Ako Salemi is an acclaimed photographer and filmmaker based in the United States, with roots tracing back to Bukan, Kurdistan, Iran. With over a decade of experience as a photojournalist and photo editor for prominent Iranian newspapers, Ako has since shifted his focus to freelance documentary photography and filmmaking for international outlets.

His work has been recognized and honored by several prestigious organizations. Notably, one of his photographs was featured among Time Magazine's 29 defining Instagrams of the world in 2014, and he received honorable mentions from Instagram-Getty Images grants in 2015 and 2016. His powerful images have been published worldwide in reputable publications such as Time Lightbox, Time, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian and VOX.

In 2016, Ako was awarded the Persephone Miel Fellowship of Pulitzer Center for his proposal on the climate change crisis in Iran, underscoring his commitment to raising awareness and addressing important global issues through his work. Ako's filmmaking has also earned him acclaim, with his first short documentary winning the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) Award for Best Kids Film in 2020.

Ako Salemi's unwavering passion and artistic vision continue to make a profound impact in the world of photography and film, capturing powerful moments that shed light on important social, cultural, and environmental issues.

Publications

• The Guardian: Ako Salemi’s best phone picture, 2022, UK

• Time: The Visible Effects of Climate Change in Iran, 2017, USA

• Time: On the streets of Tehran with Ako Salemi, 2014, USA

• Time: Exclusive: 29 Instagrams That Defined the World in 2014, 2014, USA

• Arte TV: Iran#NoFilter, Ako Salemi street photography, 2022, France

• New Yorker: A Witness to Iran’s Intensifying Struggle with Climate Change, 2017, USA

• New York Times: The Nuclear Deal, Through Iranians’ Eyes, 2016, USA

• New York Times: Will Iran Descend into Chaos, 2017, USA

• VOX: This is what Climate Change is doing to Iran, 2016, USA

• The Guardian: Getty Images Instagram grant-in pictures, 2015, UK

• Marie Claire: Ako Salemi, photographe en Iran, 2017, France

• Pulitzer Center: 2016: A Year in Photos, 2016, USA

• Konbini: Video: Ako Salemi, One Minute Portrait, 2017, France

• Lens Culture: Collectives Spotlight #1: Hikari Creative, 2016, USA

• Lens Culture: Afghanistan: The Color Awakens, 2015, USA

• Lens Culture: Tehran, City of Hope and Despair, 2016, USA

Books

• Iran In The Frames, Yoga Editions, 2021, Japan

• Street Photography, Groupe Eyrolles, 2017, France

• Life on Instagram, Penguin Random House, 2017, UK

• The Best of Lens Culture VOL. 1, Schilt Publishing, 2017, Netherlands

• Hikari Creative, Out of the Phone, 2016, France

• Tehran, Out of the Phone, 2016, France

• Hikari Creative Chance Encounters, Nazar Art Publication, 2015, Iran

• 1 Camera 100 Photographers, Out of the Phone, 2014, France

Exhibitions

• Water and Oil, LeRoy Neiman gallery, February 2024, Columbia University, NYC , USA

• German Peace Photo Award, Museumsquartier Osnabruck, 2021, Germany

• Getty Images Instagram Grants, Photoville Festival, 2016, USA

• Winners of Photography Competition, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 2016, USA

• Head On Photo Awards, Sydney Living Museums, 2016, Australia

• Sony Photo Awards, Somerset House, 2015, UK

• Mobile Solo Exhibition, No.6 Art Gallery, 2014, Iran

• Hikari Creative in FLAMOB Festival, Museu da Imagem e do Som, 2017, Brazil

• Hikari Creative Chance Encounters, No.6 Art Gallery, 2015, Iran

Awards

• Pulitzer Center Persephone Miel fellow (Winner) 2016, USA

• Getty Images-Instagram grant (Nominee) 2015 & 2016, USA

• Florida Museum of Photographic Arts Awards (Winner) 2016, USA

• Felix Schoeller Peace Photo Award (Nominee) 2021, Germany

• IDFA Award for best children's film (Winner) 2020, Netherlands

• Head On Photo Festival Awards (Winner Mobile) 2016, Australia

• Sony Photography Awards (Winner Mobile section) 2015, UK

• Kuwait Photography Contest (Winner) 2016, Kuwait

• HIPA International Photography Awards (Honorable Mention) 2016, UAE

Films

• Shadegan, 15 minutes, Documentary, 2020

• Introducing the Kona Bar, 3 minutes, commercial documentary, 2023

• A Window, 20 minutes, Fiction, Post Production