From Dhaka to Dallas: The Bangladeshi photojournalist who never stops chasing the next story
What he did not know was that one day he would find himself on the other side of those stories, not as a spectator, but as the person documenting them.
Long before he photographed Fifa World Cup history, Shafkat Anowar was collecting it.
Growing up in Dhaka, he spent hours cutting photographs and headlines from newspapers, carefully preserving them in scrapbooks. Footballers, cricketers and memorable sporting moments filled their pages. Years later, those scrapbooks remain among his most treasured possessions.
Back then, the stories existed only on paper. He followed major tournaments from afar, debated matches with friends and dreamed alongside millions of sports fans. What he did not know was that one day he would find himself on the other side of those stories, not as a spectator, but as the person documenting them.
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Today, Shafkat is a staff visual journalist at The Dallas Morning News. His work spans politics, breaking news, sports, portraits and documentary photography. This summer, that journey brought him to one of the world's biggest sporting stages, the Fifa World Cup.
Thousands of miles from the city where he first picked up a camera, he found himself documenting football history.
Witnessing History
When Lionel Messi scored twice against Austria on 22 June to become the tournament's all-time leading scorer, the stadium erupted. Fans sang, cameras clicked and another chapter was added to football folklore.
For Shafkat, however, the story was never just about the goals.
"You don't have to be an Argentina fan to appreciate Messi," he said. "He is the signature of football."
While many photographers focused solely on the Argentine superstar, Shafkat found himself drawn to the emotion surrounding him.
"Messi is nothing without the fans," he said. "I wanted to show how crazy his fans get about him."
One of his favourite images from the tournament reflects exactly that idea. Messi stands at the centre of the frame while thousands of supporters celebrate behind him. To Shafkat, the photograph is less about a record-breaking footballer than the bond between an athlete and the people who idolise him.
That instinct to look beyond the obvious moment and search for the larger story has shaped much of his career.
From scrapbooks to the real world
Born and raised in Dhaka, Shafkat studied at St Joseph Higher Secondary School. Photography entered his life after his SSC examinations when his mother encouraged him to explore a new hobby. He enrolled in a short course at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute.
What began as curiosity gradually became something more serious.
After completing college, he moved to Hawai'i to pursue higher education at the University of Hawai'I in 2016, where he studied Communications and Business. Alongside his studies, he continued taking photographs and occasionally contributed to the university newspaper.
At the time, journalism was never part of a carefully planned career. "I was just going with the flow," he recalled.
That flow eventually carried him into places he never expected.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Shafkat left Hawai'i and moved to Washington, DC, in search of new opportunities. Soon after arriving, he found himself covering one of the most consequential political events in recent American history: the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021.
"I covered it and that's actually where my main step into journalism started," he said.
The photographs he produced during that period opened new doors. An internship with the Associated Press followed in Chicago, before another took him to Salt Lake City, Utah.
In January 2022, he joined The Dallas Morning News as a visual journalist. Looking back, he still describes the journey as largely unplanned. "One thing just led to another," he said.
More than one beat
Although he now covers everything from sports to breaking news, politics was originally the field that fascinated him most.
Back then as a university student, he spent hours studying the work of photographers who documented the White House and American presidents. The idea of photographing moments at the centre of political power appealed to him.
Even today, becoming a White House photographer remains one of his biggest ambitions.
Years in a newsroom, however, have taught him that versatility is one of a photojournalist's greatest strengths.
"You have to cover everything," he said. "News, sports, features, portraits. Whatever comes during your shift."
Whether he is photographing a football match, a political event or an ordinary community gathering, Shafkat approaches every assignment with the same mindset: finding a story that goes deeper than what is immediately visible.
Finding silence between headlines
Away from work, another passion offers a different perspective on the world.
Over the years, he has travelled across more than 40 American states. During those journeys, he developed a love for astrophotography, often driving long distances at night to photograph stars, full moons and remote landscapes.
After spending much of his professional life covering difficult news events, those quiet nights provide a welcome escape.
"After covering hard-hitting news every day, I want to take my mind away from it," he said.
Travel has become one of the defining themes of his life.
One of Shafkat's favourite films is "The Namesake". He first watched it during his first year at university and one particular line has stayed with him ever since: "Pack your pillow and blanket and travel the world. You won't regret it."
Looking back, he says he never has.
Beyond the pitch
For Shafkat, leaving Bangladesh meant leaving behind familiarity, comfort and certainty. But it also opened doors to experiences he could never have imagined.
Each move, from Hawai'i to Washington, then Chicago, Utah and finally Dallas, introduced him to new opportunities and new ways of seeing the world.
That journey eventually brought him to the Fifa World Cup, something he had once only dreamed about while following football from Dhaka. The tournament has also reminded him why the sport has always meant so much.
His memories of the 2010 Fifa World Cup remain vivid. He remembers arguing with friends about matches, collecting photographs of players and eagerly following every game.
"The excitement now is bigger, but the emotion back then was different," he said.
Many of those friends now live in different countries. Yet every major tournament still brings them together through late-night conversations, group chats and familiar football debates.
"Football unites people," he said.
That idea became especially clear during the Netherlands supporters' famous Orange Fan Walk in Dallas on the day of the match against Japan on 14 June.
Thousands of Dutch fans, dressed entirely in orange, marched towards the stadium in a sea of colour, songs and celebration.
"It was like an orange ocean," he said.
For Shafkat, it was another reminder that football is about much more than what happens on the pitch. It is also about identity, culture and the communities that travel with the game.
As a Bangladeshi photographer covering one of the world's biggest sporting events, those moments carry additional meaning.
During previous assignments covering the T20 World Cup in the United States, he often found himself explaining the craze of the sport in Bangladesh to his American colleagues. This summer, while photographing football, he noticed Bangladeshi flags appearing in stadium crowds.
Those small moments reminded him of where everything began.
"I picked up a camera in Bangladesh," he said. "The foundation was Bangladeshi."
Always chasing the next story
Despite everything he has already accomplished, Shafkat believes there is still much more to chase.
He dreams of one day becoming a White House photographer, documenting American presidents and moments that shape history. He also hopes to photograph the Ashes, cover the Uefa Champions League and document an entire English Premier League season.
Whether those dreams become reality remains uncertain.
"But if I hadn't dared to dream in the first place, I would never have come this far," he said.
More than awards or prestigious assignments, he hopes people remember him through the stories his photographs tell.
"I hope they see not only the moments I captured, but also the stories behind them," he said.
He hopes his work encourages the next generation of photographers and photojournalists to believe that images can still make a difference and inspire change.
And if there is one lesson his own journey has taught him, it is that leaving behind what is familiar can sometimes lead to places you never imagined.
After all, a journey that began with a scrapbook, a camera and a dream in Dhaka eventually led him to the world's biggest sporting stage.
For Shafkat, the next story is always waiting somewhere.
