Hadi Uddin Jessore, Bangladesh


Hadi Uddin grew up in an atmosphere surrounded by light, studio and photography admirers. His father, Zohir Uddin Tara, was a studio photographer and his childhood consisted of photographic activities. From the inception of his career as a photographer, Hadi Uddin wanted to tell stories. He completed three years Professional Program on Photography from Pathshala South Asian Media Institute in 2015.

Hadi Uddin

 

Hadi Uddin was chosen by photographer Guligo Jia

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Laatikkomo’s interview with Hadi Uddin October 24th, 2017

L:  Where are you from? What cities, and/or countries have you lived in – or what places have influenced you?

HU:  I am from Bangladesh. Jessore, my hometown, and Dhaka, are the two cities that I have lived in. My father’s photo studio in Jessore where I grew up and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute in Dhaka where I did a course on Photography are the two places that have inspired me.

 

L:  What is your earliest memory of photography?

HU:  My father, zahir Uddin Tara, was a studio photographer. He had a commercial studio space with two darkrooms – one for black and white and the other for color and he would spend most of his time photographing, developing, printing.  I have had his cameras lying around in my house since I can remember. So my earliest memories of photography are always associated with him.

 

L:  Your projects seem to play around with different types of light – sometimes very harsh, and sometimes more even lighting.  What attracts you to light and without revealing all your professional secrets what light sources are you using or prefer to use?

HU:  I grew up working in my father’s studio and later worked as a fashion photographer for many years. Artificial lights are something that have associated with photography for a long time. Later, as a student of photography I was encouraged to go beyond my comfort zone and experiment with different kinds of light and I really enjoyed this process, it’s like seeing the world in new ways each time. The light I use is always chosen based on what the project demands.

 

L: Many of your projects are photographed in a diversity of different environments including impoverished and dense cityscapes. What kinds of environments are you most attracted to, where would you be interested in photographing?

HU:  I like environments that are crowded and filled with action, where there are many visually interesting elements that I can seek with my eyes and camera. I also like to look with an abstract gaze, details that are often overlooked, to represent the ordinary in a very peculiar manner that makes the viewer confused but can still absorb a sense of beauty from.

 

L: Photography, and documentary photography in particular, is often a tool for telling stories. Most of your projects tell separate stories, but do you have an overall (Global) story or message you want to tell with your images?  And is there a specific story you would like to tell in the future?

HU:  There isn’t any one particular theme that I work on. The projects I take up depends on the kind of psychological state I am in and what I am in close contact with. For instance, since my father passed away the studio he ran in Jessore, Ajanta Studio, takes up a lot of my time and I am now working on a story based on the studio, archiving the countless photographs taken by my father and also producing new images of the clients who come to the studio.

 

L:  Could you list five or more words related to the work you are showing in Laatikkomo ?

HU:  Innocence. Angel. Eyes. Scarce

 

Thank you so much Hadi!!