I am Almaas Masood, Journalist, Photographer, and Field Producer based in Hyderabad, India. For the past five years, I have been reporting on economic and environmental change, human survival, and geopolitics in the maritime domain. My work combines long-form writing, photography, and video reports, and has been published in both national and international media.
My photographs are published in Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, The Straits Times, The Guardian, The Hindu, and Business Standard. While my text and photo-stories are published in Mongabay, Rest of World, Dainik Bhaskar, and The Migration Story. I have also produced radio and broadcast stories for NPR, ABC News, and Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Context.
My long-term work documenting micro economies in coastal communities was exhibited in England. It showcased works by select Indian women photographers, and published in a coffee-table book.
I did my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, and Political Science. A three year corporate stint later, I did a Post-Graduate Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. I am a self-taught photographer and I speak five languages.
For story ideas, collaborations, or assignments, you can reach me at almaasmasood9@gmail.com
Long-term photo project
This project explores India's coastal micro economies. The documentary spans across 2,050km between Tamil Nadu (1,076 km) and Andhra Pradesh (974 km). Here, the Bay of Bengal, and Palk Bay sustain millions of population. Dozens of fishing harbours, and significant ports aside, that move goods, fuel, and militaries worth multi-billion USD round-the-clock.
Behind these figures, Gen-Z fishers are questioning identity in the digital age. Women seaweed divers work in rough waters, to women sustaining the coastal economy as traders, auctioneers, vendors, and processing workers through seafood supply chain. Their labour is the invisible engine of India’s blue economy.
Through portraits and reportage, I aim to document both survival and precarity. On land, economies are organized by fixed systems of property and regulation. Whereas, along the coast, survival flows according to lunar cycle. I explore what it means to live at the Indian ocean's tidelines now.
The project examines how coastal infrastructure, informal markets, and climate change, from rising heat to eroding shorelines, are reshaping maritime livelihoods.
Exhibited internationally and published widely, this work positions India's coastal communities at the heart of global conversations on sustainability, gender, and the future of fisheries.
Commissions
Hyderabad, India
