Afraid – So What?

French photojournalist VRONIQUE DE VIGUERIE is not afraid of bad guys, killers or rapists. She photographed the battle of Mosul, boarded a ship full of rebels in Niger, and tracked bloodthirsty insurgents while five months pregnant. Here, she tells KATIE BREEN more about her journey behind the lens.

Véronique de Viguerie is curious about all things and would like to change the world, one picture at a time. But the most significant aspect of her personality is her boldness. She’s a daredevil. As a child she wanted to join the army, but her father put a stop to that idea. Twelve years after she first started taking pictures, she’s a multi-award-winning photographer whose work has been published internationally. Véronique has also produced numerous stories for Marie Claire together with her friend and colleague Manon Querouil-Bruneel.

At the time of this interview, the two of them had just returned from 10 days in Iraq – 10 days enduring the stern and degrading attitude of the Iraqi Shiites, who demanded they wear a veil and a burqa, gloves and even black socks to hide their feet. They came back feeling that the Iraqi Sunni women – only recently liberated from Daesh’s rule – are now in danger of falling under the thumb of the Shia’s anti-women extremism.

You have met some of the most dreadful men on earth. What draws you to such assignments?