Visual Riffs: Rituals⠀ ⠀ Rituals are defined as "a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions or revered objects." They are found in all human societies across the boundaries of religion, race, and culture and help give us a sense of identity and belonging. Having witnessed countless rituals in places around the world, I thought it would be fascinating to share some of the images I've made along the way. ⠀ ⠀ These carousels represent a small selection of rituals I've had the privilege to witness and be allowed to document. What they all share in common is a reflection of our shared humanity and the need to find ways to mark the important passages of life; birth, death, marriage, faith, joy and pain.⠀ ⠀ Captions:⠀ ⠀ 1. A woman is overcome by evil spirits and flails to the ground. The priest and nuns attend to her to calm her down. Nigeria 2006⠀ ⠀ 2. Kurdish Sufis called Darawish give reverence to their god by trance-like dancing and piercing their bodies with knives and sharp objects, even eating fluorescent bulbs. They are followers of the Kasnazaniyah sect of Islam, here in a mosque in Kirkuk. Iraq 2004⠀ ⠀ 3. Gerald Gross and Ricky Caminetti fell in love in their eighties. They are pictured here at their wedding, which was attended by over 200 hundred guests. USA 2000⠀ ⠀ 4. Zulu women select reeds for the traditional Reed Dance in Enyokeni. In this recently resurrected ceremony, Zulu virgins are presented to the King, who sometimes chooses a wife from this ceremony. South Africa 1998⠀ ⠀ 5. Evening puja (an act of worship) along the Ganges River. India 2019 @viifoundation @reduxpictures #viiphoto #edkashi #rituals #photojournalism #documentaryphotography

My summer print sale, which ends on July 13, features photographs from the following three bodies of work: –The Golden Quadrilateral Highway This work provides an intimate look at the country’s massive expressway as it accelerates its economy into the 21st century. Challenging India’s ties to its past, The Golden Quadrilateral is a metaphor for the modernization of this ancient country. Captions: 1) Villagers celebrate the Ganpati Festival in honor of Lord Ganesh in Vadhav, India. 2) A monkey entertains passing motorists by the Haryana/Uttar Pradesh border toll plaza in India. 3) A young boy tends to his herd of water buffalo under a modern, massive bridge that now extends over the sacred Ganges River in Muratganj, India. – The Aetas of Mt. Pinatubo Captions: 1) A dusk scene on the dusty road to the remote village of Pili, Zambales in the Philippines. 2) Aerials of the Mt. Pinatubo crater and the surrounding terrain, which still shows the scars of the eruption, including vast tracts of planar flows that have created an eerie lunar landscape in the Philippines. 3) Aetas who had lived in the remotest parts of the Pinatubo mountains have now been forced to beg on the streets of Manila and in Angeles City in the Philippines. – The Middle East Captions: 1) A boy takes a dip and washes his horse early in the morning on the Nile River in Egypt. 2) A gas station during a sand storm in Dawr al Zar, Syria. 3) A rainy scene on Hamra Street in Beirut, Lebanon. Head to the link in my bio to purchase a print! @reduxpictures @viifoundation #edkashi #viiphoto #printsale #photojournalism #docuphotography

3 x 3 LEGACY PRINT SALE | I have launched a summer print sale of photographs from three monumental projects in my archive.⠀ The print sale ends on July 13.⠀ ⠀ Head to the link in my bio for more info!⠀ THE AETAS OF MOUNT PINATUBO | Philippines 1999⠀ ⠀ The Aetas are a tribe who lived on the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines prior to its cataclysmic eruption in 1991. Thousands of Aetas were relocated to camps around the Pinatubo region and cut off from their traditional ways of life without sufficient social support from the government. In light of the dramatic natural disasters being witnessed around the world today, the Aetas story reflects the terrible toll indigenous peoples are suffering at the whims of nature's awesome powers.⠀ ⠀ Captions:⠀ ⠀ 1) A dusk scene on the dusty road to the remote village of Pili, Zambales.⠀ ⠀ 2) Aerials of the Mt. Pinatubo crater and the surrounding terrain, which still shows the scars of the eruption, including vast tracts of lahar flows that have created an eerie lunar landscape.⠀ ⠀ 3) Aetas who had lived in the remotest parts of the Pinatubo mountains have now been forced to beg on the streets of Manila and in Angeles City. @viifoundation @reduxpictures #edkashi #viiphoto #photojournalism #printsale #documentaryphotography #therawsociety

THE MIDDLE EAST | 3 x 3 Summer print sale Over the last 40 years I’ve worked in 12 of the 22 countries in the Middle East. This region is the birthplace of the 3 monotheistic religions of the world, and contains some of the most important historical artifacts and earliest records of human civilizations. It is also a troubled region racked by violence, religious strife, and poverty. My intention with this selection of images is to share the beauty, history, tension and immense importance of this pivotal region in the world. Head to the link in my bio for more info & to purchase a print! @reduxpictures @viiphoto #edkashi #photojournalism #themiddleeast #printsale #documentaryphotography

