Omar Havana

Omar Havana, b1975 is a Spanish Freelance Photojournalist. Based in Brussels, Belgium. Previously based in Asia. ( Nepal 2014-2015 and Cambodia 2008 – 2014 ; 2015-2017)

Omar has worked as a professional photojournalist since 2005. Since 2009, Omar’s full-time job has been photography and photojournalism, covering stories in Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Belgium, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Egypt, The Netherlands, Nepal, Greece, France and Cambodia, the latter being the country where most of his stories have been shot since he moved to the country in 2008.

BHAKTAPUR, NEPAL – JULY 20: A young boy crosses a square where all the houses collapsed or were destroyed by the earthquake that hit the country on his way to his school in Bhaktapur, Nepal on July 20, 2015. Months after the earthquake, rebuilding is still far from starting. Bhaktapur is one of the historic cities situated in the Kathmandu Valley.

Since 2012, Omar has been represented by several international agencies, including the French agency Wostok Press, the Spanish agency Cordon Press/Corbis Spain, SIPA Press in France and EPA in Thailand and by Getty Images since 2013 to 2017 as a stringer photographer. Since October 2018, Omar is represented by Getty Images, his second time working for the agency. Omar is also a member of the collective Hans Lucas in France since March 2020.

His photos during the earthquake that hit Nepal in April 2015 have been published in thousands of publications around the world, including front pages in The New York Times and stories in TIME Magazine, National Geographic and Paris Match, among many others, and my work has been exhibited in the 2015 Visa Pour L’Image Festival and PhotoReporter Festival.

Omar’s photographs have been published in international media, including National Geographic, Paris Match, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, BBC, Financial Times, ABC News Australia, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, and The Atlantic, amongst many other international media outlets.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA – AUGUST 23: Chhenda sits inside her house covering her face with a cloth to protect herself from the clarity that causes her a lot of pain after suffering an acid attack on August 23, 2013 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Chhenda was married in 1996 and had 3 children with her husband.

Since the beginning of his career, Omar has also focused on working with humanitarian organizations across the world, including UNICEF ROSA, ActionAid Greece, Secours Populaire Français, Aide Et Action France, VSO International, Gapminder Foundation, International Medical Corps, Four Paws International, the International Labor Organizations, Heifer International and Greenpeace France; local organizations working in the area of education in Cambodia; WaterAid Nepal and the water crisis; and The International Planned Parenthood Federation, on sexual and reproductive health in the garment industry in Cambodia. He has also collaborated on personal projects with many other organizations, such as Médecins Sans Frontières, IOM, UNHCR, Handicap International, The Kantha Bopha Foundation, The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. He has also contributed to humanitarian books, such as “Nepal, a vision for resilience” published by The World Health Organisation, and many of his photographs have been used by organizations such as Amnesty International for documenting their reports.

Omar published his first photography book in 2016, “Endurance” a tribute to the people of Nepal after the earthquake that hit the country, published by FotoEvidence.

2017 – Finalist Alfred Fried Photography Award. Austria
2016 – Honorable Mention. Books Category 2015. “Endurance”. Tokyo International Foto Awards 2015 TIFA
2016 – Honorable Mention. General News Category 2015. “When The Earth Shook Nepal”. Tokyo International Foto Awards 2015 TIFA
2016 – Finalist. “Endurance” Siena International Photo Awards 2016. Italy
2016 – Second Place. General News Category 2015. “When The Earth Shook Nepal”. International Photography Awards IPA
2016 – Honorable Mention. General News Category 2015. “Endurance”. International Photography Awards IPA
2016 – Honorable Mention. General News Category 2015. “Endurance”. Moscow International Foto Awards MIFA
2016 – Honorable Mention. Documentary Category 2015. “Endurance”. International Photographer of the Year Award IPOTY
2016 – Honorable Mention. Documentary Category 2015. “When the Earth Shook Nepal”. International Photographer of the Year Award IPOTY