Poetry of Portraits
Poetry of Portraits
Born in July 1, 1953, Nasir Ali Mamun is described as the father of portrait photography in Bangladesh. He is best known for his portraits of internationally recognised celebrities such as Stephen Hawking, Mother Teresa, Dr Muhammad Yunus, S M Sultan and many more. He has done over 53 solo exhibitions and has published 10 books.
“When I was a child, I used to see photographs of famous people on newspapers. They used to get me thinking -- the story behind the work, how the photographs were taken etc. That is how I became interested in portrait photography,” says Nasir Ali Mamun. But his journey didn't begin till 1968 when he first picked up the camera. Mamun adds, “Though I started taking pictures around that time, I got into portraits around 1972. I remember the first portraits I took were of poet Ahsan Habib, poet and writer ANM Bazlul Rashid and communist leader Comrade Moni Singh -- all taken on the same day.”
Nasir Ali Mamun's portraits are, in some ways, poignant -- bringing out the emotion. “My portraits may reflect some darkness, because most the famous people I have worked have sad personal lives," says Mamun. "I can relate to them because my life wasn't a bed of roses either.”
Mamun is now currently busy with developing his “Photosium”, a photography museum which will also build his personal archives. Many young photographers look up to Nasir Ali Mamun as a mentor. “My only advice to you is -- don't take anybody's advice!" says Mamun. "You guys have all the information you need. The world is yours to colour.”