Travelling to Iraq as a Photographer
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I’m not going to tell you that this is the definitive guide to visiting Iraq - my trip was very specific and targeted to the marshes of the south, but there are a number of things, little tidbits of information, I feel any serious photographer visiting Iraq should know well in advance.  So, here we go.

First of all, visa stories.  There is a lot of information floating around, quite a bit of it contradictory and some of it incomplete.  Obviously I can only talk about my experience, but I feel there’s useful information there.  While eVisa is indeed  available for Iraq, the moment you go onto the website, create a profile and start the process you will come across the first hurdle: there is no option for “tourism”.  Oh, there’s a lot of other options, from military to charity, but nothing resembling tourism.  There’s an option to choose “Visit religious sites” but that will lead you to have to answer questions about religious affiliations and many others which can be quite complicated and with a lot of chances of doing something wrong.  Some local guides will tell you to choose this option, but from experience I can tell you success is 50-50 at best, so save your money.
A lot of countries - certainly most EU countries - are entitled to visa-on-arrival at Baghdad airport which is a simple, straight-forward process.  Upon arrival you head directly to the visa counter (which is literally 5m away from the passport control booths - all 4 of them!), ask for a form, complete it (takes about 5’), hand it to the officer along with your passport and then, well, wait.  Depending on who else has arrived, the time of day etc etc, the process can take anything from 25’ to a full hour - being polite to the officer, being nice, smiling etc, helps enormously to put you to the front of the line (happened to us as opposed to a French traveller behind us who started swearing and shouting which led him to be, well, ignored and delayed).You should also - ideally - have the cost of the visa (which at time of writing is $80 per person) ready in exact cash.  Some will tell you they also take Euros - not our experience.  Our French “friend” above had Euros which were denied as were his attempts to pay with his credit card.  Do yourself a favour and make your life - and the process - as simple and easy as possible.We got our passports back within 25’ and went through passport control in another 5’, but honestly, budget for 45’ at least to be on the safe side.  By the way, there are few individual travellers going to Iraq - mostly are larger families and groups of workers (from military advisors to Chinese oil workers), so depending on who is travelling with you, the process may be simple or chaotic.But arrival does not stop - for the photographer - at passport control.  Once you collect your luggage you will need to go through another X-ray machine and this is where your camera bag will become the subject of scrutiny and attention.  Officials will be called, your bag opened and examined by 3-4 different people (none of who actually understand what they’re looking at) and you will be questioned about your purpose and your equipment.  The only advice I have for you is keep it simple.  This is not the time to present yourself as whatever you think you are - professional photographer, on assignment or anything other than a tourist happy to be there and eager to explore the country.  This is not the time to extol the virtues and capabilities of your camera - avoid any mention that your camera can take video as this means you WILL be stopped and there’s a chance your camera will be confiscated.  Keep it low-tech and simple.
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Strangely enough, the fact I carried my lights with me worked in my favour - even Iraqi border control officials know that flash is used when taking studio photos and not video, so the moment I showed them my lights and explained what they were, everything became easier.  I’m not saying you should carry strobes with you - just advising you to keep things simple.  Ignore this advice at your peril as did the two asian - I think Chinese - tourists behind us who claimed their Sony was fully capable of video and ended up being taken to another room.  Up to you.By the way, departure is not significantly different: our camera bags were immediately set aside and checked again, with the same officials being called out and pretty much the same questions being asked.  Bringing up the point that the cameras were allowed in the first time by someone sitting less than 10m away does not in any way help (or make any difference whatsoever) - it actually got hairy for a moment so my humble advice here would be to at least remove your memory cards and have them somewhere else.I honestly don’t think anything would happen here, I really don’t - this is probably nothing more than customs officials in Iraq slowly coming to terms with tourists who want more than just an iPhone photo and I’m sure it’ll normalise soon (or go horribly wrong once they come across photographers with drones and cameras taking videos or being caught filming - possibly unintentionally - government installations).At the same time, Iraq is still learning what tourism means and - I'm sure, how stupid and unruly tourists can be, so it is not beyond the realm of possibility that you may hit upon a specific official in the wrong mood or at  time when a special directive has been issued literally the day before (do not laugh, it happened with us - a directive regarding visa validity to Kurdistan was issued 2 days before we left and everyone at the airport was talking about it!) and land you in more trouble than it's worth.  Keep your wits about you, be polite, laugh a lot and be open.  And remember, you are an amateur photographer, not a journalist!
