As a consequence of the the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Zalmaï Ahad was forced into exile in 1980, and eventually became a Swiss citizen.
In 1989, he started as a freelance photographer, traveling the world to cover photojournalism projects as well as social documentaries. His photographs were published in several magazines and newspapers including the New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, Le Temps, Newsweek, La Repubblica, ICRC Magazine, Human Rights Watch and Refugees Magazine, a quarterly publication of UNHCR.
Zalmaï's work has earned him several national and international prizes including the World Press Joop Swart Master Class, Days Japan 2006 an d Photo District News (PDN) annual award for documentary photography. He is a member of the Association Focale, a cooperative of photographers based in Nyon, Switzerland.
While Zalmaï's galleries are eclectic, his most arresting work is from Afghanistan, out of which I chose his panoramic photographs for this post.
