Prints for afghanistan – A fundraising photography campaign

Mark Parrish presents his debut photography campaign ‘Prints for Afghanistan’, with a selection of previously unseen images that have been some 45 years in the making.
Photo: Kabul street scene This could have been made in 1877 rather than 1977. Despite American and Russian investment in Afghan infrastructure, much of Kabul remained as it had been for centuries. Alleyways had changed little – shops, workshops, stalls, and warehouses were crammed together in wood and mud buildings and sprawling markets were piled high with wares of every kind, tradesmen shouting and gesturing, the noise and smell of animals mingled with herbs, spices, fruit, vegetables, raw meat and all manner of other products for sale.

Mark Parrish presents his debut photography campaign ‘Prints for Afghanistan’, with a selection of previously unseen images that have been some 45 years in the making.

In 1977, Mark travelled through Afghanistan on a school expedition, taking black and white images on Ilford film using his father’s Canon Canonet and his own Olympus OM1. During his journey from Kabul to the peaks of the Hindu Kush, Mark captured some of the period’s most iconic images. Taken before the unrest of Soviet rule and the resultant Mujahadeen rebellion (which followed mere months after the images were taken), Mark’s pictures depict a country at ease with its traditions, its neighbours, and its place in the world.

Photo: Kabul street scene
This could have been made in 1877 rather than 1977. Despite American and Russian investment in Afghan infrastructure, much of Kabul remained as it had been for centuries. Alleyways had changed little – shops, workshops, stalls, and warehouses were crammed together in wood and mud buildings and sprawling markets were piled high with wares of every kind, tradesmen shouting and gesturing, the noise and smell of animals mingled with herbs, spices, fruit, vegetables, raw meat and all manner of other products for sale.

 

In the wake of the Taliban’s recent takeover of Afghanistan and shaken by the horrifying scenes of displacement and desperation that have resulted, Mark has teamed up with his son, Thomas, to clean and re-scan negatives, and to re-touch and release these images in print form to raise money in support of aid efforts on the ground.

A selection of 5 framed archival prints are on sale now for £125 each, or all 5 for £550 with proceeds going to AfghanAid to aid their ‘emergency support to deliver things like food parcels, hygiene kits, kitchen packs, emergency shelter for families who have lost their homes; and financial support for families whose lives have been uprooted by the conflict.’

This project aims to not only raise funds to support these efforts, but also to preserve a memory of Afghanistan unseen in today’s conversations. A memory of a people full of pride and prosperity, uninhibited by war, as it was before.

“I hope these images remind us of the innocence of the Afghan people: as welcoming and peaceful first, in a country torn by war and destruction second.” – Mark Parrish

Photo: Kabul tailors
The alleyways of Kabul were an eye opener for a teenager from England: shops, workshops, stalls, and warehouses were crammed together in earth-brown buildings and sprawling markets were piled high with wares of every kind. Trades were clustered in the same area: this tailor was in ‘Sewing Street’, where you could get any clothes repaired or made from a row of similar establishments, small open fronted huts with a sewing machine, cloth optional (you could buy it elsewhere) and more Afghans than seemed capable of squeezing into the space. It made it easy for the customer and competitive for the tradesmen, but didn’t seem to affect their cheerful demeanour and the ever present ‘hey Mister, come to my shop..’ followed by an offer of tea.

Photo: No room inside
We headed northeast from Kabul into the provinces of Kunar and then Nuristan, the ‘land of light’, previously known as Kafiristan. The foothills of the Hindu Kush appeared in the distance and the tarmacced road was replaced by what was generously described as a ‘stabilised gravel surface’, producing a bumpy ride. So bumpy that our truck battery short circuited and caught fire, causing an impromptu stop. Sitting beside the road while repairing the damage and having a cup of tea we were regularly passed by these ubiquitous Toyota Land Cruisers, the workhorses of the region, covering us in dust while their passengers clung on like limpets, making maximum use of all space.

Photo: Nuristani children
We arrived in Bargematal, the village at the end of the road into Nuristan, on 17 July, the day of celebrations marking the overthrow of the Afghan monarchy in 1973. Our ex-Army Bedford truck was apparently the largest vehicle to ever make it up the road, which explained our average speed of five miles an hour and that we’d destroyed three of our four spare tyres. We were surrounded by crowds of Nuristanis who had travelled to the village for a day of competition and festivities: our arrival added extra interest and excitement to the noise, flag waving, music and smells of roasting food. These children were watching the celebrations from a good vantage point as they could keep an eye on us and the sporting events.

