Tamir Kalifa is a visual journalist and writer with 15 years of experience working globally.
He is committed to work focused on individuals and communities confronting the greatest social, political and environmental issues of our time. He believes compassionate visual storytelling can raise questions that lead to a better understanding of ourselves and one another.
Throughout his career, Tamir has documented the long aftermath of gun violence, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, historic natural disasters, flash points at the U.S.-Mexico border, presidential campaigns and more – all while meeting strict deadlines and respecting the dignity of those he meets. Tamir exercises a caring and trauma-informed approach to sensitive stories and has developed strong enterprising skills for open-ended assignments. In addition to still photography, he also has significant experience in both video and audio production.
Tamir is fluent in English and Hebrew, speaks basic Spanish, and has produced multiple stories in Israel, the West Bank and on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Kalifa is a winner of the American Mosaic Journalism Prize, the Chris Hondros Fund/ Getty Images Award and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Texas Monthly, NPR and others.
Tamir also wrote, recorded and performed original music as a member of Mother Falcon, an Austin-based orchestral indie-rock ensemble founded in 2009. Together they produced four original albums, supported by numerous tours across the U.S. and Canada, and continue running a summer camp for young musicians that was started in 2010.