A photography community by peace, security, and development professionals that bring you closer to the field
The FPC Community is at the core of what we do. FPC is a platform for publishing photo essays as well as plan activities such as lectures and exhibitions. Exhibitions are either based on previously published photo essays or in cooperation with inspiring photographers and friends. All events are open to the public and announced on our website and social media.
Click on the thumbnail to read more about each FPC contributor.
Sorted by surname.
Photo by Erin Floyd
I've been interested in photography since I was 15 years old and took a course in analogue photography in my small hometown in Sweden. This love for old-fashioned photography carried over into my work in the peacebuilding sector and the years I've spent living and travelling in the Middle East, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa - in fact, in the years that followed, my only digital camera has been my phone! I have to say that I still prefer large-format cameras that make a profound sound when a moment is captured. Though I am trying my best to slowly transition into utilising modern technology, while at the same time keeping the edits to a bare minimum to preserve the moment as it was.
I enlisted with an agency within the security sector when I was 19 years old, little did I know that I was about to discover so many places in my country and abroad in the line of duty. I am totally enthralled with people and their stories and I believe that my job as a professional is to do my utmost to come to their aid and as a greenhorn photographer is to tell their stories through pictures.
“Since 2003, when I bought my first Digital SLR, I have worked for the UN, EU and various NGOs. My work has taken me to the Middle East, Latin America, Central and Eastern Asia, Western Africa as well as the Caucasus. The camera has not only been a creative outlet but also an increasingly important companion in a perceived need to keep the world close. Most importantly, photography has become an excellent vehicle for documenting the things I feel strongly about - my development and humanitarian work.”
Fallckolm has over 15 years of experience in international peace, security and development cooperation. He has worked with both the UN, EU and Folke Bernadotte Academy (the Swedish agency for peace and security) in countries such as Afghanistan, Senegal, Georgia and Myanmar. He is also the co-founder of FPC and founder of Sustainable Development Group International and SDGI Consulting - Sweden where he has developed a Photography Training for Peace, Security and Development Monitoring. He is a Leica Fotografie International featured photographer. Read more on his website.
Saima has dedicated almost two decades to working in more than 48 countries plagued by conflict, violence, poverty or injustice. Her international humanitarian and development experience include providing culturally sensitive psychological first aid and counseling, ensuring and protecting human and asylum seeker rights, combating sexual and gender-based violence, corporate governance and transparency as well as civil society capacity building.
Her photography has documented and invited people to get a glimpse of the human stories behind what has been labeled a refugee ‘crisis’, war in Yemen, Iraq, elections and education in Tanzania, life after Ghaddafi in Libya, female infanticide in Pakistan, ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas in Myanmar, Shia and Sufi religious traditions, Syrians and Palestinians seeking safety in Jordan, sexual violence in USA and has followed South Asian migrants chasing their dreams in Europe and the Middle East.
Growing up as a refugee I learnt early on to adapt to changing situations. It was a survival strategy to not attract attention, to not get lost, to not be seen, to not let my insecurity touch the surface. This experience has enabled me to get close to challenging situations and to become part of the story that I want to tell. For a brief moment I can stop being the observer and become part of the universe that is presented to me. Once I have absorbed the situation and found the space that allows my presence, I can take out my camera and start capturing the moment. To me, the challenge with photography is establishing a meaningful connection with the subjects to allow them to reveal their vulnerability, which is the core of our humanness.
My upbringing has shaped my career path. I have travelled to Afghanistan to conduct research for my PhD and returned again as an employee of a development agency. Both rolls showed me different aspects of life: The simplicity and warmth of family settings on the one side and constrictions of living in a compound on the other side. The vulnerability of being a solo traveller and the exposure of driving through the city in an armoured vehicle. The pressure to comply to social rules and the loneliness from being perceived as the superior foreigner holding a power position.
All photos I have published here were taken when I was in Afghanistan to undertake research for my PhD. I was extremely fortunate to have met people who supported my endeavour. I am forever grateful for their generosity and indebted to the kindness they have shown me.
Armin Moesinger is a development aid worker from Vienna, with a passion for portrait photography. He grew up in a small village in the countryside and after high school started to work as an engineer. He spent long periods working on oil fields in North Africa, and the encounter with poor people there changed his life completely. He decided to go to Vienna to study International Development because he wanted to become a development social worker and dedicate his life to vulnerable communities. For 10 years he has been working for the Austrian aid organization SONNE-International, which implements social projects in India, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Through his social commitment abroad he discovered his passion for portrait photography. During his project trips he has the opportunity to portray extraordinary people from remote regions and document their unusual lives. Thanks to his experience with different cultures and his individual approach he is able to create authentic portraits with a very special effect on the viewer. His pictures, essays and photo exhibitions tell untold stories and raise awareness for almost forgotten crises. His photo stories have already been published in various recognized newspapers and magazines.
Writing this short bio gives me time to also reflect. What is it I love about travelling? Maybe my pictures will give hints and some answers. I’m working at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, a job that takes me places and gives me opportunities to explore and discover. My heart beats for the Middle East, Italy and Norway. Using the camera in my mobile a lot, because it’s practical and I always carry it with me, but lately I’ve been inspired to take my old Nikon out.
Chris Peken is a Sydney born, Yangon based photographer. He worked for print media in Sydney for the 14 years and now lives and works in Yangon, Myanmar, where he works in media capacity building and community media development. He has shot in Italy, Indonesia, India, the United States, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Kenya and Tanzania.
