Aug. 31, 2012. Syrian refugee women take temporary shelter in a covered parking area at the Azaz border check point, established by the FSA for those fleeing army shelling in the northern villages of Aleppo province. Due to thousands of Syrian refugees crossing into Turkey since the start of the conflict, the Turkish government has closed the border, leaving hundreds of families—predominantly women and children—stuck along the border areas.Narciso Contreras—Polaris
But over and over again, one photographer in particular, a Mexican-born freelancer named Narciso Contreras, has managed to illuminate and distill the horrors of the signature battle of our time — the intractable Syrian civil war — more consistently than any of his often more-experienced peers.
Contreras’s pictures from Syria have proven to be not only significant and, in some cases, unforgettable. His sequences invariably capture the anguish of a conflict that has trapped countless civilians in their own land and made refugees of tens of thousands more, while more than a few of his individual photos already feel iconic. Like all photographers doing great work in impossible circumstances, Contreras has again and again been at the right place at the right time, making indelible pictures of the fighting and, often more movingly, the effects of the fighting: the wounded, the hospitals, the morgues, the gruesome, necessary task of cleaning up after the carnage.
“Narciso has a diverse viewpoint in the sense that, when you look at his take, you see he’s making use of different perspectives, different framing,” says Santiago Lyon, the Director of Photography at the Associated Press. “He’s got it straight up, but he’s also got some more creative work. He’s showing us the reality of the situation in Aleppo, which is surely a difficult place to work. So in addition to his talent, he’s clearly got an awful lot of courage and determination to be able to get himself in and out of the situations that he’s been in.”
What makes Contreras’s work in Syria even more astonishing is the fact that he has, in a sense, come out of nowhere to emerge as the one photographer whose work will likely be seen as the photographic record of the conflict.
Contreras, 37, studied photography and philosophy in Mexico City. He began his career working as a freelancer for newspapers like El Centro and Excelsior before traveling to India. There he documented the major religious communities in the north and the influence of Maoism on the religious society of Nepal. Contreras lived in a monastery Vrindavan, in northern India, while working in the country — a choice that makes perfect sense when one learns that he views the craft of photography as a “spiritual encounter” with the world, and that he has viewed every moment of his career as, in his words, “a new step to educate myself.”
After monitoring the situation in the Middle East and reading about events there in the wake of the Arab Spring, Contreras turned his attention to Syria in 2012. The massacres in Homs and Houla had already taken place, and the rebels were mobilizing, claiming that the battle for Aleppo would be remembered as “the mother of all battles.”
Contreras entered Idlib province, sneaking across the Turkish border on his way to Aleppo as fighting broke out. The rebels took Contreras from their base in Masake Hananu to the Hullok district, where Syrian aircraft were bombing rebel positions. Contreras described the situation as a nightmare — an omen of what he could expect in the coming months of work in Aleppo.
With Turkey as his home base, Contreras has returned to Syria repeatedly, covering the northern provinces of Aleppo and Idlib, where opposition to the government is strong (and, unsurprisingly, fiercely targeted by Bashar Assad’s military).
“I’ve found among the smiles and the extreme kindness of the Syrian Muslims some of the most horrifying scenes in my life. Shattered bodies being carried out of the rubble of homes hit by bombs, or the despair of the people caught in a raging fight that never ends,” he says.
Contreras relates harrowing stories from Aleppo in the manner of a great essayist. While his quieter images set the scene, his powerful sequences amplify the monstrous absurdity of war. His images are simultaneously beautiful and searing, with their occasionally desaturated tones assuming a somber, deathly pallor.
“Aleppo is a doomed city,” Contreras says, with grim certainty. “I have been shooting there to testify to this. There are not words to describe the cost of the bombardments and the crossfire — the number of people killed at the bakeries in Aleppo City during the war, many of them children. Others have been lucky to survive, like one child in Aleppo that I photographed at a hospital after he was injured by shrapnel in his foot. He got hit when an airplane shelled the bakery [where his mother had sent him to queue for bread].”
From the front line of battle in the Old City to the working class neighborhood in Sakhour, Contrera’s images show, in his own words, “the despair of the current crisis from this side of the conflict — the side that we, as foreign correspondents in Syria, are allowed to cover; the side of the poorest, the most vulnerable, and all those trapped by geography or by circumstances in the areas controlled by the rebel fighters.”
Contreras says it has not been easy to keep working as a stringer in the field with just a few assignments. (Publications for which he’s shot include Le Journal Dimanche and Der Spiegel.) But at the same time, his dedication lends him resolve: “The most important thing is to be sure about what I’m doing here, and to keep going and never give up.”
In October, Contreras came to an agreement with the Associated Press to distribute his work more widely through the wire, where his exceptional photographs stand out alongside the work of more seasoned photographers. While the broader relationship with the AP is obviously welcome, he is still represented by Polaris.
