Latif al-Ani is an Iraqi photographer, often known as "the father of Iraqi photography" and noted for his photographic works that combine both ancient and modern themes. During his active career from the 1950s through to the late-1970s, he chronicled an Iraq way of life that was rapidly being lost as the country embarked on a modernisation program. He documented people, ancient monuments and many facets of urban life in Iraq. He stopped taking photographs following the rise of Saddam Hussein, finding that he was unable to maintain his former optimistic outlook for Iraq's future.