Abir Abdullah, currently is an independent photographer and former Principal of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute in Bangladesh. Worked as a correspondent of the European Press Photo Agency (EPA) from 2005-2018. Born in 1971 in Bagerhat in Southern Bangladesh, he holds a Masters in Marketing (M. Com) from Dhaka University. Making a significant career change to become a photographer, he studied at the Bangladesh Photographic Institute in 1993 and then at Pathshala Media Institute, gaining a diploma in photojournalism in 1999. Following this the World Press Photo Foundation- Netherlands supported him on a three-year seminar (Pleasure of Life).

He worked as a staff photographer at Drik PLC (1996 to 2005); was a Founding partner of DrikNews (2006); Vice Principal of Pathshala (2010-2012) and was a Jury Member of the World Press Photo in 2011. Abir’s numerous awards includes the Mother Jones Award 2001 for his work on Freedom Fighters (Veterans of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971) and the 1st Prize National Disaster category NPPA best of photojournalism award 2008. His work continues to gain recognition and he was the Alexia Foundation Professional grants winner 2013 and the recipient of the Leica Reportage prize in the Vevey International Photography Awards in Switzerland 2013.

Abir's work has been published in New York Times, New Yorker, Time, Guardian, The Telegraph, Stern, Der Spiegel, the New Internationalist Magazine and many other international publications. He was one of the photographers featured in the book BLINK, published by Phaidon, featuring 100 photographers worldwide and in the book titled New Stories commissioned and published by World Press Photo.