.:: Map Photo Agency::.

Mahmud, a documentary photographer works with Development and Donor agencies and has initiated assignments on social issues in Bangladesh, India and Nepal since 1992. He travels extensively throughout Bangladesh and has formed a large portfolio of photographs of rural people in their surroundings. Special collections include Bangladeshi women, children in difficult circumstances, trafficking of women and children, river gypsy & sea going fishermen.

Mahmud also works as a visual advocacy campaigner using his work in raising awareness throughout Bangladesh through photo exhibitions and visual presentations in participatory discussions (community exposures) with selected groups in rural areas. He is part of the Anti-Trafficking Core committee of ActionAid Bangladesh developing visual advocacy materials to be distributed to development partners in the border areas of Bangladesh and India.

Photography Training
Self Taught

Present Position
Photographer and proprietor, Map Photo Agency

Work Experiences
1.Life and Struggle of the Mro People – a photo series on the least known indigenous community in Bandarban with the assistance of DANIDA, 2003-2005.

2. Organisation portfolio of ActionAid Bangladesh during its 20th year celebration in the country. It includes creating an exhibition too, Jan 2004
3. Photo series on the slum children in a growing metropolis – Dhaka, for UNICEF; Dec 2003.

4. Photo series on 11 indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. This is a project initiated by the photographer to highlight the tribal life in the hills of Bangladesh for a year involving extensive travelling in the Bangladesh-Burma border during 2002 – 2003 with support from Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

5. Photo research on Dance and Cabin Restaurants: Sexual Abuse of women and girl children in Kathmandu, internal trafficking and possible links to HIV/AIDS, commissioned by ActionAid, July 2003

6. Photo research on forced labour in the fishing industry in 2003 with the support from ActionAid. This is to bring into light the exploitation of the fishing merchants in the Sundarbans (sea going fishermen) committed to male children and men. Vagabond and street male population is coerced and tricked for the promises of a better job and transported in the mangrove forests in the south for carrying, sorting and drying fish in a confined territory for six months of a year.

On-going projects
1. Following the river Jamuna to the delta and how and how it is changing the life of the islanders.

2.Anti-Trafficking Visual Awareness Materials and HV and AIDS for ActionAid Bangladesh since 2001 & will continue till 2007.

3. The gypsy community in Bangladesh.

4.The Bangladeshi Diaspora community and identity in the UK.

5.Rickshaw and Rickshaw arts.

Exhibition organiser
1. The Mro exhibition is on from July 2006 and continues till Jan 2007 in 30 venues of 6 districts including participatory workshops with students between the ages of 14-24. A photo book is expected to be in the market by Mar 2007. It is expected to reach 30,000 people mostly the youths to raise awareness about the hill communities in Bangladesh.

2. Exhibitions of Hill Children of Bangladesh will be on tour from Nov 2006 – Jan 2007 with UNICEF titled Hill Children of Bangladesh.

3. Commissioned by UNICEF, Dhaka, as a photographer and an organiser of exhibitions from 1995-2006.

Languages
Bangla and English – read, write and understand well

Nepali – understand and speak a little.

Exhibitions & advocacy campaigner
1. A series of 19 exhibitions on Bangladeshi Women were held in Beijing, China, in 17 towns of Bangladesh during the period of 1995 - 1997 and also in Katmandu, Nepal, in Nov. 1998 with the assistance of The Royal Danish Embassy, Dhaka attracting more than 60,000 visitors.

2. Child Marriages in Bangladesh and the Consequences leading to Sexual Abuse – a visual advocacy campaign visited eleven districts and directly reaching more than 20,000 participants through mobile shows (photo exhibitions associated with workshops) with Canadian CIDA and UNICEF, 2000.

3. Mobile exhibition on Anti-Trafficking Awareness Campaign through visual advocacy is on since June 2002 and already reached 40,000 participants in different rural districts and will continue throughout Bangladesh till 2005.

4. Organised a visual advocacy campaign in Bangladesh on Positive Lives (positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS), an exhibition distributed by Positive Lives Committee based in London. During June 2002 – July 2003, he worked as the coordinator for 59 days of mobile shows in 11 districts, 70 community workshops in small towns and rural areas, 5 policy level workshops in Dhaka. This project reached more than 30,000 people including youths and students, the main target of the campaign. It was supported by ActionAid Bangladesh, Levi Strauss foundation and Positive Lives.