Arak, Iran
Razmi grew up in Arak, Iran, born to a military clerk and a housewife. Interested in photography from an early age, he spent much of his time in a local photo shop developing film and shooting portraits. He bought his own camera at the age of 12, and at the urging of a local reporter, began his career in photojournalism by photographing a crime scene. He got a job with a small photo shop after the death of his father, and later entered the military. He was hired by "Ettela'at" in 1973, and quickly earned a reputation of skill and bravery. Razmi chronicled the country's 1979 change of power, as protests caused the Shah to flee the country and permitted Ayatollah Khomeini to take power. By August 1979, thousands of people had been executed, and Khomeini had begun sending the Iranian military to Kurdistan to prevent an uprising. Razmi and an "Ettela'at" reporter, Khalil Bahrami, followed.