5 August 2009 - For someone who has been in the business for over 45 years, travelled to most war zones, and clicked nearly a million photographs, Tim Page conveys unusual amounts of enthusiasm.

A camera that perpetually shares space around his neck along with his newly-purchased Afghan scarf, the world-renowned British photographer's small eyes light up when he's talks about spending time in Afghanistan, on a United Nations assignment, to document the forthcoming presidential and provincial council elections.

Page, who arrived in Kabul a week ago, wasted little time to settle in, instead hitting the streets to discover his subjects and the city, first-hand. "The people here are incredibly handsome. I have found it so easy to take pictures of men, women, and the military. The country, too, has stark beauty in its own right. There is such contrast between the rich and poor. It's wonderful to be able to document the progress, the capitalism that creeps in. I can see the changes, the contrasts out there: The burkha and the Honda. I'm trying to find these juxtapositions," he exclaims.

Along with finding these juxtapositions, the sixty-five-year old photographer will circumambulate the country before and during the elections, in an effort to capture the aspirations, hopes, and, possibly, the joys of candidates and the people. "I would like to see as much of the country as possible. I want to go to Wakhan for the elections, for the colour, and the costumes," he says.

However, as a photographer who has seen the scourge of war, most notably in Vietnam in the 1960s, along with the revelry that an election in this part of the world brings, Page is also preparing himself to document some uneasy images.

"If there’s going to be trouble in the South, I want to be there. Don’t get me wrong - every time I see someone bleeding or disabled it upsets me. It takes a lot of effort to make that picture. But I’ll do it because that message has to be brought across to the people. We can't stop violence and madness, unless we exhibit what it is about. I think any good war or conflict picture becomes an anti-war picture."

Page will, however, not be alone when shooting such varied and, often, incongruent, imagery - the colour and costumes, the war and anti-war. An integral part of his assignment here will be to train Afghan's finest young photographers over a period of three months, who will, then, as a part of their learning and development, accompany him across the country.

Jawad Jalali, 20, one of the six photographers chosen by Page and UNAMA to participate in the 'Master Class' is excited about the next few weeks.

"This is the first time I have been given such a great opportunity to work with a famous photographer. After the course, I hope to organize an exhibition of pictures and also put them online for the world to see," he tells UNAMA.

Along with receiving guidance from someone of Page's stature, Jalali says he's also privileged to be documenting the Afghan elections. "This is also the first time that, as a photographer, I am recording the history of Afghanistan. I am proud to get an opportunity to show how my people will vote and elect a president - and allow everybody to see that there is freedom and democracy here."

This is also a new experience for photographers like Jalali. For someone who was enamoured by cameras since a young age, Jalali recounts the days during the Taliban regime when photography was prohibited. "Nobody paid attention to photography (at that time), so it means a lot to me to show the reality of what is going on inside Afghanistan. I feel that an Afghan photographer can only really show what is going on inside Afghanistan, since we understand the country better than anybody else," Jalali points out.

Page says he's equally excited about working with these budding Afghan photographers and has plans for them. "After they complete the class, I want them to apply for scholarships, perhaps work for a newspaper in countries like Vietnam and Cambodia. One doesn't become good until you get that spectrum of experience after dealing with different people and cultures," he says.

Nobody knows this better than Tim Page.

What he also knows quite well, is the importance of photographers in a post-conflict scenario. "Photographers are a part of the overall recovery pattern. One picture tells a thousand words, or should the statement be: a billion pixels. TV does not stay in our minds - it’s temporal. A good picture lasts forever."

And what's that one picture about Afghanistan that the world needs to see? "We haven’t really seen Afghans smile. I have seen very few pictures of joie de vivre. It’s mainly war zone stuff at the moment, but I can understand that - this is what newspapers and people want," he says

Luckily for Page there'll be plenty of both this election season.

By Aditya Mehta, UNAMA

Website: Tim Page in Afghanistan