Munir Uz Zaman is a Bangladesh-based photojournalist with Agence France-Presse (AFP), where he has been documenting news, conflict, humanitarian crises, politics, sports, and everyday life since 2008. With nearly two decades of experience, his work explores the intersection of human resilience, social change, and the defining events that have shaped Bangladesh and the wider region.
Since beginning his career in 2006, Munir has covered many of South Asia’s most significant stories, including the Rana Plaza building collapse, the Rohingya refugee crisis, major political movements, natural disasters, industrial accidents, elections, and the daily realities of life in one of the world’s most densely populated countries. He has also reported internationally, including assignments in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. A graduate of Pathshala – South Asian Media Institute, Munir believes photography is more than documenting events. His work seeks to preserve history through deeply human moments, focusing on the dignity, resilience, and emotions of the people living through extraordinary circumstances. Alongside breaking news, he continues to develop long-term documentary projects exploring labor, migration, faith, climate, and the communities that define Bangladesh.
His photographs have been published by leading international media organizations, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, TIME, and many others.
Based in Dhaka, Munir continues to document stories across Bangladesh and South Asia, believing that the most powerful photographs are those that preserve not only what happened, but what it felt like to be there.
Award and achievement
Excellence in Reporting Breaking News Award for Excellence Honorable Mention 2025 (group)
Golden Shot Photography Award, Honorary Mention, Series Photo Editorial/Press 2024
Foreign Correspondent Club of HongKong and Amnesty International, Human Rights Press Award 2014. Category – Photo Feature. Awarded Special Merit Diploma, Subject – Bangladesh Factory Collapse.
Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, Year 2013, Spot News, Second Prize. Subject – Rana Plaza Garments Building Collapse.
Photo week Washington DC, Year 2013, Photojournalism Single image. First Prize. Subject – Rana Plaza Garments Building Collapse.
Foreign Correspondent Club of Hong Kong and Amnesty International, Human Rights Press Award 2012. Category – Photo Feature. First Prize. Subject Rohingya Refugee.
Foreign Correspondent Club of Thailand. Year – 2012. First Prize Spot News. Subject – Rohingya Refugee POY Picture of the year. Title: Rescue. Honorary Mention, Year – 2009. rescuing an injured woman from a slum.
Photograph of Tashnuva Anan Shishir, Bangladesh’s first transgender news anchor, selected among Time magazine’s Top 100 Photos of 2021.