Last Updated on 05/03/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
Magnum photographer Abbas passed away on April 25th 2018 at 74. He left behind a meaningful body of work and inspiring lessons for the next generation of photographers.
When asked for advice for young and aspiring photographers, Iranian-born Magnum photographer Abbas Attar would always say, “Get a good pair of walking shoes…and fall in love.” Such words of wisdom may be strange for a photographer who covered wars, revolutions, and social unrest to jump-start his career. But if you think about it, hate, destruction, and pain aren’t the only stories that can arise out of conflicts. Sometimes, even in the face of strife, the most compelling visual stories surface out of love.
“Because when you fall in love, you see these things differently. Then, you become a photographer. Then, if you want to be a war or conflict photographer, it’s something else. It’s up to you,” he says in a quick but insightful 2014 interview below with Barcelona daily newspaper El Periódico.
In his fruitful six-decade career, Abbas documented wars and revolutions in Biafra, Bangladesh, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, the Middle East, Chile, Cuba, and South Africa during apartheid. He also spent several years capturing life in Mexico and made the intersection of religion with society a lifelong exploration. If you’re hearing about the esteemed photographer for the first time, Magnum president Thomas Dworzak’s tribute in the agency’s announcement of his passing also serves as a brief introduction.
“He was a pillar of Magnum, a godfather for a generation of younger photojournalists. An Iranian transplanted to Paris, he was a citizen of the world he relentlessly documented; its wars, its disasters, its revolutions and upheavals, and its beliefs – all his life. It is with immense sadness that we lose him. May the gods and angels of all the world’s major religions he photographed so passionately be there for him.”
While wars and conflicts were the earlier focus of his work, he often tackled these topics alongside the perspective of religion. His approach to this he explained in a 2009 interview with the British Journal of Photography at the Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival in Perpignan.
“I ask questions, I don’t leave answers. My readers should look for their answers. I give them the evidence, I hope. And the evidence is not objective, because my work is very subjective… But I try to be fair. I try to show as many aspects of the problem as possible.”
Abbas left behind a wealth of striking images and compelling photo essays which remain among the finest examples of photojournalism. This little tribute to him and his work is but a scratch on the surface, so make sure to visit his Magnum profile to learn more about the iconic photographer and be inspired with all his works.
Screenshot image from the video by El Periódico