Anush Babajanyan
Armenian photographer Anush Babajanyan is a VII Photo contributing photographer and a National Geographic Explorer. Anush is based between Munich, Germany and Yerevan, Armenia.
Anush focuses her work on social narratives and personal stories. She works extensively in the South Caucasus and continues to photograph in Central Asia and around the world.
Anush is the winner in the 2023 World Press Photo Contest’s Long Term Projects category, with the Battered Waters project photographed in Central Asia. In 2019, she received the Canon Female Photojournalist Grant for her work in Nagorno-Karabakh. Her photography has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, GEO, The Wall Street Journal, and other international publications.
Alongside her photographic practice, Anush Babajanyan is a committed educator and advocate for ethical storytelling. She frequently participates in workshops and mentoring programmes, where she helps emerging photographers develop the skills to tell stories with honesty and care. Her emphasis on long-term engagement and thoughtful representation has made her a respected voice in international conversations about documentary photography.
Anush approaches her subjects with patience and trust, often spending months or years documenting communities before releasing a single image. This method allows her to create work that is not only visually rich but also emotionally resonant. Her ability to move fluidly between cultures, languages, and regions has helped her access intimate spaces that are typically closed to outsiders. Through this work, she builds lasting relationships that inform every frame she captures.
Her ongoing projects continue to evolve across different parts of the world, from post-Soviet states to regions grappling with ecological disruption. Regardless of location, she remains focused on how people adapt to adversity with resilience and grace. Her storytelling invites viewers to pause and witness lives that might otherwise remain unseen, contributing to a deeper and more compassionate understanding of the world.
Anush Babajanyan has recently published her book on Nagorno-Karabakh called A Troubled Home.
A Troubled Home, offers a profound visual narrative of Nagorno-Karabakh, capturing the region’s resilience, tragedies, and beauty. Over six years, Babajanyan documented life amidst conflict, including the 2016 four-day war, the 2020 war, and the subsequent displacement of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians in September 2023.