“My editors at both Polaris and at the Associated Press are doing their part,” Contreras says, “and I appreciate the strong support they give me. Without them, it would not have been possible to bring these images to a larger audience.”
“Narciso’s work floored me the minute I opened his first email inquiring if he could join Polaris,” assignment editor James McGrath wrote in an email to TIME. “Among all the many talented photojournalists working today, only a handful [have achieved] a uniquely personal style. I don’t need to see Narciso’s byline to know I’m looking at one of his pictures. He has quickly defined himself as one of the greats.”
Asked about his own future, Contreras notes how intrinsically he is now tied to the Syrian civil war: “My heart starts to beat a bit faster … but I have to breathe deeply, for there is not an end to this conflict yet.”
Aug. 31, 2012. Syrian refugee women take temporary shelter in a covered parking area at the Azaz border check point, established by the FSA for those fleeing army shelling in the northern villages of Aleppo province. Due to thousands of Syrian refugees crossing into Turkey since the start of the conflict, the Turkish government has closed the border, leaving hundreds of families—predominantly women and children—stuck along the border areas.Narciso Contreras—PolarisAug. 31, 2012. Houses lie shattered after aircraft shelling by Assad's army during several days of intense fighting between rebel forces and the Syrian army for control of Azaz city.Narciso Contreras—PolarisSept. 6, 2012. Rebel fighters of the Kateba Omar Ben Abdul Aziz shoot at Syrian soldiers at Aamria battlefield, in a civilian neighborhood in southwest Aleppo city.Narciso Contreras—PolarisSept. 6, 2012. A dummy used as bait stands at the frontline at Aamria battlefield.Narciso Contreras—PolarisSept. 13, 2012. A Syrian child waits in line for bread at a bakery in downtown Manbij, located at the northeast of Aleppo province—the first large city in Syria to be liberated. Since regime forces withdrew in mid-July, local councils have governed the 150,000 residents of the city, as well as the more than half a million in the surrounding district. After four decades of dictatorship, the residents are suddenly faced with the task of running an independent city-state.Narciso Contreras—PolarisSept. 13, 2012. Men are held in custody by the FSA police at a makeshift prison in a hotel in Manbij.Narciso Contreras—PolarisSept. 13, 2012. Syrians displaced by aircraft shelling in Aleppo city take temporary shelter at a school in Manbij.Narciso Contreras—PolarisSept. 20, 2012. A FSA rebel fighter stands guard behind a barricade at the front line in Bab Al-Nasr, a neighborhood in the Old City of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—PolarisSept. 20, 2012. Syrian children and civilians take refuge inside a mechanic's workshop during aircraft shelling in the Qadi-Askar neighborhood of Aleppo city.Narciso Contreras—PolarisOct. 20, 2012. A Syrian civilian is shot in his stomach as he tries to escape the line-of-fire. He was targeted by a Syrian army sniper while walking near the frontline in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APA wounded Syrian civilian lies in the street with a shot to his stomach as he tries to escape the line-of-fire. He was targeted by a Syrian army sniper while walking near the frontline in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APFSA fighters crawl on the sidewalk as they attempt to rescue a Syrian civilian who was shot twice—in his stomach and back—by a Syrian army sniper. He was targeted while walking on the frontline in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 20, 2012. FSA fighters lay low on the sidewalk as they attempt to rescue a Syrian civilian whom was shot twice—in his stomach and back—by a Syrian army sniper. He was targeted while walking near the frontline in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 20, 2012. FSA fighters carry a civilian away from the line-of-fire after he was shot twice—in his stomach and back—by a Syrian army sniper. He was targeted while walking near the frontline in the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 21, 2012. Rebel fighters belonging to the Javata Harria Sham Qatebee watch the enemy position during skirmishes at the front line in Karmal Jabl neighborhood of Arkup district, in the northeast of Aleppo cIty.Narciso Contreras—PolarisOct. 21, 2012. A Syrian child receives emergency medical assistance in a hospital in Tarik Al Bab neighborhood. The baby lost her eye after being struck by shrapnel during an aircraft strike on a highway on the outskirts of Aleppo city.Narciso Contreras—PolarisOct. 22, 2012. A rebel fighter mourns over the body of a comrade killed by a sniper at a hospital in Tarik Al-Bab neighborhood in northeast Aleppo city.Narciso Contreras—PolarisOct. 23, 2012. A Syrian civilian is dragged out of a truck as he arrives dead to a hospital in Tarik Al-Bab. He was killed by mortar shelling while buying bread at a bakery in Hananu district, northeast Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—PolarisOct. 23, 2012. A Syrian man wheels a severely injured woman to a hospital for treatment. Several were killed and a dozen injured after an artillery shell landed near a bakery in Aleppo city.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 21, 2012. A rebel fighter is put into a cab from a hospital in the Tarik Al-Bab neighborhood after he arrived badly injured from a mortar explosion near the front line.Narciso Contreras—PolarisOct. 24, 2012. A rebel fighter retreats for cover as Syrian army fire targets rebel fighters during clashes at the Moaskar front line, in the Karmal Jabl neighborhood of Aleppo city.