‘I don't believe in borders’
Ismail Ferdous, who just won a World Press Photo Foundation award, talks about his journey to become an international photographer
US-based Bangladeshi photographer Ismail Ferdous became regional winner for the year 2022 in a competition by World Press Photo Foundation, where 4,066 photographers from 130 countries entered.
Ismail won the award in the North and Central America category for his photo story titled 'The people who feed the United States', which highlighted the lives of immigrant workers in the meatpacking industry, and the impact of Covid-19 on them.
"This show can be called the Oscar of photography. It is definitely a pleasure to become a winner of this contest and have my pictures displayed at that place. This exhibition has been and will be held in many countries of the world but I am very happy about the Dhaka version of this exhibition," Ferdous said.
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"My story is about migrant people in America. I have tried to highlight their economic condition, life struggle, how Covid-19 has affected their life. If you pay attention, you will always see that foreign photographers came to our country and exhibited pictures of poverty or some other problems of our country. But in my work, the problem of America, the most developed country in the world, has emerged. What people of my country are seeing. This is what I would call a change", he said.
Ferdous's photography journey that began in Dhaka in 2009, grew to gather a diverse range of experiences. He immigrated to the US in 2016, but did not give up photography. In 2018 he worked for the National Geographic magazine in the US.
"It was 2008 or 2009 when I went to the Drik Gallery to see a photography exhibition arranged by my own university's photography club. I became really amazed and was inspired to see all the beautiful photos. Then I decided to take photography seriously. I was a third year BBA student then," said Ferdous, who went to Dhaka's East West University.
A true hard worker, Ferdous did not relent when the first photo he submitted for an intra-university exhibition was rejected. The next year, he won the first prize in the same exhibition and contest. Ferdous was the president of the East West University Photography Club.
With time, he became interested in photojournalism and documentary photography, inspired by many Bangladeshi and international photographers' works.
"I think that time was a golden time for the Bangladeshi photography industry. So I always looked at many photographers' works through visiting exhibitions and on the internet. Especially Shafiqul Alom Kiron, GMB Akash, Munem Wasif, Sehzaad Norani, their works inspired me a lot. Moreover I used to see international photographers' works", he said.
While still a student, he got an opportunity to attend a photography workshop in Manali, India, where he met world renowned photographer Ami Vitale. What happened next changed Ferdous's life. A few months later, Ami Vitale came to Bangladesh and offered Ferdous a position to work as the assistant on one of her projects. The project was focused on climate crisis in Bangladesh.
"That opportunity was like a dream to me and it really changed my photography journey and life. It was my schooling in photography. Actually I learnt photography by seeing other photographers' works and taking pictures on my own. I have no academic degree in photography," said the photographer.
His first personal work was in 2013 documenting the coastal people of Satkhira. He highlighted the long-term impact on people's lives caused by cyclones Ila and Sidor. But the task was not so easy. He worked for two consecutive weeks and slept at night in the courtyard of a fisherman's house after a full day's work.
One of the reasons for leaving the country, Ferdous said, is that it is hard to make a living in Bangladesh as a full time photographer. "I have worked for some publications, their payment was too low. Moreover, there are not many opportunities like fancy photography magazines in the country where I can publish my works."
But at the same time, he wanted to not limit himself to one country and wanted to work in many countries, which would be easier to do if he was based in the US.
Internationalism is at the heart of Ismail Ferdous's photography philosophy. That's why he did many documentary stories on people around the world. Impressively enough, he has already worked in the five continents. His notable works include 'After Rana Plaza', 'The People Who Feed The Us', 'Migrant Stories 2021', 'Building a new American Dream', 'Transition of Power', 'Sea Beach 2020-2022'. "I don't believe in borders," the photographer said.
Ismail Ferdous was the only Bangladeshi photographer whose work was featured in this year's World Press Photo exhibition. His work, 'The People Who Feed The Us', highlighted the lives of immigrant workers in the meatpacking industry, and the impact of Covid-19 on them.
But Ferdous has picked up many other awards along the way, which includes POYi, Alexa Foundation Grant, Getty Instagram Grant, National Geographic Society Grant, NPPA, and Days Japan and many more renowned awards from around the globe.