Photo: Nuristani wrestling
The village of Bargematal was at the end of the road into Nuristan in northeast Afghanistan. We arrived on a public holiday and were greeted by crowds of Nuristanis who had travelled for a day of competition and festivities including dancing, putting the shot (in fact a rock) and wrestling, the wiry Nuristanis excelling with their strength and technique, surrounded by the crowd in Chitrali hats. We entered the competition: our champion was swiftly defeated but his opponent, the judge and the spectators admired the spirit and it helped us be accepted by the community. Russia invaded Afghanistan a year later and many of these villagers would have become mujahideen, making Nuristan almost impregnable for the next 40 years.

About Mark Parrish

Mark is a British/Australian photographer who discovered his love of imagery during his school days in the era of film and fixer. In the decades that have followed, Mark and his cameras have travelled widely, from Afghanistan to India, China to Egypt, Sudan, Pakistan, the Antarctic and beyond, where he has taken some of the regions’ most iconic images.

From expeditions to remote parts of the world to a doctor in two Navies, Mark has combined his career with his love of documentary photography. His photographs depict people and places in a light unseen since the digital takeover.

More Stories

The Cattle Camps of South Sudan by Trevor Cole

The Cattle Camps of South Sudan by Trevor Cole

The Mundari cattle camp, seldom visited by outsiders, is quite simply incredible. I saw Sebastiao Salgado’s photos of these camps years ago and there was little change that I could see.
Soap opera by Fang Tong

Soap opera by Fang Tong

The soap opera format is a form of performance which most appropriately reflects a current state of life. The stage is always full of charm for me.
Germinating by Wesley Dombrecht

Germinating by Wesley Dombrecht

The idea started with a fascination for the germinating process of dried beans. In this series I want to give the viewer a different look at a product, which they usually see as just a dried product to cook with
https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bannerpr.jpg

We invite you to participate in the first edition of the Portrait Photography Awards. Our call is open to any artistic interpretation of portrait photography.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BAnImage.jpg

ImageRights provides intelligent image search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies and professional photographers worldwide.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/mono2022.jpg

The best 100 images along with the winning images published in the yearly book “Monochromatic – Best Photographers of 2022”

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/banner24.jpg

Call For Entries #24 | After 23 editions and more than 100 published photographers, our print edition has proven to be a simply effective promotional channel.

Five minutes with Le Turk

Five minutes with Le Turk

Le Turk was born one night simply when listening by chance to Bach's Saint John Passion, nice and loud in headphones.Nothing else matters than that major awakening, that ground-breaking moment.
Five minutes with Ruedi Beckmann

Five minutes with Ruedi Beckmann

This is why I have always taken a particular liking to Diane Arbus and her statement »A photograph is a secret about a secret.« I don't see a picture, I see a story. Often some different opinions. And sometimes a development.
A Place Called Manly, a Place Called Home by Thomas James Parrish

A Place Called Manly, a Place Called Home by Thomas James Parrish

After three years in London - a year of which was spent confined within my East London share house as the pandemic ran its relentless course - I decided it was time to come home.
Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh by Larry Louie

Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh by Larry Louie

As of January 2018, about 1 million Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar has settled in overcrowded informal camps near Cox Bazaar in Bangladesh. It is estimated over 580,000 are children. The lucky ones are with family who could protect them. 
The Rohingyas: A People Without A Home by Probal Rashid

The Rohingyas: A People Without A Home by Probal Rashid

The new arrivals are scattered in different locations in south-eastern Bangladesh. More than 30,000 Rohingya are estimated to have sought shelter in the existing refugee camps of Kutupalong and Nayapara.
Vertical buildings; Architectural photography by Lorenzo Linthout

Vertical buildings; Architectural photography by Lorenzo Linthout

Vertical Buildings is a photographic project, created by the Italian architect Lorenzo Linthout, that concerns slender european architectures in the sky, decontextualized from the urban context.
North Carolina; To Be, Rather Than to Seem by Jefferson Caine Lankford

North Carolina; To Be, Rather Than to Seem by Jefferson Caine Lankford

The American South has an essence that sparingly reveals itself, thus requiring unprecedented determination and patience to photograph all its splendor.
Interview with Dejan Mijovic ; Finalist in our Black & White 2019

Interview with Dejan Mijovic ; Finalist in our Black & White 2019

A lot of quality photos I already made of my relatives. That means I did the opposite of how usually projects are made. After years of photographing my relatives and family and a lot of good photos of elders I decided that I have to do something with them.
Interview with Patrizia Burra; published in our print edition #19

