IS THE CIA HIRING?

Before and after a haircut and shave.

MEET EMAD HAJJAJ

Emad Hajjaj is Jordan's most well known and respected cartoonist. I interviewed him and took the above photo for Nox magazine this month. He's a fascinating guy and a brilliant observer of politics and the world around us. His cartoons specialize in showing the other side of the coin, the side that the US and Europe often overlook. He is full of all those wonderful contradictions and complexities that make people interesting. He is staunchly pro-Palestine, though more and more doesn't trust either sides leadership or their motives. He's very critical of the US occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but loves the American people and our culture. He loves Jordan, but is quick to point out when they step out of line. I've included a few of his older cartoons here as I couldn't find any newer ones online. Emad told me during the interview that he was heavily influenced by the work of Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side. So in keeping with Larson's famous anonymity, I chose to shoot Emad with a caricature he drew of himself covering his face. Behind him are drawings made by his aspiring six year old son.

BEHOLD: A FEATURE WITH MY PICS AND WORDS

I have finally published my first feature, that I pitched, shot, and wrote. The good folks over at Nox magazine made this possible. To view the full article click here. I was actually shooting at the dump for an entirely different reason when I came across this story. The originally story for another magazine was about how great this landfill is because it is lined with plastic. Well, obviously the real story is the hundreds of guys who crawl through this shit to make a living. Even before being published, the article has been an agent for change. The city of Amman, fearing looking bad to investors like the World Bank, has hired one of the organizations I highlighted in the article to try to find safer employment for the recyclers at the landfill. Pretty cool!

WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN AMMAN

I was commissioned recently to take a series of photos for the Amman Symphony Orchestra. It's a big job and involved scouting out five separate shooting locations around the city. One place I selected was the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts. The shoot required that I move the piece of art featured above. I had seen it many times before and never really paid much attention to it. In the process of moving it I caught a glimpse of the inscription on the side and finally got the joke. Unfortunately for us Americans, I don't even think we found slingshots in Iraq. Perhaps displaying just the rock with the same inscription would be more provocative.

PLEASE STAND HERE SPECIAL AGENT

The secret police in Jordan are known as the Mukhabarat. They essentially combine the US CIA, FBI, and Secret Service into one all-powerful organization. They are quite feared by most people in the country, and that fear, whether justified or not, serves as a very powerful censorship tool. After Great Britain's MI5, the Jordanian Mukhabarat are America's closest intelligence ally in the world. As an American journalist living in Jordan, I have never been questioned by the Mukhabarat, though I've seen plenty. I was shooting the Minister of Interior for Al-Sijill magazine the other day. He is a very high ranking member of the King's cabinet, and accordingly, is protected by Mukhabarat. During the magazine's interview with the Minister, I walked around the compound rather freely looking for places to shoot his Excellency. I set up lights and did several test shots like the one above before finding a suitable location. The agent pictured above was very agreeable to being a model for these shots despite his look of disgust in this particular shot. I can't imagine a Secret Service Agent in the US being as amicable.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE EAST WHEN...

...you open up a widely read magazine, and inside is an ad for Virgin Megastore that touts the best selling items from last month, and in at number four in the book category is Mein Kampf, by Adolf Hitler. In any context, a strange choice for a print ad for a multi-national franchise. So if we can learn anything from this list, parent's in Amman are putting on Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince for the kids and retiring to their quarters to read Mein Kampf, or the number one best seller, translated That's What Happened Sadam, a book written by Sadam Hussein's lawyer documenting his inhumane treatment while imprisoned by the USA.

DIAMONDS TAKE FOREVER

I am nearing the end of my first diamond shooting endeavor. I will never look at these expensive little rocks the same way again. I shot 58 pieces for the upcoming Kayali Jewelry catalog. Each piece took around an hour to shoot (on good days), and another hour or two to touch up in Photoshop. I learned a lot from the experience. I had a make-shift light laboratory set up in the conference room of the jewelry company. Every time I thought I had a method that might work for all the pieces, I was proven wrong. I used Canon's new 100 mm L series macro for all the photos, and I am very happy with its performance. Now I think it's safe to say I shoot everything. On one of the diamond shoot days I had to leave early to shoot the city dump. From diamonds to dumpsters. I do however draw the line at high school portraits.

SHOW ME YOUR MONEY

I shot the above photo for a client here in Amman. She is the only woman in Jordan to own a Ferrari, and wanted a picture to put up on the Jordan Ferrari club website. This was shot on an overcast day using 3 CTO gelled flashes. In Jordan if you are wealthy it is perfectly acceptable and even expected to flaunt it. The elites here seem quick to judge you by the cell phone you lay down at the bar or by what watch you are wearing. It reminds me a lot of what America was like in the 50's. Now in America rich people hide their wealth, driving Priuses and flying coach. I couldn't help but cringe as the subject climbed onto the hood of her beautiful car wearing stiletto-heels.