Dirk-Jan Visser (1978), the Netherlands, is a news and documentary photographer based in Rotterdam. He works freelance for different media, focusing on social, economic and political issues around Europe. In his own projects, Dirk-Jan aims to raise awareness of contemporary social issues worldwide. In these projects he is particularly sensitive for the consequences of large political decisions on regular individuals. Engaging with society from grassroots perspectives, he uses his camera to communicate with its different layers, and aspires to create understanding on contemporary social issues in relation to the political and economic transformations of different regions in the world. His work on the Zimbabwean exodus won a number of awards, including Dutch Photojournalist of the Year 2007, a special recognition in the POYI World Understanding Award, and was used by the Human Rights Watch lobby to help bring about a change of asylum policy in South Africa towards Zimbabweans. Dirk-Jan considers this to be the greatest achievement of his career. Currently he is working on two major projects. One is on the situation in Nagorno Karabach, through the eyes of a football team from the ghost city of Agdam. The other project is a research to personal motives of illegal migrants in Europe. The first part of this research was part of the 2009 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass.