Mohammad Ismail

I cover stories of conflict, features and daily life.

My earliest memory of photography is my passport photo; I was seven years old when a photographer took my photo for school registration.

When I joined Reuters, I was trained by our chief photographer in India, Ahmad Masood. I didn’t have a background as a professional photographer before that. I was working with the UN before I came to Reuters.

For my first assignment I went with my colleagues to shoot pictures of a police check point. I was still learning how to photograph, and the experience was amazing for me.

The stories that intrigue me most are the ones about violence, conflict, and people’s daily lives. People here in Afghanistan have very different experiences compared to people in other countries.

I have learnt how to work in a conflict situation and how to keep myself safe. This was partly through being given hostile environment training. But it was also because I grew up in the midst of conflict, and that gave me experience in protecting myself. I have seen a lot of violence in my life.