What it means
عکسبرداری (aks-bardâri) means photography, specifically the act of taking photographs. عکس (aks) is borrowed from Arabic, where it originally meant reflection or opposite, and came to mean image or photograph in Persian. برداری (bardâri) derives from the pure-Persian verb برداشتن (bardâshtan), meaning to take or lift, making aks-bardâri literally an image-taking. The word covers all forms of photography: amateur hobby photography, professional photojournalism, and technical imaging. A related word is عکاسی (akkâsi), which can mean photography more generally or a photography studio.
How to use it
- عکسبرداری از طبیعت سرگرمیام شده. (aks-bardâri az tabi’at sargarmi-am shode.) “Nature photography has become my hobby.”
- دوربین جدیدم برای عکسبرداری حرفهایه. (durbin-e jadidim barâ-ye aks-bardâri harfe-i-ye.) “My new camera is for professional photography.”
- تو این مکان عکسبرداری ممنوعه. (tu in makân aks-bardâri mamnu-e.) “Photography is forbidden in this place.”
- عکسبرداری از بچهها خیلی سخته چون زیاد تکون میخورن. (aks-bardâri az bache-hâ kheyli sakhte chon ziâd tekun mi-khoran.) “Photographing children is very hard because they move around so much.”
Cultural note
Photography arrived in Iran in the mid-nineteenth century during the Qajar era, when Naser al-Din Shah became an enthusiastic photographer himself. Iran developed a rich tradition of documentary and artistic photography throughout the twentieth century. Today photography is a popular hobby, with street photography, landscape photography of Iran’s diverse scenery, and portrait work all widely practised. Instagram and visual social media have given Iranian amateur photographers large platforms and international audiences.