Photographer Monirul Islam Shabuj was born in 1980 in a prestigious family at S.M. Maleh Road, Tanbazar, Narayanganj. His father, Toffazzal Hossain, is the editor of the popular local newspaper The Daily Yead, and his mother, the late Mahmuda Akter, was a dedicated social worker. Growing up in a journalistic environment under his father’s ideals and direct guidance, he developed a keen interest in newspapers and creative work from a very young age.
Monirul Islam’s journey into the world of photography began in 1992. Inspired by his father, he first held a camera at the age of just twelve. Later, to give this creativity a formal structure, he received professional training in photography from the Bangladesh Photographic Society (BPS) in 1996. This training helped elevate his technical skills and artistic vision to a professional level.
He officially started his career in photojournalism in 2007 by joining The Daily Ajker Narayanganj. Subsequently, in 2008, he joined his father’s edited newspaper, The Daily Yead. Following a trajectory of long experience and efficiency, he has been working for one of Bangladesh’s leading national dailies, The Daily Naya Diganta, since 2021. He is also highly active in professional organizations and has served as the former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association, Narayanganj District unit.
Throughout his long career, numerous life-oriented photographs taken by Monirul Islam Shabuj have garnered praise from audiences and critics alike. His work has been featured and awarded in several antique and contemporary exhibitions, including the ‘Rupsi Bangla’ photo exhibition organized by the Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association.2024 Excellence in photojournalism Award.Nepal, Courageous and Injured Journalist Award of the July 2024 Uprising (Journalist Welfeare Trust,Ministry of Information And Broadcasting,Bangladesh)
To Monirul Islam, photography is not just a livelihood but an extremely challenging and thrilling medium of art. He particularly enjoys capturing news images in hostile and adverse environments, which highlights his identity as a courageous photojournalist. Following the path shown by his father, he is now a well-known face in the world of news photography in Narayanganj. In his view, every photograph is a document of history that presents the truth to future generations.
The Asian Photojournalists Association (APA) is an independent professional organization dedicated to uniting photojournalists, visual storytellers, documentary photographers and media professionals from across Asia.
