The Guardian's head of photography on a striking image from Pakistan

The Guardian and the Times both chose the same image of a young Afghan girl from a choice of over 20,000

laiba Hazrat, six, a refugee from Afghanistan living in slum in Islamabad. Photograph: Muhammed Muheisen/AP

Sometimes great minds do think alike. On Tuesday, the Guardian's picture system was bursting with 25,000 images by the close of play. I'm sure over at News International, the Times had a similar number or more. But, despite having so many pictures to choose from, both papers have the same rather beautiful picture on their front pages. Associated Press photographer Muhammed Muheisen shot the picture, a portrait of Iaiba Hazrat, six, a refugee from Afghanistan living in a slum in Islamabad. It was from a series of 21 portraits of Iaiba and other refugee children all shot in Muheisen's quiet, direct, desaturated style. He seems to have a natural rapport with his subjects and he is one of our favourite contributors from that part of he world, documenting the poorer people, as often as not children. Sometimes playing or often working, but trying to have a childhood.

The Times picture desk obviously feel the same about him, but still it seems extraordinary that both picture editors chose the same picture out of the set: a dirty-faced girl with red hair.

Guardian picture editor, Fiona Shields says, "We chose that child for the extraordinary depth of expression in her eyes." In these as in most of Muheisen's images, the main subject is looking straight at the camera, at the viewer, making it so hard to ignore their plight. 
But among so many pictures, good photography shines out, as always.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/photography-blog/2014/jan/29/the-guardians-head-of-photography-on-the-using-an-image-of-an-afghanistan-refugee