From his Facebook wall to the walls at his house, every platform is flooded with photographs of famous people, all captured by him. Mamun's core passion lies in being able to photograph well-known personalities: "I really admire leading poets, novelists, writers, economists, politicians and am forever curious about their lifestyle, behaviour, gesture and their work. Their work mesmerises me."
Mamun's early days were spent staring at photographs in national dailies, wondering what was going through each photographers mind before they took their photos. "How did they take it? What were their thoughts when those photos were taken? What were they focusing on when they clicked that photo?" After spending a long time fascinated with these photographers and their work, he finally begin pursuing photography 47 years ago.
Firmly believing the camera to be a "magic box", Mamun noticed that major photographers of our country only worked on capturing elements of nature. "What are we really specialising on?" he wondered. He aspired to find a new, fresh signature style for himself. The pioneer of portrait photography in Bangladesh, he introduced this style of photography back in 1972.
Chasing his dream of capturing a story with every photo, he worked with subjects and leading artists from different fields of work. Deep down inside he felt that he could connect with these people. He could really understand the hidden truths, could unearth their feelings and could connect in a way that was special. One click and he would capture it all in the form of a photograph, one that was close to his heart. When asked about the secret behind how he finds stories in each photo, he said: "Although the people I shoot are from the higher echelon of society, they usually started with humble beginnings and I can relate to that. There is an undeniable chemistry between the hidden lacking in their life and the ache I feel from knowing where they come from. Even though they're all intellectuals and leaders in their respective fields, their lives ended in negligence and they were to some extent, not given the due respect they deserved."
Many a times, Mamun has refused to photograph just about anyone that request him. From famous celebrities to well known personalities, he only chooses to photograph those who he believes have a hidden pain that needs to be addressed, or a story that needs to be told.
Although capturing these photographs made him learn a lot, he was also hurt by the harsh realities that were revealed to him. "People don't understand the immensity or the beauty of being able to photograph these personalities. It's not about the still or the portrait that is captured, it's about the person, the stories they've told, the time that is spent. People don't really understand just how blessed they are when they are able to photograph the likes of Shamsur Rahman or Bismillah Khan or S M Sultan. It's an overwhelming feeling for me. Often I've thought how it feels so much like winning an international prize." He wants the current generation of photographers to be able to understand the value of these experiences by looking at photography from a different angle.
When asked about Bangladesh's current stage in terms of development in the field of photography, he stated "Regardless of just how much and how many photographs are being taken, Bangladesh still has a long way to go. It will take at least another 15 to 20 years for Bangladeshi photography to reach international heights."
According to him, his best photographs are the portraits of S M Sultan, poet Shamsur Rahman and Dr Mohammad Yunus. Previously a teacher at Pathshala, a South Asian Media Institution Mamun no longer teaches but focuses more on seminars. "I have spent three years teaching and I learnt a lot from it. There were times when I realised how there was so much to learn - even from my own students. I want the new generation to focus on neglected sectors, I want them to work to remedy the poverty in our country."
When he gets time away from work, he tries to spend as much time with family to maintain a healthy work-life balance. He stated that ever since his wife Nazmus Nesa entered his life, she supported each of his dreams and causes. When asked about who his best friend was, he tenderly said it's his son Annatomo Khan. "Nothing makes me happier than knowing that my son has the passion to take good photographs, to tell the stories behind each portrait more than just wanting to be just another photographer."
When asked under which photographer's lenses he would be comfortable, his simple answer was: "I think Nasir Ali Mamun should photograph Nasir Ali Mamun. Then Annatomo Khan." As of now, both father and son spend a lot of time experimenting on portrait photography.
Sometimes when he gets time off and stays at home, it ends up being an extremely busy day for him since he spends hours on the second floor of his house, preserving his life's work and collections. "Whenever I get time, I dedicate it to photoseum. Right now preserving my existing work has become my biggest challenge as some of them need to scanned, some of them need to be foldered, etc.” “Photoseum” is now a museum for photography.
Alongside being a photographer, Mamun has several other interests - he has tried his hand at being a writer, editor, collector and interviewer. A passionate collector of art, he has collected loads of sketches, drawings, hand-written scripts, autographs and images. On top of that, he has a massive collection of portraits of leading men and women. “In my museum I’ll dedicate a floor only for self portraits,” he mentioned. He mourns the death of Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bonhobondhu and Jashimuddin. If they were alive today, he may been able to keep their hand or foot prints along with their drawings. One of his life's greatest wish is to put all his work and collection in order as fast as possible.
"An artists journey is always endless. I think the very concept of being something is pointless. Nothing can come between a mind that is creating art, not event the loneliest of situations or moments of paralysis. It's only when an artist dies that it can be said that he has retired. Until then, his mind is forever creating."- Nasin Ali Mamun.
Trivia
As a child Nasir Ali Mamun used to cut snippets from newspapers to collect images. He was notorious for cutting snippets from every paper - even his neighbours'and friends home.
In the beginning he would develop his own photos, sometimes at home and sometimes at the studio. He even developed photos on the very plate that he ate on.
