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"I saw so many people in conflict-stricken regions who were living their days in hope, that I wanted to communicate that message to the world."
In 1999, I left the company I'd worked twelve years for and set off on a trip as a freelance photographer. My destination was Turkey. It was just after the Kosovo conflict had ended. I was interested in on-site reporting and visited a camp for Kosovo refugees. What struck me most was the strength of the women living there, particularly from the viewpoint of being a woman myself. After that first encounter, I continued taking photographs of them for four years, making it something of a life work, with the title "Rebirth - Women Amid the Rubble."
When I started freelancing, I was sometimes labeled in the media as "an office worker turned war photographer." In fact, I never intended to be a war photographer. It was simply that I saw so many people in conflict-stricken regions who were living their days in hope. I thought it would be good if I could play some role in communicating that message of hope, by bringing it closer to home and showing the positive in people's daily lives in a way that transcends borders and race.
Around the world, there are an increasing number of photographers who focus on women in Asia, particularly Asian-Islamic women. Since I have been working in this field for a long time, I feel it is my mission to communicate the spirit and life-force of women, especially here in Asia.
A photograph is a reflection of an image in the subconscious. And for a while, I found myself obsessively trying to analyze what drove me to continue taking photographs in stricken areas. I wondered why I kept returning to such places. When my motivation to return to war-torn areas began to wane and I thought the time had come to refresh myself, an opportunity to photograph the Silk Road came along. I accepted the commission eagerly, thinking it would take me back to where my work had originally started.
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