Tehran today
Photography | Sasan T Farsani Iranian photographer Sasan T Farsani explains the story behind his online photo journal Tehran24.com, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year “ DURING THE MID 1990s when digital photography was still in its infancy, one cold and snowy winter day in Tehran I decided to take several photographs and email them to friends and family who lived [...]
Photography | Sasan T Farsani
Iranian photographer Sasan T Farsani explains the
story behind his online photo journal Tehran24.com,
which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year
“ DURING THE MID 1990s when digital photography was
still in its infancy, one cold and snowy winter day in Tehran
I decided to take several photographs and email them to
friends and family who lived outside the country. I knew
those pictures would bring back some good memories for
them. What I didn’t expect was the extent to which they
were then circulated over the internet: friends emailed them
to friends of friends, and so on. I received numerous emails
from people I didn’t even know, encouraging me to continue
posting photos of Tehran online.
“With the help of my brother Siavash, who is based in
the US, I started Tehran24.com in 1998. He takes care
of the site’s technical aspects, the administration and
programming, and I handle the design, photography and
online gallery updates. By profession, I produce short
films, music videos and documentaries.
“Today the website has a database of over 9,000 images
as seen through my camera lens, and we feature the
occasional guest photographer’s gallery. Taking photos has
become a way of life. Due to lack of parking spots in certain
areas of the city, I’ve sometimes taken photos from behind
the wheel – so I’ve had numerous traffic tickets for ‘driving
under the influence of photographic subjects’. For the
website, I’ve captured familiar sights, the daily lives of
people in the city – the happy and not-so-happy moments.
“The aim of the website is to portray Tehran and Iran
without taking sides, and to show the true face of the
people and the country. In our comments section, people
from Tehran have posted some of their most personal
thoughts and memories. But believe it or not, some
people out there still think Iran is made out of sand and
that people live inside tents with their camels parked
outside. I hope Tehran24.com helps to clear some of
those barriers of misunderstanding.”
As told to Sophy Grimshaw
See more of Farsani’s photographs at www.tehran24.com
|
Market scene Shoppers and traders mingle at Tehran’s labyrinthine Chahar Soogh bazaar, 2007. |
|
|
Skyline and snow A view of the city against the backdrop of Mount Alborz, 2002. The mountain is snow-capped for nine months of the year and is a major skiing destination among Middle Easterns and increasingly for world travellers, too. |
|
Street life Female relatives with two young children cross Eghbaal Street, on their way to visit the bazaar, 2007. |
|
|
Before sunset The sun sinks behind the Borj-e Milad (Milad Tower), 2007. The tallest tower in Iran, the Milad combines office space with a five-star hotel and convention centre. |
|
Breadth-taking The Milad Tower, one of the world’s tallest buildings (shown on the previous page) was the vantage point for Farsani when he took this photo of Tehran in 2006. |
|
|
A youthful bloom A group of children attempts to charm passing motorists, including Farsani, into purchasing flowers, 2002. Farsani often takes photographs from his car due to the scarcity of parking spaces in Tehran. |
