Iran Photography
Photography in Iran can be one of the most important reasons for your trip to Iran if you have enough information about the biodiversity of the country and the various ethnic groups in Iran. Depending on the type of photography, the travel time, and the duration of your trip to Iran, you will have different choices. Most photographers have no idea about the opportunities Iran offers for photography compared with other neighboring countries in the Middle East and west of Asia.
If you are interested in anthropology, a great variety of ethnicities living in Iran would provide you with amazing opportunities to capture various portraits for people photography.
If you are interested in Nature and Landscape Photography, the huge size of the country and the variety of climates create multi-type landscapes for photography. Encircling numerous spectacular mountains above 4000 m with spectacular landscapes, vast two deserts of Dsht-e Kavir and Lut, thousands of kilometers of coastlines in the Persian Gulf, Oman Sea, and the Caspian Sea, Hyrcanian UNESCO Forests, Turkmen plain, and huge size of Iran plateau give an extraordinary example of the varied landscapes of Iran for your favorite type of photography.
In this article, we explain the opportunities and the best regions for people and landscape photography in Iran.
People/ Portraits Photography
Iran has 7 various destinations for photography of people which is equal to traveling to 7 different counties for people photography. If you see the map below, you will understand this fact for your special travel photography. Iran is the only destination in the world that allows you to have different ethnicities and nations all together in one country. In western countries, many people immigrate from different countries to make cosmopolitan cities, but the people do not belong to those countries. Here in Iran, the people belong to this soil while they still have their own customs and lifestyle.
Below is the list of the destinations/Ethnic groups that you could take photographs of in just one country of IRAN:
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Iranian Turk (Azari tribes) – Northwest
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Iranian Kurd (Kurdish tribes) – West
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Iranian Arab (Arabian tribes) – Southwest
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Iranian Baluch (Balochi tribes) – Southeast
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Iranian Afghan (Afghan tribes) – Northeastern
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Iranian Turkmen (Turkmen tribes) – Northeast & southeast of the Caspian Sea
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Nomadic tribes (Bakhtiari tribes) – West of Iran & Central Zagros
Except for the last one, you have to travel to 6 different countries to visit these different types of tribes who have totally different clothes, faces, and lifestyles located around all borders of Iran in the neighborhood countries. These regions are different destinations that enable you to have a multi-ethnical photography trip inside of Iran which would be an amazing experience for professional photographers.
Iran Landscape Photography
Iran is the land of different terrains of mountains, deserts, forests, salt lakes, and about 3000 km coastline along the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Oman Sea. These various geographical, geological, and climatic features are ideal for landscape photography. The two mountains range of Alborz and Zagros with around 2300 km total length embracing numerous high peaks above 4000 m altitude is the best reason that makes Iran an important destination for photographers. Iran as a four-season country, with different climates and weather in each season of the year, makes different pictures each month with colorful landscapes in each region. If you are a travel photographer or you would like to get more information about the Best Travel Time to Iran, please check out our post about Iran’s Climate and Weather for Traveling.
The above destinations we categorized for the type of people have also different landscapes which would be amazing for both photography types. Below is the list of main regions that would be on your list of photography spots for landscape photography in Iran:
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Howraman Valley in Kurdistan (UNESCO)
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Turkmen Sahra “Turkmen plain” in Golestan province
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Dasht-e Lut Desert (UNESCO) in Southeast Iran
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Martian Mountains in the south of Balochistan “north of Oman Sea coast”
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Dena Mountains chain and the National Park in the southern part of Zagros
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Zardkuh range in Central Zagros in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province
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Hyrcanian forest landscape (UNESCO) in the southern part of the Caspian Sea
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Golestan National Park “northeast of Iran”
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Highlands of Talesh in Gilan province
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Taftan and Bazman Mountains in Baluchistan
For Landscape photography of any above regions, you have to spend a few days for photography to explore different parts of the region. All regions are located in remote areas far from the main cities.
For some regions, you have to have a hike to reach the best spots for photography. If you have any concerns about any regions or you are interested in travel photography please get in touch!
All about Photography Trips in IRAN is another article related to introducing Iran as a photography destination with FAQs for photographers.
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