Interview with Patrizia Burra; published in our print edition #19

Patrizia Burra brings together the Renaissance Classicism with the latest and the most modern Instagram aesthetics. Her concept of female expression and beauty transforms the obscurity of realism into the light of fantasy, creating new characters with her digital masterpieces.
iTaiwan by Radu Diaconu

iTaiwan by Radu Diaconu

This project is the result of the 6 months that I lived in Taiwan in 2014 and 2015. My intent was to portray Taiwan through my iPhone, the iconic photography instrument that people use everyday to shoot their surroundings
Aleksandar Gligoric ; Fashion Photography

Aleksandar Gligoric ; Fashion Photography

Aleksandar Gligoric was born in 1979. Ever since he was a child, he has expressed great interest in different forms of art, especially music, fine literature, cinema and photography.
Ethiopia – Change in the Valley by Matilda Temperley

Ethiopia – Change in the Valley by Matilda Temperley

The fate of the Omo Valley was sealed in 2006 when, upstream of the valley’s arterial Omo river, the Ethiopian government began constructing the ‘Pride of Ethiopia’
Anatomy of a photography by Hiroshi Watanabe

Anatomy of a photography by Hiroshi Watanabe

I work in the traditional darkroom and make silver gelatin prints just like old days. Prints are then toned in diluted sepia toner for archival purpose and split-tone-like tonality.
Takako Fukaya ; Metamorphose-Transformation

Takako Fukaya ; Metamorphose-Transformation

In this series, I am photographing my eldest daughter who is turning 13. She lives a good life, lacking in nothing, and I see her growing daily, mentally and physically, from her gestures, words, and attitudes.
Metaversic world by Byoung Ho Rhee

Metaversic world by Byoung Ho Rhee

With the innovation of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence in the 21st century, the world of metaverse is being witnessed around our lives such as games and movies. The age of mixing virtual with reality. In the metaverse world, the cyberspace where virtual and reality are harmonized is called mixed reality MR.
Lovers by Ljubica Denkovic

Lovers by Ljubica Denkovic

Bodies beaten by beauty reside within the cages of their own emotions, but they are also interwoven with other bodies. The cruel secret of attraction joins those bodies together.

Featured Stories

Joxe Inazio Kuesta ; Just a simple glance trapped in an image?

Joxe Inazio Kuesta ; Just a simple glance trapped in an image?

This reality can be a landscape for some, a portrait for others, a building for others, etc. ... In my case, the type of photography I do is street photography and documentary, and the main goal of almost all of them is the human being, and more specifically their glances.
Aaron Sehmar ; In-between moments

Aaron Sehmar ; In-between moments

Aaron Sehmar - Fine art photography allows me to be able to come up with ideas for images that are a lot more conceptual, where the end result is more of a catalyst for a larger discussion about various topics, such as the purpose of photography, hyperreality, artifice and displacement.
Photographs; North Carolina State Fair by Avery Danziger

Photographs; North Carolina State Fair by Avery Danziger

I have been photographing the North Carolina State Fair since the early 70's. One of my oldest memories was the yearly outing of my family going to the State Fair in North Carolina, starting when I was 6 year old.... 
Havana by David Saxe

Havana by David Saxe

Havana is a city suspended in time, where life slowly drifts to a steady salsa beat. People are civil and friendly—they will argue baseball in the park, walk along the Malecon, make love, marry, and raise families
Shadow Of White by Nicola Ducati

Shadow Of White by Nicola Ducati

A photographic project to discover the deep north and the people who have inhabited these hostile territories for millennia, once uncontaminated and which today face new challenges.
Geometric lines, shapes, patterns and symmetry; Cityscape photography of Jon Deboer

Geometric lines, shapes, patterns and symmetry; Cityscape photography of Jon Deboer

I am a photographer and graphic designer based in Detroit, MI. I moved to the Metro Detroit area in 2006 to attend Lawrence Technological University, and graduated in 2010 with a BFA in Graphic Design
Kazakh eagle hunters & Golden eagle festival by Sanghamitra Sarkar

Kazakh eagle hunters & Golden eagle festival by Sanghamitra Sarkar

The Mongolian eagle hunters are a dying breed. In one estimate there are only fifty or sixty to two hundred and fifty eagle hunters left The golden eagle hunters capture the eaglets at around four months old
Magical macro world by Georgi Georgiev

Magical macro world by Georgi Georgiev

I love street and travel photography but my big passion is macro photography. I am spending all the time i have in nature, capturing the amazing macro world.
Living with albinism; Nude by Justine Tjallinks

Living with albinism; Nude by Justine Tjallinks

Living with albinism not only means an absence of pigmentation in the skin and hair, but also impairment in vision.
Water towers of Luxembourg : A Pictographic Study by Gediminas Karbauskis

Water towers of Luxembourg : A Pictographic Study by Gediminas Karbauskis

Water towers are used to store and distribute water. They are found both in small towns and major cities. Luxembourg is no exception.
Unequally; Urban Women by William Guilmain