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 24, 2012. A FSA sniper targets Syrian army soldiers as rebel fighters belonging to the Liwa Al Tawhid group carry out a military operation on the Moaskar front line, in the Karmal Jabl neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 25, 2012. A cemetery in the Karmal Jabl neighborhood during clashes between rebel fighters and the Syrian army.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 26, 2012. On the first day of Eid celebrations, a butcher slaughters sheep for the holiday on a street in Tarik Al-Bab.Narciso Contreras—PolarisOct. 27, 2012. Syrian civilians look on at a relative, who was shot in the back by a sniper in Aleppo, laid out on a hospital trolley.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 28, 2012. A rebel fighter belonging to the Liwa Al-Tawhid group kisses a Quran as mortar explosions and gunshots are heard in a nearby battlefield in the Karm al-Jabel neighborhood of Aleppo. Syria's air force dropped missiles and barrel bombs on rebel strongholds while rebel fighters attacked regime positions, flouting a U.N.-backed cease-fire that never took hold, which was set to quiet fighting over a long holiday weekend.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 28, 2012. A street of shattered buildings can been seen through a mirror used by rebel fighters to watch enemy's positions in the Karm al-Jabel battlefield in Aleppo. Syria's air force dropped missiles and barrel bombs on rebel strongholds while rebel fighters attacked regime positions, flouting a U.N.-backed cease-fire that never took hold, which was set to quiet fighting over a long holiday weekend.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 29, 2012. A rebel sniper aims at a Syrian army position in a residential building in the Jedida district of Aleppo. Syrian fighter jets pounded rebel areas across the country with scores of airstrikes, which anti-regime activists called the most widespread bombing in a single day since the beginning of the conflict.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 29, 2012. A rebel fighter belonging to the Qatebee Sokor Al-Islam group fires a gun at an army jet bombing the Jedida district of Aleppo. Syrian fighter jets pounded rebel areas across the country with scores of airstrikes, which anti-regime activists called the most widespread bombing in a single day since the beginning of the conflict.Narciso Contreras—APOct. 29, 2012. A rebel sniper sneaks through a residential building while looking for a firing position during clashes between rebel fighters and the Syrian army in the Jedida district of Aleppo. Syrian fighter jets pounded rebel areas across the country with scores of airstrikes, which anti-regime activists called the most widespread bombing in a single day since the beginning of the conflict.Narciso Contreras—APNov. 1, 2012. A street in the Karmal Jabl battlefield in Aleppo is destroyed after heavy shelling and fighting.Narciso Contreras—PolarisNov. 1, 2012. A pile of shoes, covered in blood from wounded and dead residents, sits at the entrance of an emergency ward at a hospital in the Tarik Al-Bab neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APNov. 2, 2012. A sniper line-of-fire is seen through the scope of a rebel fighter's gun in the Karm al-Jebel neighborhood in Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APNov. 3, 2012. A rebel fighter takes cover as he looks up at a warplane firing at rebel positions during heavy clashes between opposition fighters and the Syrian army.Narciso Contreras—APNov. 4, 2012. A rebel fighter claims victory as he fires a missile toward a building where Syrian troops loyal to President Bashar Assad are hiding while they attempt to gain ground against rebels during heavy clashes in the Jedida district of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APNov. 12, 2012. A rainbow is seen near a market in the rebel-controlled area of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APNov. 13, 2012. A Syrian child sits on a sidewalk as he sells cigarettes along a main road in the Bab Al-Nayrab neighborhood of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APNov. 30, 2012. Syrian women watch a demonstration after Friday prayers in the Bustan Al-Qasr district of Aleppo. After months of fighting, thousands of residents have returned to the city as they attempt to return to their daily lives while heavy fighting is still underway. Public demonstrations have unfolded after several weeks of silence, with residents demanding an end to the violence in Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APDec. 1, 2012. Smoke rises from buildings during heavy fighting between FSA fighters and government forces in Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APDec. 3, 2012. A Syrian man runs for cover during heavy fighting between FSA fighters and government forces in Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APDec. 3, 2012. The lifeless body of a Syrian child lies on the floor of a makeshift hospital in an undisclosed location. The child was already dead by the time it arrived at the hospital, struck by a mortar shell that killed four and injured two ibn a bakery in the Hullok district of Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—PolarisDec. 5, 2012. FSA fighters aim their weapons inside an abandoned building during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—APDec. 8, 2012. A FSA fighter offers evening prayers beside a damaged poster of Syria's President Bashar Assad during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo.Narciso Contreras—AP
