​We are blessed to work with talented photographers both in Syria and in Canada.

For our Syrian photographers, however, the situation is far more dangerous, as they document life inside conflict.  We are constantly amazed by their talent and bravery and are endlessly grateful and overwhelmed by their support.

The photos on this site have been provided by these artists to support A Tale of Two Cities. 

Sameer Al-Doumy - Douma
Sameer Al-Doumy, is a freelance Syrian photographer born in Douma.

He uses an alias for security reasons. Before the beginning of the war, he was a middle school student focused on his studies and his dream of becoming a doctor. He was in 8th grade when the peaceful uprising started in 2011, but slowly the demonstrations spread and reached his hometown of Douma. His older siblings started documenting the events and uploading videos to the Internet and, as the conflict intensified, he began to help them.

In the middle of 2012, the Syrian regime forces besieged Douma from all sides and began attacking it. The shelling and bombing prevented him from getting to school on the day of his final exams and caused him to fail that year. Security circumstances prevented him from attending school for a whole year, but he eventually managed to continue high school.

For three years, he put his life in danger by filming what was happening for a local publication. He gained a lot of experience, though, and journalism became his passion and interest. In 2014, he became interested in photography and started browsing the Internet for tutorials to learn more. He began working with AFP at the end of 2014 where he began working under a pseudonym to protect himself and his family members.
Hassan Taquldin - Douma
​Hassan Taquldin was enrolled in the Faculty  of mechanical engineering, Damascus University. Following the Syrian Uprising in 2011, Hassan was forced to quit his studies and instead he carried a camera became a self-taught citizen journalist. His first media report was produced in December 2012. He covered many important events in Syria including the chemical attack on his neighborhood in August 2013. Hassan’s work is mainly focused on news related to humanitarian issues and civil society endeavors in the Damascus Countryside. His city, Douma, has been under siege for almost 48 months now. One of his dreams is to be able to continue his education, but he thinks that he will never be able to put his camera down.

Jesus Rivera - Ottawa
Jesus Rivera is an experienced multimedia designer having worked for nine years in audiovisual production. He was attracted to the SecDev Foundation by the possibility to use his passion for applied arts to projects the could really change geopolitical environments, particularly in conflict zones.

Jesus is an award winning photographer and multimedia designer.