Qamar Hashim has become, for me, a vortex through which I can re-experience Iraq. His photos, especially the images of throngs twisting through the outdoor markets on al-Mutanabi street, are deftly composed and almost always evoke some just-out-of-your-fingertips sense of loss and fragility. But he does this without taking himself too seriously, without losing his very compassionate and wry sense of humor. Which is all a way of saying that his photos are complex without being heavy-handed.
Also, he’s only eight years old.
Qamar Hashim, a member of the Iraqi Society Photgraphic (ISP), is the youngest person ever to win several local photography awards through his incredibly touching depictions of his native city, using his single camera to take each photograph. Hashim, whose father was a photojournalist, began photographing his country when he was only four years old. He began by taking photographs of American soldiers from the relative safety of his home. But now, more adventurous, artistically ambitious, and with a kind of lame desire to see himself in the Guiness Book of World Records, he has moved on to exploring the more familiar haunts of his hometown. And if none of this is interesting to you so far, maybe you’ll enjoy just how CUTE he is:
And below, Hashim’s favorite photo that he’s taken. I think it’s mine as well:
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