After spending nearly half of my life as a photojournalist, working for Reuters News Agency, I would like to share my thoughts and experiences, hoping they will be of help to others interested in this profession.

A photojournalist's job, especially one working for a wire service, is one of the most tense and frustrating professions on the face of this earth. Most of the time, the work is done under duress and in extreme hideous conditions. The photojournalist under continuous stress must still, “get the picture,” and “meet the deadline,” while all the while being concerned about safety.

The job becomes more intense when the photographer is also fully responsible for all the information about the assignment; this is when the assignment becomes a personal nightmare. The tension does not subside after taking the picture and relaying it to meet the deadline. The photojournalist must be objective, accurate and honest in relaying the correct information regarding the image, otherwise, the repercussions could be immense.

The photojournalist has to be intelligent having a sound and rational mind and know when and how to improvise and circumvent in order to be successful. And the photojournalist should do all this with a passion, a sort of James Bond with a camera instead of a gun.

During my 20 years with Reuters I have traveled to all the North African countries, Central Africa, the Gulf, Iraq Iran, and covered most of the major stories in these regions between 1986 and 2006.

The photographs in this exhibition reflect my last ten years on the job. They represent various aspects of daily life, both hard news and soft features. Each has its own special memory and emotional experience.

Photojournalism is a self rewarding profession requiring an inner passion and an acceptance to working under harsh conditions, often experiencing more hardship than comfort.

Aladin Abdel Naby