He has had five solo exhibitions – User Friendly: The Faces of NUAA, Seeking Refuge, The Lost Boys of Sudan, Face of St Mary's and Exposed – and a photo book on life in Kibera, Nairobi's biggest slum.
He works primarily in medium format black and white film.
Gry has lived and worked in Palestine/ Israel, Sudan, Egypt, Pakistan and Northern Iraq. She has been working with coordination of humanitarian aid. Today she lives in the south of Norway, is married to a Syrian man and her field of work is integration of refugees, cross-cultural issues and identity in diaspora.
I have always been fascinated by stories. When I grew up, my father used to spend hours by my bedside, making up stories about characters from all over the world – of good and evil, bravery, life and death. Sometimes we would also have visitors who told us amazing tales from far away countries. These stories had a deep impact on me.
When I grew up I started traveling, and then working abroad – in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Meanwhile I would also write: articles, chronicles and later on fiction. However. It’s not until recently that I have discovered what a powerful storytelling-tool photography can be. Not only has my camera opened up doors to people and places that I would have never seen otherwise, but it’s also become an important way for me to share these realities and stories.
Photo by Miguel Herranz
When I grew up I was driven by a dream. A dream to make a difference. I wanted to work for the UN. I grew up in a suburb in the outskirts of Stockholm where there were not many prospects for dreaming but I knew I wanted more. When I was 19 years old I went to Egypt against all odds. I fell in love and stayed for 3 years. Little did I know this was the beginning of my long journey living and working abroad getting to meet fantastic people and leaving parts of my heart around the world. Since then I have lived and worked in Palestine, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Bosnia. Mainly with development aid. I early on loved taking pictures. I wanted to tell a story of the people I saw. Many like me feel a bit lost when returning back "home" with lots of stories to tell. I wanted to create a forum where we can inspire each other to do so through our passion for photos and the work we do. When living abroad especially in conflict zones it is difficult talk about what you experience and I believe that pictures can tell more than a million words which helps when there are no words just emotions which is difficult for others to understand. I have taken most of my photos with my iPhone which I think has become a more acceptable tool to use. I try to take pictures that convey a positive message in a difficult environment or a situation.
FPC is a community of likeminded professionals. Passionate about your work, interested in photography and want to showcase the stories you feel strongly about? Sounds like you should join. We welcome and encourage professionals working in peace, security, and development to create and share photo essays from the field.
In order for FPC to be able to publish your work on the FPC website all photos must be taken by you. You must also ensure that you have the right to publish the content you provide to FPC. Please note that by submitting content, you allow FPC to potentially publish and disseminate the material.
FPC reserves the right to review and edit all submitted content. Content of pornographic or defamatory nature will not be considered. FPC further reserves the right to erase any content on our website or flag content on social media outlets if deemed inappropriate. We currently run the platform on a voluntary basis. Hence, there are no costs involved.
Want to contribute to the FPC Platform? There are two steps (1) submit a photo essay for the FPC website and (2) do an Instagram “takeover” for a week. For “takeovers” please see separate instructions.
Photo essays are accepted on a rolling basis. We welcome and encourage applications from all countries and contexts. We accept content from people with (1) experience from working in peace, security, and development; (2) a sincere interest in documenting their work as aspiring photographers; and (3) have a desire to show their work and inspire others.
If you wish to submit a photo essay for the FPC website, please provide us with the following:
A “takeover” entails daily submissions on the FPC Instagram account. The duration of the “takeover is for a week only - one photo per day with a short explanatory text. The images for the “takeover” should be the same and reflect the narrative of the photo essay. For more information about the takeovers please see separate instructions.
FPC does not automatically represent the contributors. All contributors will be informed of and asked if they want to participate in any FPC related activities.
As a contributing photographer you get the following:
Your visibility on the FPC website can be terminated or suspended at any time by sending us an e-mail. This implies that your profile will be removed from the website. Please note that content on social media may remain. Former contributors are welcome to re-join the FPC at any time. However, previously published content will not be re-considered for publication.
FPC reserves the right to terminate or suspend a membership at any point in time.
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Website & graphic profile by fallckolm.com
I'm a story maker and a story teller. I've always been a teller of stories, ever since I lost my two front teeth. But it was only when I discovered the combination of communicating both visually and verbally that I felt complete in my art form. Photography has since become a passion.
And what greater stories are there than from the field, from those shared by people I meet and those observed? I have worked with aid, development and peace making in many countries since my youth and I want to communicate what I see and hear in a way that stimulates reflections on what life is like in the field.
I went from travel and documentary photography to experimenting with mixed media on photographs in the span of 6 years in Sudan. Having started out exploring the capital, Khartoum, with the perspective of a newly returned daughter, clunky Canon A1 camera in hand, pocket full of film rolls and a white school girl scarf wrapped clumsily around my head; I sought positive affirmations. Knowing where I was and who I was, came about through this exploration of the country and its people. I travelled beyond the capital in all directions with field work and personal projects including work for United Nations agencies.
After four collections and several solo exhibitions and contributions to photo books, paired with solid experience in documentary photography for the development and humanitarian aid sectors, I dusted off my khakis and put away my sandals. I set my sights on the global north. In the spring of 2013 I completed a guest student year at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, Sweden. I applied to the college after a surprise interview with Sweden’s public TV channel SVT. My photography and film work has been shown in over 14 countries since 2007. I am currently pursuing project work in Stockholm’s culture sector and raising my two children.
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