Guides.  Well, this is where things become interesting.  Tourism is new to Iraq and is almost completely unregulated and disorganised.  Regardless of what you read, most of the local tourist “companies” in Iraq are one or two people with access to a van or car, with connections to someone who has a boat in the marshes (regardless of their claims of having their own boats) with mostly a couple of preset itineraries in mind and that’s pretty much it.  And foreign companies who advertise and sell trips to Iraq are simply subcontracting these local companies (or even individual guides) and charging an enormous premium for this - I came across three different tourist groups (I’ll explain later - read on) who had purchased tours from known companies in Europe, paid anywhere from $4,000 - $5,000 per person for a trip the Iraqi company or guide were charging around $1,500 for.There are currently many resources, mostly through social media - Facebook is king among local guides - where you can find local guides willing to take care of the entire or at least part of your desired itinerary.  They tend to be very responsive, polite and - in my experience - dependable, so take your time, explain your requirements in a lot of detail and you’ll almost certainly find more than one who can address your requirements.  You may need to use two guides for different parts of your trip - and that’s perfectly fine as you actually do want people with in-depth knowledge of, for example, the marshes and separately, say,  Kurdistan as it’s unlikely to for a guide to have the same knowledge of both areas.  People will absolutely claim they do, but I would be very, very sceptical.
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On this, a few words of caution!  Tourism is new to Iraq and very, very lucrative for the locals so it’s only natural everyone and their cousin jumps on the bandwagon.  I met engineers, office workers and even graphic designers who dropped their day jobs for a week or a few days of guiding a tourist through Iraq - the money promise is just too large to ignore.  An engineer will make in a month less than he would make from 5 days guiding tourists, even at Iraq rates.The result is that people will claim to be guides when they are really not and will promise everything and anything to get the job - they figure there’s so little information out there and so much competition that it’s fine for them to do so and figure it out later.  Also, do not assume that because they communicate with you in good english their actual level of english is good - most people use/rely on translation software so please be cautious.  The last thing you need is to arrive in Iraq and find yourself not being able to adequately communicate with your guide - this is even more pertinent for photographers are our requirements are quite more demanding and complex.Now, what is important to note here is that there is no real deception behind this - every single person I met and worked with in Iraq were honest deep-down and willing to go above and beyond to be helpful and that is always what’s behind any promise or commitment.  It does mean however that as competition grows, instances of problematic guides will rise as well.
On the plus side - and there’s a really solid plus side here - getting a good guide in Iraq, even as a demanding photographer in the marshes, is not difficult - just browse their social media and you’ll be able to see the types of tours they organise, the types of places they visit and photos they can help you take.  Don’t be shy in sending them photo ideas you’d like to get so they know what you need - most of them will actually be honest and say no if this is not what they can deliver.  Guide prices are also very low, especially when compared with most other countries, so you have that working for you - this however should always be evaluated under the lens of “if it’s too cheap chances are it’s not worth the money”, so keep that in mind.Having said all the above, if you want actual recommendations please get in touch and I’ll give you the names and contact details of the people I worked with. 
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They are good people, know the marshes intimately and can help you truly explore them.  I even have a great guide for Kurdistan even if I didn’t get to use him this time.  I was fortunate enough to work with a truly wonderful guide named Ali who, as a long time native of the marshes, not only understood my very demanding and detailed requirements but worked incredibly hard to make them happen.  We did run into a bit of linguistic hurdle at the beginning but we were able to resolve it quickly and without problems.  In fact, every single person I worked with during my time in Iraq was kind, helpful and willing to go above and beyond to turn my ideas into reality - if this continues, Iraq can become a fantastic place for photographers.Photography in Baghdad.  This will make all you street photographers happier than pigs in $hit because street photography in Baghdad is incredibly interesting, diverse and easy!  Iraq is the only muslim country in the world where I could photograph extremely easily everywhere - from markets, to shops, to restaurants and workshops of any kind.  Men and even women were open to being photographed, happy to engage and participate in the process - heck, I was even able to set up shots with my lights in the middle of busy streets and shoot without problems.  I did attract a tiny bit of attention but always the good-humoured kind and nothing more - you’ll be more of a curiosity than anything else.
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Unfortunately - and I don’t believe I have to say this again - please, PLEASE, don’t be an a$$hole and do the long-distance sniping thing - it’s insulting and there’s no need for it, none at all.  Treating people like “subjects” will unavoidably lead to the nice people of Iraq becoming annoyed at photographers - as locals have done in almost every single country photographers descend on with their massive lenses and 20fps - and will start refusing to be photographed.Please be sensitive, be collaborative, be thoughtful and you will have a great time in Iraq, even in chaotic Baghdad!  I cannot stress how important this is.  Distance photography is risky in Iraq - especially seeing you have no idea what is a government building or other security installation and including any of those in your shots will land you in trouble.  Better to ask for permission, be nice, smile a lot, than risk grabbing a shot when people are not looking and accidentally including a soldier in the background or an unmarked police car. 
Actually, now that I think about it maybe I should delete these last two paragraphs and simply let a few “street” photographers screw up royally and then the lessons will be learned… but hey, I’m all about the giving here, so…Elsewhere in Iraq I would advise common sense - and I’m saying this knowing full well that at least half of you will absolutely ignore me and do, let’s face it, the stupid thing.  I was in Iraq for less than 10 days and I witnessed “photographers” being stupid twice… statistically speaking, this should not have been possible, but I guess it says a lot about how we, collectively as photographers, are!  Let me explain, again and in more detail: do not photograph - and I cannot stress that enough - anything remotely resembling a police or military installation, any police or army officer or official, even if they’re simply standing in the background!  And let me tell you, those are everywhere - even when you don’t think a building is “protected”, better ask…twice.   Being caught with your camera out close to a police station or other government installation will get you into trouble - almost guaranteed.  Same when photographing towards the direction of oil installations, communications towers and so on and so on.  It does not matter what YOU think is safe or how far YOU think you are - Iraqi police and army are very, very suspicious and jumpy, so test this caution at your own risk.Most Iraqis will politely decline if they don’t want to be photographed - learn to take it with grace rather than simply walk a few meters and then try and snipe them. There will be so many chances for you to grab amazing shots time and again, against really interesting environments and backgrounds, so use that…please.
