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| Shahjadi Rabeya Bosrin |
Shahjadi Rabeya Bosrin loved the excitement that holds when someone close gets married and thus she stepped out of the box and gave her liking a title. She pursued a side profession as a female wedding photographer while still pursuing her BBA at North South University. NSU was the birth place of Shahjadi's love for photography; it all began when she joined the NSU photography Club in 2008. At that time she was learning photography from her peers and especially from Shurid bhai who was her mentor, guide, and teacher and later became her colleague and co-worker. She embarked on wedding photography in 2009 with the inspiration of Shurid bhai, whom she has been assisting since then.
Ever since then she has loved this field of work although she does not plan on taking up wedding photography as her primary career. She wants to take up a 9 to 5 career but never leave wedding photography simply because of the comfort she has found in the line. 'I have been treated very nicely by all my clients and I have found a certain level of comfort with all of them. However, sometimes the work gets very hectic,' she says,
Shahjadi is specialized in portraits; she feels her work becomes a bit tough since weddings in Bangladesh are not very organized and the outcome of her work depends on how organized an event is. Her way out is by befriending her clients especially the groom and bride who are her main models. Although she follows no particular flow or pattern while taking snaps, she keeps on clicking and following the chain of events. Shahjadi feels that brides are more comfortable with her; they are less shy and more open about their poses and expressions.
Being a female and working with events such as weddings which are mostly late night, Shahjadi has had to face some problems regarding working late hours from her family. However, she has accommodated her restrictions and work by setting her workings hours before 11:30 pm. Otherwise, her family has been supportive of her work and she has successfully saved her studies from being affected by her assignments.
'Wedding photography is all about capturing moments, and making apt use of every single minute; more than using the best gadgets it is about having the eye to freeze these great moments' she says. However, she feels that it is of utmost importance that the bride and groom find themselves at ease. As a part of her assignment she takes time from her clients beforehand, talks to them, knows about their preferences, and gives them advice about the importance of good lighting, colour contrast and combination that will help bring out the best photos from the occasion.
She admits that the best part of her job is meeting interesting people and often ending up befriending her clients that she believes is an unparalleled gain. She has been a part of the only wedding photography team in the country to go for a wedding assignment outside the border. 'The assignment was for a Bengali girl and south Indian boy residing in Hyderabad. The family had looked at our work over internet and invited us to cover their wedding. This was a very different and fun experience, to work for a wedding with an absolutely different culture, different language, and that too in a different country,' she reminisces.
The biggest achievement in this line according to Shahjadi is the appreciation that you get and the relations that you build.
Shahjadi does not cover any event alone; she usually works with her mentor Shurid bhai and other assistants if necessary. For an event of 3.5 to 4 hours she along with Shurid bhai charges about Tk 35,000 to Tk 50,000. She takes about twenty days for post production and delivery.
About this industry she feels that there has been much growth and the rise will continue in the coming years too.
