Photographer #391: Munem Wasif

Munem Wasif, 1983, Bangladesh, is a socially engaged photojournalist who graduated from Pathshala, South Asian Media Academy. His photographic career started as a feature photographer for the Daily Star. In 2007 Munem was selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass and later won the PrixPictet commission to document a water project in Bangladesh. This resulted in the series Salty Tears showing how the salt water invades the lands bringing not only destruction, but also leading to a lack of drinking water. The project was released as a book in 2011. Wasif has focused on subjects dealing with climate change and its devastating results, economic problems within Bangladesh, political refugees from Myanmar, political and ethnic crisis in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and the subject of religion, especially the Islam. In 2008 his book Bangladesh, Standing on the Edge was released. The following images come from the stories Tale of Lost Paradise: Climate Refugees, Bangladesh, Salty Tears and Rohingya Refugees: Illegal Immigrants from Myanmar.

Website: www.munemwasif.com & www.agencevu.com

Photographer #323: GMB Akash

GMB Akash, 1977, Bangladesh, is a socially-engaged documentary photographer focusing on people at the edges of society, often photographed in bright colors. Many of his stories have been made in his home country, but he travels extensively throughout Asia to document various tales of socially isolated groups. He has covered prostitution in Nepal, child labour in Bangladesh, the high suicide rate amongst cotton farmers in India, seasonal workers in Pakistan amongst many other confronting stories. GMB has won numerous awards and his work has been published in countless magazines throughout the world as the National Geographic, Time and Stern. In 2002 he was selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. His work is important and confronting, however it also shows the strength and resilience of the human being. The following images come from the series Stone Scavengers of Jaflong, Survivors and Nothing To Hold On To.

Website: www.gmb-akash.com