NOOR is an international

photo A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now created ...

agency and

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

owned and directed by the member photographers under a

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

model. It is headquartered in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, with photographers based worldwide. The agency is known for producing independent visual reports that stimulate positive social change, and impact views on human rights and other issues of global concern.

History

NOOR Images was launched in 2007 at Visa pour l’Image festival by the former managing director Claudia Hinterseer and member photographers

Pep Bonet Pep is energy or high spirits; it may refer to: * Pep band, an ensemble of instrumentalists * Pep, the dog in ''Putt-Putt'' (series) * Neilson Dairy confectionery brand * Pep, New Mexico * Pep, Texas * Pep Cereal, by Kellogg * Pep Comics, by MLJ ...

, Stanley Greene, Yuri Kozyrev, Kadir van Lohuizen, Francesco Zizola and former members

Jan Grarup Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

, Samantha Appleton, Philip Blenkinsop and

Jodi Bieber Jodi Bieber (born 1966) is a South African photographer. Her photograph of Bibi Aisha, a woman from Afghanistan whose ears and nose were severed by her husband and brother-in-law, was selected as the World Press Photo of the Year in 2010. Early ...

. The agency later received new members:

Jon Lowenstein Jon Lowenstein (born January 16, 1970) is an American documentary photographer, filmmaker, and visual artist. His work focuses on confronting the complex issues of wealth inequality, structural racism, and violence. His extensive body of work ha ...

in 2008, Nina Berman in 2009,

Alixandra Fazzina Alixandra Fazzina (born 1974) is a British photojournalist. Her first book is ''A Million Shillings – Escape from Somalia.'' In 2008 she was the recipient of the Vic Odden Award from the Royal Photographic Society. In 2010 she won the UNHCR's ...

in 2010, and Andrea Bruce in 2011, Bénédicte Kurzen in 2013, Sebastián Liste and Asim Rafiqui in 2014, and Tanya Habjouqa and Robin Hammond in 2016. As of August 2015, Clément Saccomani is the new managing director of the agency. In March 2009, the NOOR Foundation launched its first masterclass in documentary photography in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, inviting 15 African photojournalists from seven countries. Since then, the NOOR Foundation has organized workshops, masterclasses, seminars, lectures and other educational activities, in

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(2010),

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

(2011)

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

(2011),

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

(2012),

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

(2013),

Bayeux Bayeux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northwestern France. Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts ...

(2013, 2015),

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

(2014),

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

(2015) and

(2015). NOOR works in close collaboration with educational organizations and professional photographers, all experienced teachers and lecturers in documentary photography.

Photographers

Climate Change by NOOR

Climate Change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

by NOOR is a long-term group project that focuses on two issues. The first, ‘Consequences by NOOR’ is an eyewitness record of the devastating effects of climate change around the globe. Produced in the autumn of 2009, these visual reportages show not ‘what might happen’ in the future but what is happening right now, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the issues at stake. NOOR continued the project in autumn 2010, with 'Solutions' a visual project investigating what is and what can be done to slow down or reverse climate change. This focuses on human stories about alternative power sources, renewable energies, and attempts to alleviate, adjust or cope with the rise of global temperatures, the biggest challenge our world has ever faced.

Urban Survivors by NOOR

In 2011, NOOR partnered with

Doctors Without Borders Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

to raise an

awareness campaign Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause o ...

on the living conditions in the urban settlements around the world. The project has been executed in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Pakistan, Honduras and South Africa by seven NOOR photographers with the aim of casting a light on the challenges that overpopulation is setting up for the future. The project resulted in the Urban Survivors web documentary made by Darjeeling Productions featuring photo-films – the website was nominated for the 2012

Webby Awards The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...

– and a travelling photo exhibition.

The New Brazil by NOOR

The New Brazil is a group project by NOOR photographers focusing on the fast development that Brazil is experiencing in recent years. Through a multifaceted approach, NOOR photographers put a spotlight on this growing and complex modern society, creating an eyewitness record of the many faces of the world’s fifth largest country, both geographically and in population count, and the seventh – and fastest growing – economic power on the planet. The New Brazil has been produced by NOOR photographers in 2012 and consists of 8 different features.

Za'atari by NOOR

The Syrian war has created an unprecedented refugee crisis with millions of Syrians displaced. Nearly 100,000 refugees live on a stretch of land in northern Jordan at the Za’atari camp, now the second largest refugee camp in the world. Located 12 kilometers from the Syrian border, the camp opened with just 100 families in July 2012. In December 2013 – January 2014, four NOOR photographers documented life at Za’atari. Around 100 of these photographs were then printed larger than life and pasted on 120 meters of the camp’s security walls as a way to humanize the architecture and give visitors and stakeholders an immediate impression of the people and life inside. The Za’atari project was a collaboration between UNHCR, JEN, and produced by Nina Berman.

References

External links

NOOR Photo Agency

NOOR Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:NOOR Images Artist cooperatives Photojournalism organizations Dutch photography organisations Cooperatives in the Netherlands Companies based in Amsterdam Photo agencies