Md. Arifuzzaman
Md. Arifuzzaman is a Bangladeshi visual storyteller whose journey into photography began at the age of 35, when a small camera gifted by his sister-in-law sparked a lifelong passion for visual storytelling. Inspired by literature, cinema, culture, rituals, and the poetry of everyday life, he has spent more than sixteen years documenting the lives, traditions, and resilience of communities across Bangladesh.
He first studied photography under renowned Bangladeshi photographer GMB Akash and later refined his documentary practice at Counter Foto. There, the mentor ship and documentary approach of Magnum photographer Saiful Huq Omi profoundly shaped his way of seeing, influencing his long-term storytelling, visual research, and meticulous project development. Working across documentary, street, travel, and cultural photography, Zaman explores themes of identity, heritage, spirituality, social justice, and human dignity. His work moves beyond stereotypes to reveal intimate narratives that celebrate resilience, question inequality, and preserve disappearing traditions.
His work has received numerous international recognitions, including the Xposure International Photography Award, 1st Place in Press/General News at the International Photography Awards (IPA) 2026, Urban Photo Awards, Budapest International Photo Awards, Global Photography Awards, Tokyo Foto Awards, One Eye land Travel Photography Awards, Chromatic Awards in Travel 1st place winner in 2023, the Gold Award at the 1839 Color Photography Contest 2025, the Life Framer Color Award 2026, and the Silver Award at the 1839 Awards 2026 for The Sand Gobblers. His work was also selected as 3rd winner in Barcelona street Photography contest in 2026, a finalist for the World Food Photography Awards 2026, while The Story of Preserving Heritage and The Fall of a Dictator were recognized as finalists at the Photo Journalism Prize (PJP) 2026.
His photographs and visual stories have appeared in internationally and nationally recognized publications and organizations, including The Guardian, National Geographic, Dodho Spanish Magazine, Collater.al Italian Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, South Florida Sun Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, All About Photo, Frames Magazine, Amnesty International, The Daily Star, and Prothom Alo. His work has also been featured by 121clicks.com and Edge of Humanity Magazine.
