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     Volume 4 Issue 75 | December 16, 2005 |


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Exhibition

East West opens its window to Photography

Imran H. Khan

"Photography is all about light. In fact it is seeing life through light." Aly Zaker's definition of photography is justified in the exhibition by the East West University Cine and Photography Club (EWUPC). Photographs are nothing but the play of light on the

Dream Catcher by Munjrul Mushabbir Kawshik

imagination of a photographer. Given the proper moment and inspiration, a creation can take place that can be preserved for time eternal. East West University has taken a bold step towards this creative process and has started its own photography club to freeze-frame moments in time.

The club consists of 120 members, with nine executive members. "We plan to keep the club size small because including too many members will not produce quality photographers," said Sayeed Alam, Faculty of the Business Department, one of the moderators for the club. "We hope to train some of the top photographers so that they can take part in a lot of professional events outside the university." Md. Nazmul Islam (Adnan), the president of the club has won three prizes in three different categories in an International Inter University Photography Contest in 2005, organized by North South University. This was the first international achievement of EWUPC.

There was a variety in the photographs presented, from traditional riverine photography and natural scenes to portraiture and human activities. The first prize was given to Md. Nazmul Islam (Adnan) for his photograph entitled "Action!!!" The title is appropriate because the split second in the angler's action between the preparation for the fishing and the waiting is brought to life in the (almost audible) crack of the fishing rod. We get an overhead shot of the green and blue waters contrasted with the earth tones of the mosaic of the octagonal marble platform of the fisherman. Perhaps not as monumental as Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea, we see the struggle of another man against the forces of nature, and that too with a fish. The composition of the picture is extremely appealing without seeming arranged.

The second prize went to Md. Ehsanul Karim for his piece titled "Pigeon". At the bottom of the picture we see a flock of pigeons aligned in a row sitting on what looks like steel

Behind the Darkness by Md. Ehsanul Karim
Off duty by Md. Nazmul Islam (Adnan)

bars. There is a sense of a barrier here and the camera captures eight of the birds in the moment of flight as they soar in the blue sky. There is a feeling of movement and lightness, a sense of freedom from captivity. The white and grey of the birds stand out in the contrast of the blue and white of the sky.

Tic Tac Toe by K.A Safatul Huq won third prize. The photograph gives us a frontal shot of part of a multistoried building under construction to show what looks like a colossal tic tac toe layout. The silhouettes of three people are shown in the centre and bags of cement occupy three "boxes" at the right to give us a "completed" column. The composition is symmetric and well balanced. The photographer Safatul has a funny prequel to the picture. "I was playing Tic Tac Toe with a friend of mine in class when I received one of my quiz papers," said Safatul. "Unfortunately, I had received a "0" in the paper and had to go to talk with my sir. I was in his room talking when the construction site caught my eyes. I took my camera out and took a shot. The picture speaks for itself," says Safatul, with a happy grin. He does have something to smile about because it is probably the most imaginative shot in the show.

Another imaginative one is "Manob Murty" by Nafisa Chowdhury. Her photograph shows the nodule of a true to represent a person raising his/her arms to the heavens. Even the strategically placed "fig leaf" is conspicuously present.

There were a number of photos by Md. Nazmul Islam (Adnan), the winner of the fist prize. Actually seventeen of the photographs among forty at the exhibition, were his. A few of his other noteworthy pictures were "Off Duty," "At The Window," and "Badhon." "Off Duty" is a picture of three clear plastic police shields with their helmets and shin-guards resting on them. Like any good work of art, whether in words or pictures, more is

Tic Tac Toe by K. A. Safatul Huq bagged the Third Prize

said for having been left out.

A few of the pictures show spaces in contrast. In "Tea," by Mohammed Yusuf, the rural scene of Bangladesh is viewed from the confines of a makeshift window of a tin-shed hovel. The world is seen through the eyes of a tea-drinking male. It's interesting that it is a man who is shown occupying the inner or restricting space unlike in "At the window" by Md. Nazmul Islam (Adnan) where it is a woman confined to the dark, closed, private space looking out at the rest of the world.

East West University Cine and Photography Club have come a long way since its inception on May, 2000. The club started with M Sayeed Alam as the founder moderator and Md. Emdadul Haque as the first president, and a handful of enthusiasts. However, the activity of the club was not limited within its size as field trips and workshops are constantly being arranged. The club aims to expand interest in Cine and Photography among students through its activities and has the ambition to learn and share new ideas and techniques with others who have similar interest, imagination, interpersonal skills and recreational activities specially through Cine and Photography.

 

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