the government and cannot be really called journalists and the others who hardly try to work as critical investigators of our society; the latter are unfortunately working under very complicated circumstances in a country ruled by a dictator. In 2005 I got a full-time position as photographer with the national government-controlled news-agency of Iran, in 2007 I was admitted to the Khabar University to study photography. My images were often banned by the government that did not like my personal vision of Iran. In 2009 during the public protests, after the so called Iranian elections, I was assigned by my agency to document the events. Some of my images were smuggled out of Iran and published by international magazines, one was choosen for the cover of the 29 june 2009 edition of Time Magazine. Within few days I had to leave Iran permanently since the government was trying to arrest me for my images published abroad. I had also to leave my studies behind. I have since lived in Turkey and in 2010 been living in Oslo, Norway. Now i’m working as a freelance photographer for Norwegian newspapers.

My work has been published in numerous national and international publications including, the cover of Time magazine, “Iran vs. Iran”. The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Seattle Times, France’s Le Figaro, Paris Match, The Guardian, 6Mois, Colors Magazine, PRI's The World, Toronto star,  Amnesty International for the postcard series and others. I am married to a lovely wife who is also working as a photographer.

I’m Now, documents exile Iranians all over the globe.. I traveled to USA, Canada, Norway, Turkey, Greece and Sweden. I met generations of Iranian immigrants who shared the goal of a better life nurtured by social, political and religious freedom.

AWARDS/GRANT:

2014-2015: Winner a grant from the University of Amsterdam to make a Photo Documentary of "irregular" transit migrants in Turkey’.

2014: Winner of FotoVisura Grant for outstanding Personal Photography project.

2014: Top 30 under 30 Magnum Photos.

2014: Honorable Mention, Norwegian picture of the year.Oslo-Norway.

2014: I was selected as a finalist in The 2014 Aftermath Project grant.

2013: Joop Swart Masterclass participant, World Press Photo. Netherlands.

2008: 1st place: Iranian photo Festival. Orumiyeh-Iran.

2007: World Press Photo Workshop (the workshop was cancelled due to political clashes between Iran & Netherlands)

2006: 1st place: Iranian Press Festival.Tehran-Iran.

2006: 1st place: Iranian Photography Biennale.Tehran-Iran.

Work Experience:

Present: Dagens Næringsliv (DN), Dagsavisen & Dine Penger, as freelance photographer, Norway

2013: Verdens Gang (VG), as freelance photographer, Norway

2011-2012: Dagens Næringsliv (DN), as freelance photographer, Norway

2009-2010: Freelance photographer, working on a project documenting the plight of Iranian refugees in Turkey

2005-2009: Fars News Agency (Tehran) as Photographer for the semi official Iranian news agency

2004-2005: “Hoze Honari Organization” (Culture Center) in Mazandaran north Iran. Photographer. Sari, Iran

Exhibitions:

2014- Top 30 Under 30 Magnum Photos, The Photography Show, NEC Birmingham.

2012- DN photo exhibition at Photo Video in Oslo, Norway.

2011- Photo exhibition at the Mai senteret in Lørenskog, Norway.

2010- Photo exhibition at the gallery Hofficina Art in Rome, Italy.

2010- Ian Parry Award Exhibition, Getty Images Gallery, London, England (group).

2008- Photo exhibition “Hajj” in Tehran, Iran. September.