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"Iranians are generous and welcoming but also reserved," says newsweek's Paolo Pellegrin. The photographer traveled to Iran in February to observe celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Republic. As he made his way around the country, from Tehran to Qum to Mashad, he began shooting simple portraits of the people he encountered on the streets. He wanted to capture a cross section of Iran­ian society, from the young affluent women of north Tehran with heavily made-up faces and casually draped hijabs to more traditional residents, like a family from Qum (left). Accompanied by an official "minder" from the Ministry of Information and armed with a government permit to take street photos, Pellegrin approached mullahs, shopkeepers, beggars and young hip-hop kids, and most readily agreed to be photographed. "Iran is one of the places where I always feel very welcome and safe any time of the day or night," says the photographer. He did run up against societal mores that prohibit approaching unfamiliar females. "That was a case where it actually helped to be a foreigner because it made it seem OK." Pellegrin communicated with local Iranians through his minders and initially had to insist that they approach more women. "All we had at first were photos of men." Many of the younger people, especially the more Westernized ones from Tehran, spoke at least some English and were eager to communicate. One young man (large photo, right) jumped in front of the camera and insisted on being photographed. "We didn't know where he came from."

 
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Member Comments

  • Posted By: NDerakshan @ 05/26/2009 1:18:01 PM

    Picture 11 is of me, but that is not my wife... we are only friends.

  • Posted By: Simoriah @ 05/24/2009 6:28:05 PM

    I'm really glad for these photos. Hopefully it will make people in the US see what people from that area of the world are truly like, rather than what's typically portrayed in the media, which is a terrible and completely inaccurate stereotype. They're just like all of us here in the US, different in their tastes and styles and ways of life, and just trying to live peacefully in the world and practice their beliefs as they see fit. I was born and raised in the heartland of the US, but I have an extremely open mind and love to learn about different cultures, countries, religions, etc., and I believe that these photos will (hopefully) be enlightening for people in the US who stereotype people from other countries, particularly countries with mostly Muslim populations. Thanks to the photographer. :)

  • Posted By: Mwalimu @ 05/24/2009 11:33:12 AM

    Look at these photos carefully. These are the people that Cheney, McCain, and the GOP want to wipe off the planet. These are also reasons that I voted for Obama. Only Obama understands that bombs will not solve our problems. We need to have the strength and courage to find other ways to solve our problems. If we are really serious about "liberating" Iran, Obama's decision to raise the mpg requirement to 35 mpg by 2016 is a good start. But notice, I used the word "start."We need to do a lot more.

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