It’s hard to believe that Oakland University senior Salwan Georges is just 10 years removed from fleeing Iraq with his family and living as a refugee in Syria.
Maybe it is because of everything he has seen with his own eyes, that his eye behind a camera lens is so sharp.
Georges’ most recent project began as an Honors College thesis to document the life and struggles of Iraqi-Americans in Dearborn. He shot more than 1,000 images over a six-month time period to illustrate their stories.
Then, some of his photos were selected to be part of the March 5 Washington Post article “Starting over in Dearborn, Michigan: The Arab capital of North America.” Since that article ran, the newspaper has asked him to serve as its Detroit area freelance photographer.
“The Washington Post was the perfect place to tell this story so that people around the world learn about the struggles that refugees face,” Georges said. “Working with their photo editor, Nicole Crowder, was also a great experience. She believed in me and gave me the opportunity to show my work.”
In his role as photo editor for the Oakland Post student newspaper, Georges has the unique ability to tell dramatic stories every week without saying a word.
“The old saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words,” says Holly Shreve Gilbert, journalism instructor and Oakland Post adviser. “If that is the case, Sal has written a novel with the way his photos depict life and activities on our campus. The same can be said for his work in the communities beyond OU.”
Georges has supplemented his photography training as a freelance photographer for the Detroit Free Press, and he will begin an internship there this summer. His work has also appeared in dozens of other publications.
Georges added that his work has been inspired by a host of people who have taken an interest in him personally and professionally. They include: Susan E. Evans, Associate Professor of Art at OU and mentor on his thesis, the entire Journalism department at OU for helping him develop his skills, his first mentor Rob Kangas at Oakland Community College, photographer Ed Kashi of National Geographic for his tips to make the project better, photographer Steve McCurry of National Geographic and the photo staff at the Free Press who continue to support his professional goals and ambition.
Now, that young man who didn’t know for sure that college would be an option for him 10 years ago is aiming to graduate from the Honors College with a journalism degree in May. He will also have an impressive photo portfolio in tow.
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| Salwan Georges in front of one of his images (on computer screen) that was chosen for the Washington Post article on March 5. |