Professional photographer Rene Rossignaud spoke to this newsroom about his recent expedition to Iran by addressing the misconceptions about the country. Rossignaud, acclaimed for his war photography, explained that choosing to visit Iran was intended to remove the misconceptions created by the West, ie that the country is dangerous. As a thrill-seeker Rossignaud is attracted to countries that are cast in a dark light, managing to bring them closer to western societies.
He organises these expeditions with his business partner, Faye Mallia. The two of them promote an expedition through Facebook, urging people to get in touch if they are interested. The groups usually consist of approximately 20 people who have an interest in travel and a keen eye for photography. As one might expect, spaces on these organised expeditions fill up quite quickly.
When asked to describe Iran, Rossignaud used the expression “mind-blowing” and “amazing” – his face emphasising his sincerity as he explained. In Iran, the group visited the capital, Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Yazd in 12 days, spending approximately three or four days in each.
Rossignaud has had Iran in the pipeline for the past 10 years, and luckily the experience lived up to the hype. Before the expedition, people warned him about Iran and the dangers he might face there: “be careful with the police and the army – never look at them, just keep away”; “don’t walk in the streets with your camera in your hand, or you’ll be arrested”; “Don’t venture into the side streets”. These warnings were proved wrong, and Rossignaud even went so far as to say that the Iranians “were the friendliest, most kind people I’ve met” out of the 45 or more countries he has visited.
Perfect strangers would open their doors to him, and offer hot tea, ask to take pictures alongside the group and gasp at the congregation of foreigners and their coloured tattoos. For Iranians, tourists are a rare sight, because while Iran is a safe country to visit, many people continue to be misinformed by western media, allowing it to shape their perception of the country.
A local even told Rossignaud: “Western media has destroyed the reputation of our country.” Iran, despite being modern, remains un-westernised and just as it was 400 years ago - Rossignaud believes that this is why the country is so intrinsically beautiful.
The expedition group had an official letter from the ministry of tourism in Iran to facilitate any problems they might have had while taking photos in the country, however they never required it. The expressions captured by Rossignaud, are authentic and iconic, with smiles stretching from ear to ear. His photographs of this expedition show character and warmth, especially the one of a young woman modestly covering her face with a veil.
Rossignaud will be visiting Iran again, this time by himself. He has been invited by a travel agency to promote the Lut Desert and other destinations that tourists do not usually get a chance to visit. He will be living with Bedouins, visiting the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan and sleeping in the most isolated desert in the world. Between June and October the Lut Desert experiences strong winds and, no surprise, thrill-seeker Rossignaud will be visiting during this period. He will be able to experience new tourism territory – and be lucky enough to show its beauty through his photography.
Rossignaud’s next expeditions are already in his calendar: Everest, North Korea, Antarctica – the list goes on. As for the rest of us, we’ll have to follow his Facebook page in order to live vicariously through him.
