Here is the tale of an awe inspiring personality that went though ups and downs like everybody else only to emerge as the most successful in his profession leveraging on strong beliefs and stormy passion. ( Articale by Mehrin Chowdhury )
How did your passion for photography begin? Actually my beginning is quite dramatic, I used to be a student of Science at Notre Dame College and my family had se
t ambitions for me to become a doctor or an engineer. I was completely puzzled with my life at that point, I didn’t like the pressure of studying and additionally I also wanted a settled and a good life. My instincts drove me towards Dhaka University Fine Arts to study Sculpting and moreover it was the only department under Fine Arts Faculty that had vacant seats. As luck would have it I realized after one whole year of studying that this department wasn’t meant for me and that I was not discovering the passion, the attraction. For me life is about loving what I do and being successful in it. Nevertheless one day it just so happened that I was walking past the Stadium Market looking at different electronic gadgets that I came by a SLR, semi- manual camera (Practica) by chance and fell in love with it at first glance. I bought the camera with 2800tk (1994) and the rest is now history. Well, my life had been a plethora of struggles but each one made me stronger than before. With my first camera I became addicted to photography. My school friend Pantho Reza taught me how to operate the camera with optimum results. I began to take pictures of friends with a nominal payment and I realized that this subject could actually be my passion since I was feeling so strongly about it. I opened my first studio at Aziz Supermarket and charged 1500tk for one film roll. But I must admit also that I lived entirely on my personal earnings since my parents forbade paying my expenses as they were against my choice of profession. They expected me to become a Doctor or an Engineer and to their eyes Photography could only be a hobby and thus supporting me would be same as encouraging me to waste my life. As such I had to work extremely hard to pay up for the studio and also my personal living. A Korean exchange student from sculpture classes at Dhaka University, Yong Ha Kook, also with flair for photography, joined my venture and together we named our studio ‘Out of Focus’ (1995). At that time Chanchal Mahmood was a very famous photographer and we both started researching on his photography to understand the style of picture taking better. We also realized that advertisement was imminent and it was highly required in this form of business. With whatever little money we had left we sent letters to all magazine like Annyadin, Bichitra, Priojon, Cinevision, Anando Dhara etc to inform them regarding our activities. A very renowned fortnightly magazine called us in and asked us to take pictures of many celebrities, they took all the film rolls from us and paid no remuneration and without prior notice after a 2 month period dismissed us from work. They needed us no more since a photo bank had already been created which surprisingly they are still using. Stories like this repeated many a times and instead of feeling put down or low I rode on it to move on to my next destination. How did wedding photography begin? I bless my struggling periods and all the negativities that happened in my life since they have steered me into the right path which I’m in today. Since the beginning at 1994 till 2008 I accomplished a lot in the world of fashion photography and became a well known face in the industry of media and communications’. I earned many credits under my wing for e.g. I covered 'Lux Beauty Pageant' and ‘You Got the Look’ pageant, several times. I started a revolutionary magazine dedicated to fashion and the world of media called the ‘Fashion Ties’. I became the country director representing Bangladesh in international beauty pageants like ‘Miss Asia Pacific’, ‘Miss World University’ ' Super Model International' etc. The thunderbolt fell after I carried out a huge investment project called ‘Miss Millionaire Bangladesh’ in the year 2008 and it was supposed to be aired in one of the very renowned TV channels which became restricted overnight. After only airing one episode of the program the channel was blocked, a huge pressure and burden of debt fell over me. I became broken, suffered from extreme depression ran from people to people to look for alternative solutions only in vain. That was the worst era in my life, family problems emerged. I completely shut myself down at all levels and became a recluse. After almost 2 years I realized I couldn’t ruin my life just because something didn’t work out the way I had planned. I tried to regain my self esteem and interest in photography. However, this time I wanted to venture a new arena rather than the old and that’s how wedding photography began for me. I began my journey shooting for a friend’s "Rozalin" wedding. From then onwards I never had to look back. I renamed my studio as ‘Wedding Story Bangladesh’
Which one do you like better fashion photography or wedding photography? I think wedding photography is very challenging since there can be no second shots for special moments. In fashion photography pictures can be taken over and over again to capture the right moment. However, in wedding photography the bride puts the ring on her husband’s finger only once and thus the capture of the moment needs to be perfect. There are many similarities’ in the two as well since the bride’s dresses, jewelries etc are also highlighted as products which is usually the case in fashion photography. Furthermore I believe there is much to be accomplished in this field and as such I am proud to have introduced 3D Video of weddings in Bangladesh for the first time. Do you have any words for the future of photographers? Please work under a senior at least 6 months to 1 year before starting as a freelancer
Attend workshops to gain more knowledge
Take your Profession, (whatever it may be) seriously! Don’t disrespect the name of Photography with any sort of unprofessionalism
How to be a Model? To be a Model, you have to decide first why do you want to be a model? You must have certain qualities to be one. For example your look, or your smile, your way of talking, or your height or just the way you carry yourself...in fact it can be even your hair!! What I mean is that you should have something extraordinary or something special which others do not have, and that ‘something’ can be your biggest strength. If you think that you will take modeling as your profession then you must take extra care about grooming. Now let’s look at the criteria to be a model.
1. Photosession: If you want to be a model, first you have to take up a Photo session. More detail..
2. Make a Portfolio or Comp Card: After the Photo session, you have to make a Portfolio or a Comp Card. More detail..
3. Submit Photo to Agency: After you are done with your portfolio or the comp card, you should submit it to the renowned AD Agencies, Film Makers, Fashion Designers, Drama Directors, and Choreographers.
4. Contact over phone: Every week you should contact that person over phone.. Just the ‘hi hello’ thing to make sure you are on his/her mind..
5. Do some sessions for free: Do Some Free Photo shoots for your nearby Butik/Fashion house. It will help you build up your confidence in this field.
6. Maintain a good relationship with the journalists: It’s very important to maintain a healthy relationship with the journalists to be popular. In doing so, this may make them write on you which may in turn attract people and that will be beneficial for you. Make sure you visit the popular Newspapers’ and magazines’ offices every now and then… and do not forget to submit your photos because they may use your photos on their articles..
7. Do Grooming: If you think you want to do Modeling Seriously You must have to do Some Grooming Course.. What is Photosession? Usually people take one or two photos for there personal purpose like Passport or any other business etc. But Model (or those people who want to be a Model) spend session (it may be 2 Hours or 8 Hours ) with a photographer to take several photos with several getup ( like Rich man, poor man, Hot, cool, Party, Homely, Urban or Rural etc), posses, and Expressions ( like sexy, Smiley, Moody, Sady, lively etc). is Called Photosession. Personal shoot or Business shoot and Photosession are not same. To do a Photosession You have to take Proper Preparation
What else do you have in Plan? My ideas keep on evolving every day. I have a plan to do so many things and currently am getting each sorted out. My recent (2 years) initiative is that I have a small training institute name "Story Institute of Photography and Cinematography" for the upcoming photographers and Cinematographers to help them in their profession. I have a plan to work more on this department. I have also teamed up with other reputed Wedding photographers’ of the country to create an association that gives a shape to the industry. This association is called ‘Wedding and Portrait Photographers Bangladesh-WPPB’. There is a dedicated website (wppb.net) to give more information to the consumers to help them gain rightful knowledge. Apurbo Abdul Latif is the most reknown Photographer Artist in Bangladesh. He is the International Beauty Pageant Organizer, National Director in Bangladesh
