Famous photographer Reza Deghati
Reza Deghati (Rza Diggati), the world-renowned French photographer of Azerbaijani origin, was born on July 26, 1952, in Tabriz to an Azerbaijani family. Deghati published his first photograph at age 14 in the magazine “Parvaz”. Although he studied architecture at Tehran University, he continued working as an amateur photographer. However, his photos displeased the Shah’s regime, leading to his imprisonment for 3 years and 5 months at age 22. After release, he abandoned his architecture studies to pursue professional photography, beginning with documenting the Iranian Revolution. Facing continued pressure, Deghati left Iran in 1981 for France. In 1992, he and his wife, writer Rachel Deghati, founded the “Webistan Photo Agency” in Paris.
In 1996, he began collaborating with UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross to photograph refugee camps in Rwanda. In 2001, he founded the charitable association AINA (the mirror), which addressed education issues for children and women in Afghanistan. Afghans trained at these schools now work as photographers in Bangladesh, China, France, and other countries.
The photojournalist, who first visited the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1987, traveled across the country and immortalized in photographs the daily lives, domestic routines, and traditions of ordinary people. He published the photographs he took during those years in the book “Elegance of Fire”.
Reza Deghati has always conveyed to the world that the victims and witnesses of the Khojaly genocide were the main subjects of his work. The patriotic humanist Reza Deghati, who remained deeply connected to his native people, captured and immortalized many images of the Khojaly genocide committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis in 1992. These images were reflected in the book “Massacre of the Innocents”. The book contains photos from events held in various countries to promote international recognition of the Khojaly genocide, as well as from camps built for refugees and internally displaced persons. The books “Massacre of the Innocents” and “Elegance of Fire” were published by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and were exhibited with photographs in France in 2014.
Reza Deghati, who has been an undeniable witness to global upheavals since 1979, chose to become a “peace correspondent” and has skillfully transformed the fates of conflicting societies, nations and states into visual narratives through his photographs.
Reza Deghati, who has been awarded numerous international-level prizes, is the author of 35 books. As a senior associate of the Ashoka Foundation, Reza has been honored with the “World Press Photo”, the International Center of Photography’s “Infinity Award”, and the “Lucy Award”. He was deemed worthy of the “Medal of Honor” from the University of Missouri. He received the honorary doctorate title from the American University of Paris. In France, he was decorated with the “Knight” medal for National Services. Reza Deghati’s projects such as “Destiny’s Encounter”, “War+Peace”, “Hope”, and “The Window of the Heart” are world-famous. He is a member of the National Geographic Society of the USA, an honorary doctor of many prestigious universities, and a laureate of France’s “Order of Merit”.
Recommended literature:
- Wounded Heritage : Silent Witnesses: Karabakh before and after occupation: [photo album] / Baku International Multiculturalism Centre [et al.] ; curated, phot. R. Deghati. - Baku : Max Ofset LLC, 2024. - 159 p.
- Azerbaïdjan, le massacre des innocents /Texte de R. Deghati ; photo Reza Deghati ; edt. P. Ismayilova ; Fondation Heydar Aliyev. - Bakou: Mega basim, 2014. - 216 f.