I began this project as a response to what I felt was the general inability of people back home to
comprehend what Iraq is like. Most people have never really seen or felt the effects of war.
Confronted by a level of violence so high that walking on the streets to photograph is tantamount
to suicidal behavior, I found myself confined to working with American soldiers, spending most
of my time going on various missions while looking at the landscape of this broken country. My only
view was through the inches-thick bulletproof window of an Army Humvee.
Do Iraqis see me through these windows? I don't know. But they do see the monstrous convoys
of Humvees coming down the roads of their neighborhoods. Some stop to stare, some jeer,
some cheer (rare), some just go about their business, oblivious to the tons of destructive force
driving by. This view of the Iraqi street is one so rarely seen by the American public, but it is
the most common sight for U.S. soldiers. Do these soldiers see the Iraqis as they speed by? I'm not sure. The goal of this project is to provoke the viewer to continue to ask such
questions and more.
View Iraq Perspectives II: Night Vision »
View additional features on Iraq »