Louisville-based photographer Clay Cook recently shot one of the most intense, life-changing projects of his life. He traveled to Iraq to highlight the thousands of families that are finally able to return to their homes in Qaraqosh after being overtaken by ISIS.
In 2014, ISIS swept through many cities near Mosul, Iraq. One of those cities was Qaraqosh, which had the largest Christian population in the country. ISIS attempted to erase Christianity by burning churches and destroying icons. In one night, 70,000 people left, and those who remained faced the grim fate of being thrown into slavery, tortured, or killed. In 2016, the Iraq Army, at last, pushed ISIS out, and people are now able to return to their homes. The city is in ruins and stands as a ghost town. However, different organizations are coming together in an effort to restore the city to what it once was.
Remaining unnamed, a dedicated charity is on a mission to provide relief to these families. They aim to help to rebuild their destroyed homes and communities. Over the past two years, Clay partnered with Nadus Films. They are a non-profit film production company that makes documentaries and promo projects for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They recently partnered with Unseen, which is also a non-profit that provides support for NGOs. The collective goal was to make a 20 to 30-minute documentary. Additionally, they wanted to capture stills to show at fundraisers, speaking engagements, TED talks, etc. These images would serve to raise awareness about the destruction caused by ISIS. Clay was responsible for photographing images to match the equally impactful documentary.
With only three days in Iraq, the team was eager to capture all that they could in the short time they had.
Since they meticulously mapped out and strategically organized everything to a tee, the planning for this trip caused immense stress. The most important thing was keeping the group’s safety top-of-mind throughout the entire process. Luckily for Clay, Courey Deeb, Director of Nadus Films, had an entire narrative he wanted Clay to follow. This relieved Clay of any stresses relating to a shot list of images. The thoughts of security and overall logistics regarding the project swarmed the wider team’s minds. However, there was still a lot of uncertainty regarding the task at hand. Iraq is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world. Clay admits he was fearful, even hesitant, to enter the country.
I’ll never forget flying in – I was really nervous. We had been briefed on every detail and many different plans to go through incase anything went wrong.
With safety being the most significant and crucial factor in this project, the group needed to blend in. Furthermore, Clay had to grow his facial hair and wear clothes that avoided sticking out like a sore thumb amongst others. In addition, restrictions prevented the team from bringing high-profile cameras and film equipment. This left them supplied with minimal items including a camera, on-camera accessories, and a basic lighting kit.
After a successful landing, the team didn’t waste any time and began capturing content, almost immediately. Armed with security and translators to help them along the way, they interviewed many people over the course of the three days and visited the destroyed towns. As victims were brave enough to share their traumatic stories, the group listened. Additionally, they discreetly continued to capture footage to illustrate the state of loss these native people have suffered through. Importantly, the team was careful not to become too invasive with their questions. Many of the people they had the chance to connect with, understandably, have PTSD from such trauma. For Clay, it was about being strong for others and doing exactly what he needed to which was to create effective and heartfelt images.
It wasn’t about being a photographer, I was more interested in the aftermath of war, going into a zone that had already been destroyed and helping people pick themselves up off the ground.
In the end, such an intense, unpredictable project proved to be a fantastic and life-changing experience for Clay, which he will never forget. He was thrilled to be a part of such a moving project. Additionally, he had the chance to capture behind-the-scenes footage and images to help spread awareness about the trauma local people suffer from, and the physical devastation that remains in many Iraq communities.
Since its inception in 2014, this Iraqi NGO has served nearly 16,000 Iraqi people. This year, with the help of our content, the organization helped move 1,929 Iraqi people from crisis to reconstruction, and eventually to sustainable living through relief aid and development programming.
See more of Clay’s photography on his website.
Further Reading
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