THE ART OF LIGHT
"Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art."
The aforementioned quote (and belief thereof) by the great Ansel Adams remains a topic of debate around the world. However, there's certainly no doubt in it being an important message that a group of young photographers have set out to establish.
The members of Dhaka University Photographic Society (DUPS), celebrating over 15 years of operation, have organised the 2nd National Photography Festival 2015. The exhibition was inaugurated on May 23 at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and will be open for all till today, May 28, at TSC, DU.
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As for the event, DUPS put all hands on deck to collect the best photos from students of Bangladesh – schools, colleges and universities – and assembled them for an exhibition. An invitation, or "Photo Call", was sent to educational institutes across the nation two months back.
The invite met with a great response. Out of almost 4500 submitted entries, 125 single photos and 5 photo stories have been selected for the showcase. These contain 10 school entries, 15 college entries, 50 university entries in addition to winners of DUPS' Annual Photography Competition – a tally of 50 photos and 3 photo stories. First places for each category were announced at the inauguration ceremony and awarded with crests.
The first day began with a rally at TSC, DU where the Vice Chancellor, Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, joined in with the members of DUPS and enjoyed every bit of the festivity. The inauguration ceremony took place at noon.
Presided over by Liaquat Ali Lucky, Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the ceremony had Asaduzzaman Noor, Minister for Cultural Affairs, as chief guest who was joined by Din M Shibly, Head of Academics, Counter Foto and Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan, Chairperson, Television and Film Studies Department, DU, as special guests.
Over the years, and nowadays more so, photography has become widely accessible to the mass. In light of this, Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan said, "The photos are a reflection of our everyday society. Now that more youngsters are joining in, I request that you use it as a tool to stand against adversities, but use it responsibly."
Din M Shibly chimed in: "Photography in Bangladesh has come a long way. But it is still very young, so I think there should be more of it in academics, especially in undergraduate level at universities." Shibly also mentioned how a photo is made using light and not the camera, stating that an image is created in the mind of a photographer.
Handpicking the best photos from a few thousand was no easy task. DUPS and its members were always under the guidance of its jury panel. The line-up of Hasan Saifuddin Chandan, Kudrat-E-Khoda, Syed Latif Hossain, Mahfuzul Hasan Rana and Din M Shibly – all big names in the Bangladeshi photography scene – raised the bar of the competition and festival this year.
In his speech, Liaquat Ali Lucky shared his plans with the audience: "Shilpakala Academy has always supported efforts that showcase talents in the vast field of arts and culture. We love the determination and creativity of the youth and we are spreading our operations further into the rural areas."
Asaduzzaman Noor, the chief guest at the event, shared his personal stories and a very important message. He said, "I grew up with and was always around artistic people. But now we see that the life of a child is bound within studies and homework and technology. In order to create more photographers, we need to break that barrier."
The first part of the exhibition was held at Jatiya Chitrashala, Gallery No. 6 at the Shilpakala Academy till May 26. If you haven't had the chance to visit, you can catch the second part of the exhibit at TSC, DU being held from May 27 till 9 pm tonight.
The hall at Shilpakala Academy was a full-house during the event. Most photography enthusiasts were awed by the arrangements. There were printed t-shirts hanging on the wall, and photos attached to a curtain. Most people gathered around the orange walls at the centre of the hall.
"I love the 'runway' of photos and the unique way in which all the photographs are framed, which is different from usual exhibitions," said Sohail Anwar, a university student and an amateur photographer.
Of the many winners from many categories, Fahim Ahmed of Islamic University of Technology (IUT) who won first place for his photo series "Identity" had this to say: "Events like this motivate the young photographers of Bangladesh.
We want to take photos that would put the country in a positive light. We also require training and workshops for those who want to take photography as a profession."
The 2nd National Photography Festival 2015 had promised a high level of involvement among photography lovers of all age, and has successfully managed to deliver. DUPS' continued effort as an ambassador of photography, promoting it as a form of art, is worthy of much praise and honour.
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