Ashraful Arefin is a Fine Art photographer from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ashraful exudes a strong sense of creativity and self-expression in his art. In his interview with us, Ashraful sheds light on the type of creative mindset necessary to excel in a whole range of photography subgenres instead of just sticking to, and excelling at one. (being just a portrait photographer or a wedding photographer for example)

We venture into the depths of each of Ashraful’s major interests in the realm of photography and learn how diverse interests and a desire for new challenges and change can be channeled into growth and success in the competitive world of photography.

Hello Ashraful, thank you for doing this interview. Can you tell us about where you are from? How did you first get into photography? and at what stage did you start looking at photography as a viable career path? 

Thank you very much for having me! I was born, and am currently based in the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. I got my first camera back in 2010, I was a student of Fine Art. I got the camera to take high-res images of my artworks. But eventually, I got more interested in the art of photography. With the goal of pushing myself to use my camera a bit more, I started doing a 365 photography project in 2013. Doing this project made me fall in love with photography even more. I never really had as much fun being creative with any other media. After completing the 365photography project, I decided to put all of my time and energy into photography.

Creativity seems to be bursting out of you! A lot of professional photographers choose to concentrate on a single photography niche and stick to it throughout their careers. Refreshingly, you both photograph, and excel in a variety of creative genres! You dabble in Street photography, travel photography, still life, miniatures, cinemagraphs, and floral photography! Has your attitude always been to just photograph and share what you love and what interests you? Would it be fair to say that all your photos and videos fall under the broader umbrella of fine art photography? 

Sure, you can say that. Personally, I consider myself an artist and that is all I’ve ever wanted to be, regardless of the media. Photography for me is a way to express my thoughts and dreams. My intention was never to just take photos. I wanted to create art, be it through painting or photography. I chose photography because I liked the process and also it takes less time for me to create than painting. I think if you know yourself, what you want to create, and the message you want to deliver through your images, then regardless of the genre or niche - your own personal style will shine through.

Does having a wider variety of styles and genres give you more creative freedom to express yourself, experiment with, and interpret what's around you? 

Definitely. It opens more doors to explore yourself and the environment around you, and helps you to stay inspired. Art is a vast world and I never wanted to limit myself. When I was shooting only still life, at one point I felt uninspired and too comfortable with my work. So, I tried something new on the streets and it was very refreshing. I love the lack of control in the streets which is in complete contrast to still life photography where I can control every single element. It also gives me the opportunity to try new things and see things with different perspectives.

I think that this interview would be a great opportunity to explore and broadly break down each of your styles and interests and get your opinion of them all. Let us start with floral and still life photography. Flowers are consistently used in your still life compositions and are often the focal point. What draws you to frequently use them? Can you offer any advice for those wanting to improve their still life and floral photography? 

I have always been fascinated by the beauty of flowers. When I was a student of fine art, I got to study symbolism and it was really amazing to know how different flowers symbolize different meanings! I feel like I can tell stories and portray emotions through them easily. The kind of concepts I work with, for instance; fragility, beauty, or strength can be strongly portrayed through the use of flowers. All the different shapes, varieties, and the colours… there are so many ways you can use them in photographs.

Still, life is about storytelling through inanimate objects. Every object has a connection with human emotion; for example, an old photograph can take you back to so many memories and make you feel nostalgic. So, having a clear concept about what and why you’re doing is the key. My advice is to concentrate on what you really want to portray through your images and think about the subjects that can help you to achieve that. For instance, if I want to show fragility, I would probably use a flower with soft, fragile petals and pastel in colour. I’d use the same approach if I wanted to show strength, I would use one with more bold, vibrant colours. So, you really need to think about and consider everything. Also studying a bit about symbolism can be a great way to really help you form your ideas.

Flowers are often incorporated into your cinemagraphs as well. Can you give a brief breakdown of how a cinemagraph works? How did you first get into making cinemagraphs?

A cinemagraph is basically a hybrid of a still image and a video. The idea is to create the impression of a living photograph. The most common way to create a cinemagraph is by taking a short video with a continuous movement in a loop. Next, you need to create an endless loop by matching the first and last frame of the footage. And finally, take a still frame from the video and place it on top of the video as a layer and mask out the parts where you want the movement to be visible.

My first idea came from the moving paintings in Harry Potter movies. Later I saw some cinemagraphs on Behance and tried to create one. I watched a few tutorials on Youtube by PHlearn and that really helped me to understand the process.

Your miniatures are also very creative and unique! How do you go about selecting your props, creating your set, and getting that beautiful bokeh effect in your compositions?

Thank you! I always try to have a clear concept about what I am going to create and what my purpose behind creating it is. I also think about different things like the kind of story and emotion that I wish to portray and the colours that I want to achieve. Once I know what I want rest becomes easy. I select props, subject material, and everything else according to my concept. For example, I love to use old rusty toy cars. The dents and rust make you wonder about their journey and what they have gone through.

