Freelance profile

Boris Heger

Freelance photojournalist and videographer in Bogota, Colombia, covering South America - used to work with Associated Press and other press agencies, magazines and newspapers. Also regularly works for the International Red Cross (ICRC), various UN agencies (UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR etc). Please check my website for more details - www.boris-heger.com

Contact details:

Town: Bogota
Country: Colombia
Website: http://www.boris-heger.com
Also find me on: Facebook |
Mobile: +57 318 322 84 11

Skills:

See suggested rates:

PhotographerRates: Photography
BroadcasterRates: Broadcasting
from the Freelance Fees Guide.

Subjects:

  • Videographer

Major clients:

  • Associated Press
  • UNHCR UN refugee agency
  • The London Times
  • Polaris images agency New York
  • Swiss TV

Profile last updated: 2011-09-06 20:53:55


Extra information:

I am a Swiss French photographer collaborating on a regular basis with press and photo agencies, medias and humanitarian organizations .

After high school, I continued studying business and management in Switzerland and photography. Languages on my repertory are French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and German.

I am currently based in Bogota, Colombia, covering the South American continent. 

I started photographing shooting winter sport events and advertisement images such as skiing and snowboarding in Switzerland, Argentina and Chile. The above was facilitated at first as I hold a national diploma in skiing instruction, which proved helpful to enter that world.

Throughout the course of the early '90's, I worked as a photo correspondent for the DPPI sports agency in Paris. During this period I also shot 'action' advertisement pictures for snowboard brands and various mountain accessories (i.e. the « Nidecker » snowboards catalogue, « Oakley » sunglasses and « Raichle » ski shoes).

Meanwhile, as I have always been passionate about photojournalism, I have financed projects myself in Iran, Central Asia, Thailand, Laos, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic and Morocco. These projects were published at the time in various newspapers and magazines such as Le Temps, L’Impartial, L'Est Vaudois, L'Express, L'Hebdo, L'Asie, Libératio, The Bangkok Post. Another experience to mention is the collaboration with AFP (Agence France Presse), for a particular event in Iran in 1997.

Since 1994, I have taken on photographic assignments for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nagorno Karabakh, Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, Colombia, Peru, East Timor, Salvador, Abkhazia, Georgia, Azerbaidjan, Liberia, Kenya, Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan (Darfur and South) and Chad. 


Besides collaborating as a photographer with the ICRC, being interested in the humanitarian aid world, I have also undertaken some short missions as a delegate, relief co-ordinator and bureau chief for the ICRC in Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Abkhazia, Kosovo, Burundi, Eritrea, Angola and the Ivory Coast.

Furthermore, I have collaborated with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and have had several photo assignments with them in Irak, Syria, Colombia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Chad and Guinea.

Having been based in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) for almost two years, I have worked for the Associated Press news agency for the most part as a regular stringer. In that framework, I covered various West African countries such as Mali, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. During that time, some of my images were published in various newspapers and magazines over the world, especially in Time magazine, Newsweek and The New York Times. I also collaborated with Janine di Giovanni, a known journalist from The Times of London.

The same followed in Ethiopia, where I stayed about 2 years and covered the events and troubles related to accusation of the opposition of votes rigging by the current government, and Colombia for one year.

Additionnally, I have attended courses on how to behave in war situations and have worked under those conditions in various contexts over the world.

Above experiences have provided me with good organizational skills as well as experience working with satellite phone and computer technology for fast image transmission. Currently I'm equipped with both digital (22.5 mpx) and conventional camera bodies.