Workshop Participants
Andrew Rozario (Biraj) is the Visuals Editor at HIAS based in Washington, D.C. He has been a photojournalist more than 20 years. Biraj has worked for the international news agencies Reuters, Sipa Press USA and Getty Images. He holds an advanced diploma in photography from Pathshala, the South Asian Institute Media Academy in Bangladesh, and a B.A. (Hons) in Photography & Video from The University of Bolton, UK.
Andrew Biraj has won numerous national and international awards including Best Portfolio (in 2013) and a second prize (in 2013) in The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar Contest in the USA, an Honorable Mention (in 2013) in the National Geographic Photo Contest, a third prize (in 2011) World Press Photo award in The Netherlands, a second prize (in 2013) in Pictures of the Year (POYi) by The Missouri School of Journalism, a third prize (in 2010) and a first prize (in 2008) in the National Press Photographers Association of America's Best of Photojournalism awards; a Gold award
(in 2013) a silver award (in 2011) and a bronze (in 2007) in the China International Press Photo Contest; the 2010 Award of Excellence in Feature Photography, from the Society of Publishers in Asia, and the 2010 South Asian Journalists Association award for an outstanding photograph about South Asia.
Andrew was a participant in the 2008 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass.
Andrew has been published in National Geographic Magazine, Time Magazine, The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Time, The Guardian, The Observer Magazine, The Times, Paris Photo, Le Monde, Sydney Morning Herald, Newsweek, Stern, Asian Geo, Hindustan Times and in many other international publications.
His work has been featured in exhibitions and screenings worldwide, including Visa Pour l'Image, in Perpignan, France, the Angkor Photo Festival in Cambodia, Yangon Photo Festival in Myanmar, the International Photography Biennial of the Islamic World in Iran, Noorderlicht Photo Festival in The Netherlands, the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts in Japan, the Church of Santa Maria Della Pietà in Venice, Italy, the National Art Gallery in Malaysia, Drik Gallery and in The University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Andrew exhibited one of his major long-term projects “Bonded Stitches & Struggle; Testimony Of Life In Bangladesh’s Garment Industry,” on the one year anniversary of the collapse of Rana Plaza, which has been attended by more than 10,000 visitors in Bangladesh. The exhibition took place from April 22- May 1, 2014, simultaneously in three different venues including an open-air show near the collapsed building site in Savar, Bangladesh.
Andrew Biraj was a jury member in the 2020 South Asian Journalist Association (SAJA) Award. Biraj has been invited to nominate candidates from more than 65 countries of Asia and Africa for the 2017 Price Claus Awards in The Netherlands. He was also a nominator of 2017 UNICEF Photographer of the Year competition and a professional portfolio reviewer for the graduate student in Corcoran School of Art & Design in The George Washington University in Washington DC. He has also been in the jury panel in numerous photography competitions and exhibitions in Bangladesh arranged by Dhaka University Photography Society, BUET Photography Society, Bangladesh in Frames by TTL, Rabi Telecom and many others.
Biraj is a co-founder and a lifetime member of Counter Foto Photography Department in Bangladesh, which was established in 2012. Biraj is a co-editor and co-author of the book Under the Banyon Tree published by Pathshala. He self-published his first book INSIGHT in 2011. Counter Foto published his second book Bonded Stitches & Struggle; Testimony of Life In Bangladesh’s Garment Industry (Bengali Version) in April, 2014.
Andrew participated in the December 2023 MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop. He had the following to say about his experience:
MediaStorm workshop provided an enriching experience collaborating with diverse talents in a dynamic environment. From brainstorming to storytelling, it allowed me to unlearn cliches and explore new visual narratives. A journey of perseverance, attention to detail, and close-to-heart exploration. Grateful for the learning!
Tim Obert has been hooked on fishing since landing his first fish as a young boy with his father off the Santa Cruz Wharf on California’s Central Coast.
By the time he was 12, he was working and sleeping on charter boats in the town’s harbor.
It was an early start to the dream he’s been living for the nearly two decades since, as a captain and commercial fisherman.
The sea has provided Obert a stable life, allowing him to raise a family and invest in his business. But in fishing, there is always a risk.
Sometimes the fish are biting, sometimes they aren’t. There are good days and bad days. Sometimes those bad days turn into bad years.
It’s a salty old truth that long-time fishermen know how to plan for a rainy day.
Recent state regulations aimed at saving whales and increasing the salmon population have kept fishing boats like the Stacey Jo, which Obert captains, stuck at the dock.
Obert has stepped up to help his fishing buddies, running the Santa Cruz Commercial Fishermen’s Association and serving as a member of the Dungeness Crab Task Force to work with California’s environmental agencies on behalf of his fleet.
But it’s a role that comes at a cost, and not just financial. The most important trade off for Obert is time spent away from his family.
“I’m on like ten boards right now. Not a dollar am I making for it,” Obert said. “Being on a six-hour call is excruciating sometimes. The time away is horrible.”
In Finding Balance, Obert speaks candidly about the struggles of being a good husband and father while also working to succeed as a commercial fisherman, and how that’s been further complicated by the leadership roles he shoulders while stuck on land.
Obert and the other fishermen who have braved such regulatory storms before believe it will pass and they’ll again be pulling their catch from the ocean.
Obert believes both sides must work together to consider conservation interests alongside those of the fishing industry, just as he works to find the right centerpoint between his family’s needs and those of the industry he loves during his fleet’s long, rainy day.
It’s all just a matter of finding the right balance.
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This story was reported by four workshop participants in Santa Cruz, CA for the MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop in early December, 2023.