Biography

Charles Habib, born 1949 in Geneva, started his photographic career in 1967 first in parallel to his studies then full time after graduating in economics from the University of Geneva.
In August 1969, while covering the beginning of the Northern Ireland conflict for a Swiss magazine, he met in Londonderry Gilles Caron from the Gamma Photo agency in Paris. During 5 days they photographed together until Gilles left for Czechoslovakia. Watching him work has been Charles best photojournalist school

1967-1974
As a freelance Charles photographed Portugal under Dictator Salazar, the Northern Ireland conflict, Kurds in Eastern Turkey, drug addiction and of course the students unrest.

1974 - 1977
For Gamma Photo Agency and Sipa Press Charles traveled to North Sea, England, Switzerland, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam,Ethiopia and Angola and was the correspondent of Gamma in Japan and Italy.
He covered major events including Vietnam War, Meos in Laos, US Marines in Okinava, Japanese Self Defence Agency, visit of US president Ford inJapan, Holy Year in Rome, entry of the communists in the Italian government following the “Historic Compromise”, Angolan war. And a few movies like James Bond, Francesco Rosi’s “Cadaveri Exquisiti” and Fellini’s “Casanova”.

His photographs appeared in many international magazines including Time, Newsweek, Paris-Match, Stern, Epoca, l'Express, Jeune Afrique, Schweizer Illustrierte, NZZ.

1977- 2015
For family reasons Charles quitted photography in 1977 and spent 30 years with machines and electronics, living in the icy world of technology.
Having sold his small business in 2015, he realized there was little time left to rediscover his fellows humans and because it’s the only way he knew, he went to meet them with a camera.

2015
Singapore revisited
Refugees crisis- Lesbos Island

2016
The Basroch and La Linère refugees camps in Dunkerque for Gamma and the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-France)
The Natweiler-Struthof concentration camp in Alsace for the European Center for the Resistant and Deported
Basel Bikers Day for Newspaper BZ-Basel

2017
Dandora, Kenya, the largest landfill in East Africa for the Swiss magazine Sept.info
Art on Wheels: the Nairobi bus decoration for the Swiss magazine Sept.info
Presidential Convention of the National Front in Lyon for Gamma
Several stays at the Natweiler-Struthof concentration camp for the Swiss magazine Sept.info
Katia Di Leonardo, National Front candidate for the Village Neuf (Alsace) for the newspaper BZ-Basel
Jugend Kultur Festival, Basel
Soccer season of the FCB for the Fan Club

2018
Soccer season of the FCB for the Fan Club
Long term project about poverty in Basel for the Swiss magazine Sept.info
The blessing of the animals at the chapel Oud Heverlee (Begium)

2019
Long term project about poverty in Basel for the Swiss magazine Sept.info
Women's strike documentation commissioned by the committee
Documentation on the integration of older people in urban areas commissioned by the association "Altersgerchtes Wettstein"

Charles was among the youngest photographers in a vintage world and he is among the oldest in this one, but he is convinced that concern has no age limit.

He is a member of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)

His photos are distributed by Gamma-Rapho, Paris

Collective exhibitions

Darkside II
Fotografische Macht und fotografierte Gewalt, Krankheit und Tod
Fotomuseum Winterthur, 2009

Le camp de réfugiés Basroch
Galerie Karambolage, Basel, June 2016

Kadoc
Fotocircuit
Leuven, Belgium, September 2016

Ile de Ré Photo
Ile de Ré, France, July 2019