Photographer Page

Ismail Ferdous

An openly gay Indian-American activist stands outside the historic Stonewall Inn after an event that raised funds for LGBTQ people in India. This photo originally appeared in a September 2018 story, called "Building a New American Dream" about South Asian Americans.

Transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi prays to Lord Shiva while taking a holy dip in the Ganges River during Kumbh Mela, a major festival and pilgrimage in Hinduism. Tripathi founded an ascetic order called Kinnar Akhada, whose members are primarily transgender women.

A story called "Building a New American Dream" in the September 2018 issue documented the ways South Asian Americans are creating a unique cultural identity. Here, women celebrate Holi in Richmond Hill, a neighborhood in Queens, New York.

Established as a national park in 1978, Badlands National Park in South Dakota offers spectacular views of red and orange rock formations jutting from the earth. “After driving 1,695 miles from New York City, I arrived in Badlands National Park,” says photographer Ismail Ferdous. “Camping there was an unforgettable moment of my life. America is beautiful!” (Discover how this writer found inspiration for the poem ‘America the Beautiful.’)

Ali, from Pakistan, celebrates the win of the Biden-Harris campaign with his family in Times Square. Kamala Harris marked a series of firsts with her election to the vice presidency in November. Harris is the first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian descent to be elected to the office.

New York, USA: "I didn't tell my family that I was isolated and sick in bed for three weeks with COVID-19," says photographer Ismael Ferdous. "That time was the quietest in recent memory. I looked forward to the moment every day when the light would hit my shelf and illuminate my parents, who are back in Bangladesh."

New York, USA: Mary Bolela, a nurse from Mississippi, volunteered to care for COVID-19 patients in New York. Assigned to the temporary hospital at Coler Campus on Roosevelt Island, she bought sodas for her colleagues while on break.

New York, New York: "I've always wondered who cares for the rooftop garden across from my building," says photographer Ismail Ferdous. "Like other New Yorkers, I am now getting to see my neighbors."

"I had a decision to make: Go back to Bangladesh and be with my family or stay in New York," says photographer Ismail Ferdous. "I chose to stay. Every day at 7pm, New York City claps for two minutes to show gratitude for all essential workers. At these moments I’m enveloped in our collective positive energy and feel validated for staying."

“Yesterday, my 82-year-old neighbour, Barbara, asked me to help set up a Zoom call on her iPad for her pilates class,” says photographer Ismail Ferdous. “She has been taking these classes with the same instructor for over three decades, and this was the first time Barbara had to participate remotely from her Manhattan apartment. Needing weights, she improvised and used [cans of] beans.”