Through the lens of the late Danish Siddiqui

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This article first appeared as the cover story in the MARKETING Weekender, issue 299, on 23 July 2021

“I shoot for the common man who wants to see and feel a story from a place where he can’t be present himself.” – Danish Siddiqui

Danish Siddiqui was a Reuters photojournalist and the first Indian alongside Adnan Abidi, to win the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his documentation on the Rohingya Refugee Crisis. On July 15, 2021, Danish was shot to death in a crossfire while documenting the Taliban Offensive in Afghanistan. 

His death is a reminder of how dangerous photojournalism can be. Yet there is indisputable value in a profession of “silent speakers” who capture photographs that transcend language and culture, to cast a lasting image into our consciousness.  

German-Iranian journalist described Danish as ‘the man who captured humanity.’ The Guardian’s tribute to him writes that Danish’s breath-taking body of work for Reuters “spanned some of the world’s most era-defining crises.”

While the ethics of photojournalists have been questioned and raised as a concern, advocates have stressed its “distinct and important ability to indisputably represent the truth.”

Art and photo director, Molly Gottschalk, avowed that despite questions surrounding the integrity of journalists, “images of visceral power, ones which present unquestionable truths, will play an increasingly important role in not just accompanying a story but serving as the document that allows it to resist being summarily rejected with a buzzword.” 

Below is our pick of some of Danish’s finest images taken throughout his career. Read the captions for full appreciation.