Long before I became a freelance photographer, I was a barefoot Iraqi child who believed three palm fronds and a plastic bag could carry him all the way to America.
When I was about eight years old, I had one big dream: to travel to America and live there someday.
It was the 1980s. We had no internet and very few television channels. Most of what I knew about the world came from the movies we watched.
In American films, I often saw children building small houses in trees. I loved those treehouses, and they made America look like a wonderful and distant place filled with adventure.
At that age, my understanding of geography was very simple. I thought America was almost the entire world, and that France, Turkey, and many other countries were actually cities located somewhere inside America.
There were no smartphones, online maps, or search engines to explain the world to children as there are today.
The Airplane I Built as a Child
Dreaming was not enough for me. I decided to build my own airplane and fly to America.
I collected three palm fronds and tied them together in the shape of a large triangle, similar to a very simple hang glider. Then I covered the frame with a transparent plastic bag.
I ran barefoot through the street, holding my handmade airplane and trying to make it fly. My hair was always messy because I rarely combed it. Like many children in our neighborhood, I often spent the day playing outside without shoes.
I genuinely believed that my little airplane might carry me to America.
“All my flying experiments failed—and thankfully so. Otherwise, my journey might have ended before it had even begun.”
Searching for the Right Path
As I grew older, I worked in many different jobs and tried several small, independent projects. Whenever a new idea entered my mind, I became excited about it and moved on from the previous project.
It was not because I disliked working. My mind was always searching for something new—something that would continue to inspire me.
That continued for many years until I finally discovered the field that truly suited me: photography.
How Photography Became My Life
Photography never feels boring to me. Every street contains a story, every market has different faces and moments, and every city offers new subjects to discover.
The camera eventually became an important part of my life. I created websites, social media pages, and YouTube channels where I publish my photographs and videos. I also traveled to different countries and documented what I saw through my lens.
Today, I continue documenting markets, streets, heritage, travel, and everyday life. My photography can be viewed through Talal Stock, my independent photography portfolio and image-licensing website.
The Dream Is Still Alive
Today, I no longer try to reach America with an airplane made from palm fronds and a transparent plastic bag.
Now I carry a passport, a camera, and several lenses. I think about new journeys and dream of photographing the world that seemed so mysterious to me as a child.
Sometimes it takes many years for a person to discover the work they truly love. What matters is finding it eventually.
I found mine in photography.
My childhood dream of visiting America is still alive. Perhaps one day I will finally arrive there and find a treehouse similar to the one I saw in an old movie.
I will photograph it and remember the barefoot eight-year-old boy who once believed he could fly to America with three palm fronds and a plastic bag.
Explore more original photography, travel stories, Iraqi markets, streets, and cultural heritage at Talal Stock.