I never got to know my father as he passed away when I was ten years old. He had immigrated from Baghdad to New York City in 1942 to flee the increasing violence in Iraq towards the Jewish community there. My memories of him are fond. He was a gentle, kind and brilliant man who spoke seven languages and found his way in British-controlled Iraq in the 1920's and 30's by working for the British Mandate administration. Given I became a photojournalist that has traveled the world, I would have cherished the chance to learn from his worldliness and share our stories. There are so many questions I want to ask him.⠀ ⠀ On Father's Day I usually am waiting to be acknowledged by my own two children and they rarely disappoint. While I was robbed of a father figure, I've somehow been able to manage being a decent father to my own kids. In this collage, recently created for a new project about fatherhood, baseball and my relationship with my son, three generations of Kashi men are presented. A beautiful old portrait of my father taken in a photo studio in Baghdad in the 1930's, a portrait of my son when he was around 11 years old, and a portrait of me made sometime in the past decade.⠀ ⠀ Father's Day is always a strange day for me, where I'm reminded of what I lost but also reminded of my beautiful children who I have the good fortune to experience life with.⠀ ⠀ @viifoundation @reduxpictures #edkashi #viiphoto #fathersday #fatherson #photocollage

3 x 3 LEGACY PRINT SALE | I am launching a summer print sale of photographs from three monumental projects in my archive. These are photographs that hold profound significance for me and I am excited to share them with you.⠀ ⠀ All three prints can be purchased as a set for $275, or each individual print for $100. The print sale ends on July 13. Head to the link in my bio for more info!⠀ ⠀ THE GOLDEN QUADRILATERAL | India 2007⠀ ⠀ Former Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee once said, "Normally, roads have some potholes. In my constituency, the potholes have some roads."⠀ ⠀ That was the case before his government embarked on a National Highway Development Program. In 1998, India began the ambitious Golden Quadrilateral Highway project, with the first leg due to be completed by 2007. This 3,625 mile project, aimed to connect the major cities of India: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. This work provides an intimate look at the country's new expressway as it accelerates its economy into the 21st century. Challenging India's ties to its past, The Golden Quadrilateral is a metaphor for the modernization of this ancient country.⠀ ⠀ Captions:⠀ 1) A young boy tends to his herd of water buffalo under a modern, massive bridge that now extends over the sacred Ganges River in Muratganj, India in 2007.⠀ 2) Villagers celebrate the Ganpati Festival in honor of Lord Ganesh in Vadhav, India in 2007.⠀ 3) A monkey entertains passing motorists by the Haryana/Uttar Pradesh border toll plaza in India in 2007. @viifoundation @reduxpictures #viiphoto #printsale #edkashi #india #indiaphotography #photojournalism

Visual Riffs: Beach life⠀⠀ As spring turns to summer, for many it means spending time on a beach, enjoying the cool breeze and water. Photographing beach scenes presents its own challenges and I've spent many hours of many days trying to make images on beaches around the world. Whether documenting a dramatic baptism on the beaches of Durban, South Africa, or trying to capture an epic scene of shipbreakers in Pakistan, to Russian sunbathers or a Ukrainian musician in Crimea, beach life in my mind is more than just relaxing, having fun or tanning. This compilation of beach scenes represents the wide spectrum of life spent by the water.⠀ ⠀ Captions: 1. An ethnically mixed group of teens shower at the Le Prophete, a popular beach in Marseille, France in 2011.⠀ 2. In the fishing village of Sainte Luce in Madagascar in 2010, fishermen return with their early morning catches of mostly lobsters and assorted fish. The lobsters are for export to the European market. The lobster and fish catches are reduced and the fishermen have to go farther out to sea then they have traditionally. This has made their work more dangerous and reflects a growing threat to their livelihoods.⠀ 3. Sunbather at the Yalta Hotel Beach in Crimea, Ukraine in 1993.⠀ 4. Tradition and change for the Zulu people of South Africa in 1998. Students enjoy an afternoon at the Durban beach. During the Apartheid years, this beach was segregated for whites only.⠀ 5. A man plays a recorder by the shore at the Fox Bay Campsite in Kurortnoe, Crimea, Ukraine in 1993. @viifoundation @reduxpictures #edkashi #viiphoto #beachlife #beachscenes #streetphotography #streetscenes