Unequally; Urban Women by William Guilmain

The urban space is unequally shared between genders. Patriarchal cultural codes make the street as a place dominated by men. If it is well accepted that men can stay in the street, women only cross it.
June Korea – Still Lives: Eva

June Korea – Still Lives: Eva

I began photographing dolls in 2001 to listen to their voices, and see their secret lives once again as I did in my childhood. And after a few years of inviting them into a photographic world I staged, I started asking myself, “Why do I really photograph dolls?”
Black World by Erberto Zani

Black World by Erberto Zani

It is a dark world that millions of people are forced to work in, made of mines, dust and fear. Characterized by oppression, violence and trampled human rights; where the presence of enormous deposits of minerals transform into a curse for the people through the illegality caused by games of power and corrupt economies.
No man´s land by Tine Poppe

No man´s land by Tine Poppe

Around 3000 rejected and "non-returnable" asylum seekers live in Norwegian asylum reception centres. They remain in an indefinite limbo situation for several years, without permission to work, no right to essential medical care and no possibility to leave for another country.
Kabuki players by Hiroshi Watanabe

Kabuki players by Hiroshi Watanabe

Those Kabuki players seen in the photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan.
The departed by Zhou Yulong

The departed by Zhou Yulong

When my grandfather passed away that year, I stood beside him. The weeping people had gone, and there were only the two of us. He lay there as if he were asleep, and I stood in a trance in a dream.

Trending Stories

Living with God by Abhijit Chakraborty

Living with God by Abhijit Chakraborty

India is synonymous with rich tradition and heritage of religious practices of all religions since time immemorial. Hinduism is one such practice that has grabbed the attention of the rest of the Universe because of various reasons.
How Will We Stand? by Stefani Reynolds

How Will We Stand? by Stefani Reynolds

Romanticized versions of history not only influence the way we look back, they play a prominent role in determining one’s perception of the present. 
Collection of portraits; Created Equal by Mark Laita

Collection of portraits; Created Equal by Mark Laita

In America, the chasm between rich and poor is growing, the clash between conservatives and liberals is strengthening, and even good and evil seem more polarized than ever before.
Kerekes István ; Migrant crisis in Hungarian-Austrian border zone

Kerekes István ; Migrant crisis in Hungarian-Austrian border zone

In 2015 September-October, in 44 days, from Hungarian Röszke and Horgos (southeastern Hungarian border villages with Serbia) come to the Hegyeshalom (western Hungarian border village with Austria) 164 special trains with migrants.
Colombia; From the Bottom to the Hilltop  by Theo Gould

Colombia; From the Bottom to the Hilltop by Theo Gould

13th November 1985 was Colombia’s worst natural disaster. The volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupted near the towns of Armero, Chinchiná and Villamaría, killing around 23,000 people.
Teenagers society; Cruel Story of Youth by Jennifer Loeber

Teenagers society; Cruel Story of Youth by Jennifer Loeber

Grounded in the ideals of a counter-cultural past and freed from the forced constraints of a conventional camp experience, these photographs explore a society of teenagers empowered through otherwise impossible freedoms.
Interview with Ted Chin; Digital Artist.

Interview with Ted Chin; Digital Artist.

Dali is definitely one of my inspirations when I was learning about surreal art. However, jellyfish has nothing to do with his artwork. The gentle floating of clouds and jellyfish creates a sense of calm.
City and Country by Alex Cooke

City and Country by Alex Cooke

Alex Cooke is a portrait, events, and landscape photographer from Cleveland, OH. A musician and mathematician, he found that his artistic inclinations and obsessive attention to detail suited him perfectly to photography.
Street Photography by Christine L. Mace

Street Photography by Christine L. Mace

My artwork explores candid moments and unfiltered interactions humanizing the subject, place or space.  I capture different cultures and walks of life to document the other and uncover the common thread that ties us together.
Another world by Maria Grazia Beruffi

Another world by Maria Grazia Beruffi

Dream, fear, hard work and endless love. This is my nephew's world, but also  many others’  who have a different perception of the reality. It is the so called ”Asperger syndrome", but I would say it is the most mysterious and uncontaminated state of mind. 
NYC Photography by Jan Stojkovic

NYC Photography by Jan Stojkovic

My project NYC is a series of photographs of everyday street life in one of the most iconic cities in the world. I use photography to tell stories about ordinary people in their everyday environment.
Fleeing Death by Szymon Barylski

Fleeing Death by Szymon Barylski

The refugee camp in Idomeni on the Greek-Macedonian border, to which thousands of immigrants, mainly Syrians, are coming. It is occupied by people from different social strata.

Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.