Photographer Kael Alford, who moved to Oak Cliff a year ago after her husband began teaching at the University of North Texas, has spent a significant part of the last decade in highly charged areas of the world, including eight years in Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo, and a long recent stint in the Middle East. Her work photographing the war in Iraq is part of a traveling exhibition, Unembedded, that has shown throughout the United States. To view an audio slideshow of Alford’s work, visit here. Jenni Stolarski spoke to Alford about her work and her experience in a war zone.

How did you start photographing in Iraq?

Photo by Kael Alford, in Iraq (Kael Alford/Panos Pictures)

I went there on my own, but contacted editors to see if they would be interested in my work.  The San Francisco Chronicle gave me [a retainer fee], and I traveled with and supported one of their writers.  While I was working there the paper said, if you are ever detained you’re not with us.

And were you ever detained?

[Laughs] Not technically detained, but there were times when we were held an unusually long time at check points.

Was there a time you felt in danger?

Sure.  I had to cross an active front line with people shooting directly at one another.  I had to figure out how to get from point A to point B.  But these are calculated risks I took because the payoff was worth it.  You can’t stay in your hotel the whole time — it’s not always safe there anyway.  But it makes sense when you’re there, taking these risks.

Tell me a little about your photojournalism in Iraq.

Photo by Kael Alford, in Iraq (Kael Alford/Panos Pictures)

I was invited to work with the resistance groups. I spent a lot of time with the early resistance fighters.  These guys were businessmen — guys in import/export, store owners — who were worried that the war might be bad for business.  And it was.  I got there before there was serious anti-American sentiment. At that time, most US journalists were coming from the other angle.  I got to see that (the resistance fighters) were patriots.  Look, if the tides were turned and someone was invading the US, anyone fighting back like these guys were, would be considered heroes.

Are Iraqis similar to Americans?

I used to say “Iraqis are like Texans.”  They believe they have a right to protect their family. Having land is important.  They like their trucks.  They like their guns.  Every Iraqi has a gun. Difference is it’s an AK-47 since they are the weapons that are cheap and readily available there.

Do you feel like your work made a difference?

Every bit helped in turning the tide of public opinion in the U.S.  It was far more complex than you can imagine from a distance.  We are working on bringing a complete show of the photographs, “Unembedded,” to Dallas.  It has been travelling since 2005 and part of it is in a warehouse in DC.  We need a gallery that can actually hold a show of this size.

Photo by Kael Alford, in Louisiana Kael Alford/Panos Pictures)

What do you would want people to know about the situation in Iraq?

There are an estimated one million more fatalities than normal which are due to the invasion.  There are over 4 million refugees. For most Iraqis, life is as bad, if not worse than before.  Especially for the refugees-they have been suspended without passports, they are impoverished without a homeland.  They can’t work, they’re not recognized. What we’ve done there hasn’t helped and it’s important that we take a realistic perspective on what we did, before we do this somewhere else.  We had an agenda, but it failed. It’s not unpatriotic; we need to be honest with ourselves.

What is your next photojournalism project?

I have been working on the coast of Louisiana for the last two years, photographing coastal erosion.  Oil companies chopped up the wetlands and made it possible for saltwater to enter, which is destroying the area.  It is hard to tell the story of the wetlands since change happens slowly over time, so I am telling it in photos of the people and communities there instead. This was such a marginalized community already, then the oil spill happened.  Unbelievable.  These are really resilient people.  They stay in their homes through 12 foot swells during hurricanes. They stayed through 4 major hurricanes in the last few years. But they say if the oil reaches the wetlands they’ll have to leave.

Main photo at top: Kael Alford (on right) Credit: Kael Alford/Panos Pictures

Photo by Kael Alford, in Louisiana Kael Alford/Panos Pictures)