Visual Riffs: Beach life⠀ ⠀ As spring turns to summer, for many it means spending time on a beach, enjoying the cool breeze and water. Photographing beach scenes presents its own challenges and I've spent many hours of many days trying to make images on beaches around the world. Whether documenting a dramatic baptism on the beaches of Durban, South Africa, or trying to capture an epic scene of shipbreakers in Pakistan, to Russian sunbathers or a Ukrainian musician in Crimea, beach life in my mind is more than just relaxing, having fun or tanning.⠀ ⠀ I remember one very early morning on the beaches of Beirut running into Palestinian jockeys who routinely would take their horses out for exercise, or watching a shy group of South African girls in their school uniforms taking in the beach of Durban, or the at times uncomfortable experience of trying to photograph the multicultural scene on the beaches of Marseille, France.⠀ ⠀ This compilation of beach scenes represents the wide spectrum of life spent by the water.⠀ ⠀ Captions:⠀ 1. Beirut is a city with a historic passion for horses and gambling. Here a riding teacher has a workout on his Arabian mount on the beach in 1996.⠀ 2. Old cargo vessels are intentionally run aground on Gadani Beach, then are fully disassembled by shipbreakers in Pakistan in 1998. Salvageable materials and items are then sold.⠀ 3. Sunbathers at the Yalta Hotel Beach in Crimea, Ukraine in 1993.⠀ 4. A young couple enjoys the beach of Le Catalan in Marseille, France in 2011.⠀ 5. The US-Mexican border wall near Chula Vista, California in 2020. @reduxpictures @viifoundation #edkashi #beachscenes #photojournalism #documentaryphotography #viiphoto #beachphotography

Visual Riffs: "You looking at me?"⠀ ⠀ Captions:⠀ ⠀ 1. Baghdad, Iraq 2003. Amar Arkhaim Abbas Al Samurrai, a Baath party member on the run, whose father was mistakenly killed while driving Amar's car. Also pictured is his younger brother Uday.⠀ ⠀ 2. Nembe, Nigeria 2006. Bayelsa State gubernatorial candidate Chief Timipre Sylva holds a campaign event. Local chiefs, supporters and townsfolk come out for this rare political event.⠀ ⠀ 3. Muratganj, India 2007. A woman stands in front of a herd of water buffalo under a modern, massive bridge that now extends over the sacred Ganges river.⠀ ⠀ 4. Ereinbeh, Jordan 2013. Refugee children gather by the fire in the middle of the desert between the Syrian and Iraqi borders. @viifoundation @reduxpictures #edkashi #viiphoto #photojournalism #documentaryphotography

This September, I'll be teaching a street photography workshop with @eyesinprogress in Amsterdam. ⠀ ⠀ Amsterdam holds a special place in my heart, as I had the incredible opportunity to call it home for a part of last year. I'm looking forward to going back and photographing this one-of-a-kind city once again.⠀ ⠀ Through this workshop, you'll learn and practice street photography techniques, identify the strong points of your creative approach in street photography, master portraiture in the urban landscape and more.⠀ Sign up by June 20th for a special early bird discount. ⠀ Head to the link in my bio to learn more and sign up!⠀ @viifoundation @reduxpictures #edkashi #viiphoto #streetphotography#eyesinprogress #streetphotographyamsterdam

Visual Riffs: "You looking at me?"⠀ ⠀ I strive to disappear and find candid moments as a photojournalist. I want the line between documenter and documented to disappear. But that's not always possible, and as the years pass by, I've come to appreciate the layers of meaning that eye contact adds to a photograph.⠀ ⠀ This series is drawn from my archive, featuring a collection of photographs often rejected during the editing process because someone in the frame is looking straight into the camera or at me. Representing a look back at my work through this unusual prism, this series also demonstrates how the public sometimes reacts to photographers. I've come to appreciate the power and agency eye contact gives to the subjects in my photographs.⠀ ⠀ Captions:⠀ ⠀ 1. Jos, Nigeria 2013. A Muslim woman stares at the camera as she walks through the street in the neighborhood of Ali Kazaure.⠀ ⠀ 2. Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan 2005. Mirrors in the Citadel Frame Shop, opposite Arbil's historic citadel, reflect the movements and energy of this prospering and peaceful Kurdish city in northern Iraq.⠀ ⠀ 3. Afrin, Syria 1991. A nervous Kurdish bride starts her chaotic ride to her wedding.⠀ ⠀ 4. Marseille, France 2010. Street scenes in the Noailles district.⠀ ⠀ @viifoundation @reduxpictures #edkashi #viiphoto #photojournalism #eyecontact #visualriffs

I recently had the opportunity to return to Kurdistan to teach a workshop with @the_raw_society. The story of the Kurds has been seminal in my work and personal life. It's what brought me to the Middle East for the first time, and Iraq was the birthplace of my parents. It was also my first experience seeing the devastation up close of Saddam Hussein's Anfal campaign of genocide against the Kurds in Iraq.⠀ Returning today you see a region in control of its own destiny to a large degree, a land that is secure and safe for the Kurds to dress as they like, whether modern or traditional, speak and teach their language, build an economy and rebuild their region.⠀ ⠀ It was inspiring and deeply moving to be in a place, so rare these days, in a world that had witnessed so much destruction and misery in the past and is now thriving and peaceful. In these carousels are images of daily life, where I was not looking for the problems or the impact of war, but the simple, sweet moments of a people living in peace and security.⠀ ⠀ @viifoundation @reduxpictures #viiphoto #edkashi #streetphotography #therawsociety #kurdistan #iraqikurdistan