Sarah Pannell’s Tehran Street Photos are Creating a Positive Dialogue on Iran

Why did you decide to create this series?

I hope to contribute to a positive dialogue on Iran, at a time when the relationship between the west and Iran is possibly at its most fraught in decades. For a country and its people to be so misunderstood from the outside, I feel it’s imperative to create vignettes of a place that will challenge viewer perceptions without eroticising a culture or falling into presenting the usual tropes; but rather celebrating the everyday moments. These photographs are my way of journaling – taking notes on a city and its people I have grown an attachment to.

Your favourite photo from the series?

I feel the mood of the city is summed up in the energy and blur of the photograph taken at Haft-e-Tir Square in the centre of Tehran, which is home to a plethora of clothing shops and evening market stalls, including an array of stores specialising in manteau (an essential women’s garment for the streets of Iran). This was shot on an evening in early September during the first few days of the holy month of Muharram which involves a lot of evening ceremonies on the streets for those who take part in the religious month of mourning. The swirl of women with their vibrant scarves and the surrounding buzz of life makes this a special image from my perspective.

What gear did you use to shoot it?

These images are shot on two cameras – mostly on a Contax G2 with a 45mm lens and UV filter, as well as an Olympus MJUi point and shoot.