What to Photograph in Uzbekistan

Earlier this year, I had a chance to travel and photograph my home country of Uzbekistan for three weeks, as part of a photography job for the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development (basically, the Ministry of Tourism). It was a surreal experience for me personally, because I had not seen my country for 17 years, and I had practically never seen anything other than my home town and the capital Tashkent. As a photographer, I have been fortunate to have visited so many countries, and yet there I was, looking like a tourist in the very country where I was born and raised…

Poi Kalon Mosque, Bukhara, Uzbekistan GFX 50S + GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR @ 32mm, ISO 100, 6/1, f/11.0

Ever since the new president of Uzbekistan got elected, the country went through swift transformations. The borders were finally opened up after 25 years of isolation from the world. With visa-free entry for many developed countries and an online eVisa system for everyone else, tourists from all over the world have been flocking to see this unique country that very few know even exists.

My specific job was to drive through all the regions and create imagery for the ministry of tourism, so that they ca