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Logistics.  Most things work quite well in Iraq - roads are okay (not perfect but in some ways not that much worse than the pitiful state of roads in the UK these days, so…), there’s electricity everywhere, even though there are intermittent power cuts, especially in and around Baghdad, and there is good mobile coverage everywhere, with some places even having 4G.  I was surprised that relatively good and stable internet was also available, even in the marshes.At the same time, be prepared for a lot of military checkpoints and being taken out of the car while the official goes away with your passports to “check them” (they usually return within 5’, so I don’t know what they went away to check, especially when they had to walk for 2’ to get to where they would perform the “check”).  There are “tricks” to make these experiences easier - usually your guide will be able to advise you, so please, do yourself a favour and listen to them.Food is absolutely delightful and completely safe pretty much everywhere.  I did not notice anything which would cause me to worry even for a minute and I did have breakfast, lunch and dinner in small holes-in-the-wall restaurants and even street sellers with absolutely no problems.  Everything I had was full of flavour, especially the buffalo milk cream (and please, save your dirty jokes until you’ve tried it!) and extremely cheap, even in a good restaurant in Baghdad.Finally, the marshes.  First thing you need to know about the marshes is that they’re massive.  There’s no “hot spot” where you get to see a lot of people with interesting attire or tribal collection places - most marshes tours start and end around Chibayish but this is just a jumping point and the more “modernised” one to be honest.  To really see the marshes and the people you need to be willing to spend a couple of days there, long hours on a boat, sometimes starting really early in the morning and spend hours on a tiny boat, sitting on wood with a thin pillow your only support and look for images.  There are a million images out there and you need to work with your guide to find them.
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Here is why it’s crucially important to know - really know - where your guide is from.  If your guide in from the marshes (and there are quite a few) you should be able to get what you want, whatever that is.  The marsh Arab community is tightly knit, people work together very cooperatively and they will not hesitate for a moment to lean on one another to ensure they get you the photos you want.Sometimes don’t be surprised to wake up at 5am, ready for the day, to find one additional person in your party, someone who knows this area or that area or that village well and let me tell you, having that person along can make all the difference between success and failure.  Tipping them or not is up to you - they will neither expect or demand it.
But, if your guide is from Baghdad or Babylon or from any other place, what they have is a contact in the marshes, someone who can organise the usual 2-3hr boat ride and accompanying lunch or dinner.  That’s all but it makes a huge difference.  Not if you’re a tourist - if all you want is this cursory experience and to check the marshes off your list, this is perfectly fine and you’ll have a great time.  If you’re a photographer however, things are, by definition, different.Personally I think winter (early Nov to mid-Feb) is the best time to visit the marshes for a number of reasons:• it is cold which means no mosquitos or gnats, which is a very good thing• the sun remains relatively low in the sky, even at midday, which allows for really interesting balancing between ambient and strobe, meaning you have a lot more time to shoot, massively better lighting conditions, more options in creating images• if you’re lucky, you might get fog in the early morning but also really crisp and colourful sunsets (the air in the marshes is extremely clear in the winter but significantly less so in the summer (as the heat evaporates water and at the same time does not allow it to rise, creating heavy shimmering and light diffusion - the bad kind!)• the water in the marshes is high which means you can access more areas more easily.  There’s less mud, buffaloes and people live on the water as opposed to avoiding the cloying mud, so you have a lot more opportunities to truly understand how the people live and work• the temperatures mean more people are engaged at various projects and tasks, from cutting and drying reeds to building houses - these things tend to be reserved for this time of the year as they can actually be impossible when it’s hot (and it does get insanely hot in the marshes from April onwards with temperatures hitting high 30s in late April to high 50s in July and later)Overall, photographically speaking (again), expect wildly variable weather, especially in the winter months (Nov to Feb), even within a single day, ranging from cloudy sunrises (those are the best in my view as the rising sun creates epic compositions with the low clouds) to sunny days and everything in-between.  For the snipping photographer (meaning for those who count on simply happening upon an image and capturing it by-the-way) this offers both possibilities as well as challenges: you get a nice cloudy sky, your images will look more balanced, more softly lit etc etc.  You get full sun, there’s no hiding from it in the marshes, so your images will clearly reflect that.  Me, I use strobes, so the conditions in the marshes were absolutely perfect as I was able to use my lights (and people are fantastically happy to participate in shots, even stop what they’re doing to be part of a process which is different to what they usually experience from tourists) to craft interesting images under all different lighting conditions, but the experience will vary depending on the type of photographer you are.

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