Ahmed Jadallah

Ahmed Jadallah

Based
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Born
Gaza, Palestinian Territories
Status
Photographer
“When you get the pictures, it’s the best feeling.”

Beat

I cover everything: politics, the economy, sport, entertainment. Over the last two years, I’ve covered a lot of the Arab revolutions. My last assignment was the war in Gaza.

One Shot

. HOMS, Syria. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah
A Syrian boy stands in front of a damaged armoured vehicle belonging to the Syrian army in a street in Homs.
“I was one of the first Reuters staff photographers to get inside Syria during the ongoing conflict. While we were there, we were supervised by a government monitor, but I managed to escape and get close to the clashes. I gave myself ten minutes, no more, to take these pictures. The monitors thought I was in the hotel. When they found out I wasn’t, they went crazy.”

Profile

Before I became a photographer, I studied science and I worked as a teacher for a few months, but it was my dream to be a journalist. I started with a local newspaper in Gaza, and then I worked in TV as a cameraman and producer. At that point, I met two friends who were professional photographers and I started to work with them: I would guide them through Gaza and they would teach me photography.

I started with Reuters in 1992 at the time of the Palestinian intifada (uprising) and my first big assignment was when Yasser Arafat returned to Gaza in 1994. I was one of 300 or 400 photographers waiting for this big story, but I was lucky because I could move around easily and get some good photos. The New York Times sent out two or three photographers, but they used one of our Reuters shots on the cover.

I got injured very badly in 2003 while working in Gaza – the picture I took at the time won the World Press Photo award. After that, I moved to Dubai, which gave me a break from the violence until I recovered. Now I’m back covering conflicts.

My life has changed after I got injured in 2003. I care about my job but I am also more considerate about my safety.

My assignment in Libya left a big impression on me. It was not easy. I was one of the first Reuters guys to get inside Libya during the revolution. All the time we were monitored by security and it was not easy to go out, but I needed to do my job. It was not an easy assignment for me but it was exciting – it’s part of my job. When you get the pictures, it’s the best feeling.

I like covering all sorts of assignments. I have just come out from the Gaza War and the clashes in Egypt, and now I’m back in Dubai covering the rugby season. As I mentioned, I can find myself covering several different stories on completely opposite ends of the spectrum all in the same week, one day in a war zone with harsh conflicts, the next day on a red carpet covering glamour during a film festival, or on centre court covering the action of a tennis championship.

I trust my colleagues, my brothers and friends. Without the support of my family, I could not do my job.