Asad Photo

19/10/2026

It’s live. 🇲🇻
asadphoto.islandtodo.com

I’ve been putting this off for years. Today it’s finally done — and I have a second announcement at the end of this post that I’ve waited even longer to make.

In 2008 I picked up my first professional camera, standing next to Shaheed and Saud. There was no business plan and no strategy — just three of us who wanted to photograph this country properly. Eighteen years later I’m still doing it, and I still get the same feeling when the light finally comes right.

Some numbers I find hard to say out loud.

On Pexels, my photographs have been viewed 2.4 billion times — and the platform ranks me #18 of all contributors, all time. Out of everyone, worldwide. From a country of half a million people.
Add Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and the international news outlets that have run my images, and it passes 3 billion.

You don’t have to take my word for any of it — pexels.com/ — it’s all public.
But here’s the part that still stops me.

Open Canva. Search “Maldives.” A template, a photograph, a video — there’s a very good chance you are looking at my work without ever knowing my name. Travel agencies, students, startups, designers in countries I’ve never visited, all building something with an image I made standing in the water at six in the morning.

That was always the point. I didn’t want my photographs locked in a portfolio. I wanted them out in the world, working — helping people tell the story of the Maldives, and helping the Maldives tell its story to the world.

Here’s what this new website finally fixes.
If you’ve followed me, you know me for honeymoons. Couples on a sandbank at golden hour. The quiet second before someone says yes. That has been my public face for years, and I love that work — I always will.

But there’s a whole other half of my career I kept quiet. It’s on the site now.

The institutions. Events and global initiatives for the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Red Crescent, the Government of Maldives and the Government of India.

The people. I’ve photographed people stories with three Maldivian presidents — three different chapters of this country’s story, seen through the same lens. Standing in those rooms is a privilege I’ve never taken lightly.

The hospitality world. Campaigns and storytelling for Banyan Tree, One&Only, COMO, Conrad, IHG Hotels & Resorts including InterContinental, Cocoon Collection, Cozy Hotels and Arena Hotels Maldives — some of the most demanding names in luxury, all choosing to tell their Maldives story from here.

Spaces and architecture. This has been with me from the very beginning. Back in 2009 at Huvafen Fushi I photographed the interiors of the world’s first underwater spa, and the only underground w**e cellar in the Maldives. I was experimenting. I had no idea it would become a thread running through everything that came after.

Binga. That same love of spaces — and of the homes people dream about living in — is what led me to build it. Running it as CEO is honestly the reason my own website sat untouched for so long. Which makes today feel sweeter than it probably should. 😄

To every couple, every family, every organisation and every brand who handed me their moment and trusted me not to waste it: this website exists because of you. Thank you. Genuinely.

And one more thing. 🖼️
For eighteen years my work has lived on screens. Phones, laptops, billboards, news pages, three billion views — and almost none of it printed, framed, or standing in a room where you can walk up close to it.

So today I’m also announcing my first exhibition.
It’s the story of the Maldives as I’ve watched it change through a viewfinder since 2008 — the islands, the water, the work, the people, and a country that transformed while I was busy photographing it. Some of these frames have never been published anywhere.

Dates and venue to be announced soon. Follow along here so you don’t miss it — I want this room full of Maldivians.
This next chapter matters more to me than any portfolio. I want to help more brands here tell their stories to the world properly. The Maldives doesn’t need to import its storytellers. We already have them.

Have a look around. Then tell me what you think. 👇

🔗 asadphoto.islandtodo.com

17/10/2026

The most important place to be on this planet these two dates

It’s a transformational experience Kiruba offering for Fuvahmulah today,

Join the workshop and help Fuvahmulah grow as a tourism destination, develop its tourism experiences,

You are invited to participate in a Full-Day Workshop on “More Profitable Guesthouses in Fuvahmulah Through Smart Marketing”, conducted by Mr. Kiruba Shankar, a renowned hospitality entrepreneur, reputation strategist and international speaker.
Interested participants are kindly requested to send their full name and contact number via viber to +960 7487911.
We encourage all tourism stakeholders to take advantage of this opportunity!

07/08/2026

Finding your Niche with Vinay Pushpakaran

In this episode of Waves of Wisdom, our host Iyaz Waheed engages with Vinay Pushpakaran , a professional speaker and past president of the India Professional Speakers Association. They discuss the importance of customer centricity, the journey to finding one's niche in speaking, and the role of passion in sustaining a fulfilling career. Vinay shares insights on building an ecosystem for an unretired life, the significance of deep relationships, and the necessity of staying relevant in a rapidly changing world. The conversation culminates in valuable wisdom for aspiring speakers and professionals alike.

Takeaways

Customer centricity is the core of successful marketing.
Finding your niche is a journey that requires introspection.
Passion fuels perseverance in the face of setbacks.
Building an ecosystem around your expertise is essential.
Deep relationships are more valuable than networking.
Staying relevant requires continuous learning and adaptation.
Professional speaking can be a lifelong career.
Reinvention is key to maintaining relevance in any field.
Your audience should always be the focus of your content.
Value delivery is the true measure of a speaker's success.

18/06/2026

A special acknowledgment goes to Ooredoo Maldives Techfin and Ahmed Numan, Head of Fintech & Partnerships, for their pivotal role in successfully bringing PayPal into the Maldives digital payment ecosystem.

I want to extend my deepest appreciation to the Business Center Corporation (BCC) for their relentless dedication to helping our local small businesses thrive.

But the true highlight of this milestone is what it represents: this is a historic opening of opportunities for local service providers targeting our homegrown tourism industry.

By bridging the payment gap, we are finally unlocking the true potential of the Maldivian creator economy. This is a monumental win for local photographers, videographers, makeup artists, hairstylists, musicians, and every other local talent who has struggled to build a sustainable career serving international guests.

The opportunity we have at our doorstep is staggering. With roughly 2 million visitors to the Maldives annually, our local creators now have seamless financial access to a massive market:

Over 400,000 honeymoon couples** seeking to capture their once-in-a-lifetime memories.

- Hundreds of thousands of families** wanting to document their multi-generational vacations.

- Thousands of models, influencers, and global brands** flying in for high-end professional shoots.

For the past 15 years, I have navigated this incredible but challenging landscape. Like many, I’ve lost thousands of dollars to disabled foreign accounts, exorbitant bank charges, and the hurdles of third-party workarounds. PayPal changes that.

However, as we celebrate this financial access, we must address the other half of the equation: **physical access.**
Throughout my career visiting private island resorts, securing permission to work has consistently been a hurdle. Every resort rightfully has its own visiting policies and transport fees, but the current fragmented process creates unnecessary friction for local professionals making direct bookings with guests.

This is the perfect time for our friends at the **MMPRC, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Ministry of Arts** to collaborate and empower this economy to truly thrive. We need a regularized, managed system for local access to resorts. By implementing a monitored framework—complete with a transparent ratings and blacklist system—resorts can confidently grant access to legitimate local professionals while effectively filtering out anyone flagged for unethical behavior or acting like paparazzi.

I strongly hope to see organized sessions and dialogues established for our local creators and the related service community to build out these operational frameworks.
By streamlining resort access alongside this new financial freedom, we are opening the door for every Maldivian who wants to earn a living from our tourism industry.

The bridge between the Maldives and the global economy. Receive funds, shop globally, and manage USD directly from your mFaisaa wallet.

20/04/2026

https://careers.binga.mv/

Explore open roles at Binga.mv — the Maldives' growing real estate concierge platform.