GMB Akash

Photojournalist GMB Akash gives workshops on documentary photography, travel photography, street photography. He is the founder and managing director of ‘First Light Institute of Photography’ (www.firstlightphotoshcool.com), which is based in Dhaka. GMB Akash has given numerous workshops in his institute. He also conducted workshops in India, Switzerland and Italy. GMB Akash has hundreds of students throughout the world. After completing workshops, the students of GMB Akash establish a portfolio of impressive images and acquire technical proficiency, refined artistic sensibility, and a practical understanding of the business of photography. Participants come from all around the world to attend exclusive programs with GMB Akash. For example, Gerry Huber came from Austria and has completed a One on One workshop with GMB Akash in Bangladesh.

Huber said, “The most important thing I learned from Akash was how to interact with people and how to put them into the right light. Also I learned how to get the best out in low or difficult light situations without flash or tripod. I learned a way how to shortlist my shots of a day in a fast process. My vision changed and developed a lot. I have become very critical about light now whenever I am out for a shooting. People may wonder now why I am always looking straight into their eyes. All my expectations have been met. The days and week at the workshop were just too short. Will I recommend anyone for this exclusive workshop? Yes, Yes, Yes!”

GMB Akash

GMB Akash has received more than 100 international photography awards and his work has been featured in over 100 international publications including: National Geographic, Vogue, Times, Newsweek, Sunday Times, Geo, Stern, Der Spigel, The fader, Brandein, The Guardian, Marie Claire, The Economist, The New Internationalist and Sunday Telegraph of London.

 

He has travelled intensively through more than 50 Countries. In 2002, he became the first Bangladeshi to be selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in the Netherlands. In 2004 he received the Young Reporter Award from the Scope Photo Festival in Paris, where once again he was the first Bangladeshi to receive this honour. In 2005 he was awarded ‘Best of show’ at the Center for Fine Art Photography International Competition in Colorado, USA and in 2006 he was awarded the World Press Photo Award in The Netherlands. GMB Akash released his premier book ‘First Light’ in 2006. In 2007 he became the first Bangladeshi to be selected for the 30 Emerging Photographers (PDN 30) sponsored by Photo District News Magazine in New York, N.Y. He won the 7th Vevey International Photography Grant from Switzerland in 2009.  In the same year, he took home the International Travel Photographer of the year title at the International Travel Photographer of the Year competition  (TPOY 2009) in the UK; the most prestigious award in travel photography.

In other activities GMB Akash was one of the speakers in the fifth Global Investigative Journalism Conference, held in Lillehammer, Norway in 2008. He was the first Bangladeshi to speak in a TED talk at TEDxOporto, Portugal in 2011. In 2011 Nikon selected GMB Akash as one of the 8 influencers in the Asia Pacific region (APAC region).He was one of the speakers of the ``7th Forum of Emerging Leaders in Asian Journalism``, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2012.

 

GMB Akash presented the results of his 10-year project in 2012 which was published in a book entitled `Survivors` in 2012 and which was reviewed by the prestigious Geo magazine. He performed as a Jury member in several international photo contests such as Friends of the Earth International Photo Competition (The Netherlands), The Worldwide Photography Gala Award? (UK),The 2014 Garuda Indonesia World Photo Contest, Fine Art Photography Awards, (UK), Siena International Photography Awards SIPA, (Italy) and in many more.

 

GMB Akash has had Solo Exhibitions from 2006 to 2016 in Bangladesh, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, the USA in New York, N.Y. and Charleston, S.C., as well as in Greece.