For the bokeh, I use a large aperture like f/1.8 and a longer focal length like 85mm or 105mm. This separates the subject from the background and creates that beautiful bokeh effect.

Street photography gets you out into the city observing the vibrancy and capturing all the little moments that catch your eye. What is it that draws you to shoot street photography? What are you looking out for to create a good composition and find an interesting subject? Taking strangers photos can be daunting for some people, what is your approach to this aspect of street photography?

I think what inspires me most to street photography is capturing the raw, unfiltered moments and people. And knowing that those split-second moments are unique and won’t happen again. The first thing I look for is light. I am totally obsessed with light and I think good light can turn any ordinary scene into something amazing. I location scout a lot and look for the streets with interesting light, background, etc, which helps to compose a scene. Next, I’ll wait there for someone to pass by. When selecting the subjects, I look for expressive faces, also I see if the light I am working with is complimenting my subject or not. Mostly I focus on capturing emotion and expression in a person.

I can totally understand how intimidating taking people’s photos can be. Even I was scared when I started shooting the streets. But I think a positive attitude and a smile can go a long away. I always try to be friendly and if any curious person asks why I am taking photos I explain to them and most of the time they don’t mind. Staying confident and friendly will help immensely.

Your love of street photography has also spilled out from your home city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, into other cities around Asia. What drives you to first select, and then travel to certain cities and photograph its people and culture? What are some of the most rewarding things about street photography in your eyes?

There are some places I always wanted to travel to. India and Nepal were on top of the list and luckily both are very close to my country. I like to explore cities where I can see the old-world charm and traditions. And it’s always great to see how different other parts of the world can be in comparison to yours. It provides you with a fresh new perspective on your own city.

I think street photography brings you closer to the people and gives an opportunity to experience their daily lives. You get to observe life as it is; real and raw. You start to appreciate more about your surroundings and the people whom normally you wouldn’t pay any attention to. For me, the best parts of shooting streets are making a connection with people, the little moments and interactions you will come across, and exploring new parts of the city.

From the complexity of cinemagraphs and miniatures to the relative simplicity of phone photography. You are more than happy to document all aspects of your life with your iPhone it seems, Nature, travels, architecture, etc. What do you like about using your phone in this way? Do you use any phone apps for editing images?

I like the idea of having a camera with me all the time. Sometimes I just want to document the moments without thinking much and using a heavy camera. A phone camera serves that purpose perfectly. I usually don’t edit images on my phone, but when I do, I use Adobe Lightroom mobile. Also, I use Moment app to take raw photos with my phone.

The relatively recent advancements in technology now mean that almost everyone can go out and enjoy photography, even children get introduced to it at a younger age than ever before possible. What are your thoughts on this? How can one stand out from the crowd when everyone around them also has a camera of some sort and post pictures on social media?

I think there are both good and bad sides. There are so many resources available and the technology is getting better rapidly which is great! But at the same time, it may get oversaturated with too many photographers. I think the key is to stay true to yourself and photograph only the way your heart wants. Because it doesn’t matter how crowded it gets, the ones with a uniquely personal style will shine above. So instead of running after the trends or creating what’s popular on social media, people should always focus on what they personally like to create.

Is there a certain style of photography that you find particularly challenging? What has been the most rewarding for you on the whole as a photographer and a creative?

I have been shooting still life from the beginning and yet I find it most challenging. The most difficult part for me is to come up with a new concept and turn it into a photograph. It has happened many times that I am trying different setups again and again but nothing is working. This can be a bit hard sometimes to create something meaningful as you are working with inanimate objects which are not going to give you any expressions like a human model. So, creating a connection with the viewers is always going to be difficult.

Whenever I think of the most rewarding part of my photography journey, I think it’s the whole process and being able to see your visions come to life. Photography has also opened my eyes and heart. It has made me appreciate all the simple things in life and I know now that to create something beautiful I don’t need fancy things. I think as an artist it’s very liberating and rewarding.

I would like to finish up with a couple of aspects of photography that carry across all of your work. Lighting is something that every photographer must always consider. Does your approach differ much between working with natural light and artificial lighting? Can you share a few tips for working with them both? 

Well, light is just light, doesn’t matter if it’s natural or artificial. Of course the artificial light will give you more control and time to work with. I tend to use natural light always, especially for my street images. In most cases, except night shoots, I am utilizing and working with sunlight. For my still life shots and cinemagraphs, sometimes I do mix up natural light with artificial light like an led or Speedlight.

I’d say use the kind of light you like and that is most suitable for your style of imagery. Studying light is important. If you are shooting with natural light pay particular attention to the time of day. Each kind of light has a different purpose. For example, harsh mid-day light would create a more contrasty and graphic look whereas warm afternoon light would be more suitable more soft, romantic images. It gets a bit easier when you are using studio lights as you’re in full control of it. Lighting totally depends on the kind of mood and emotions you are going to portray. So always try to have a clear idea about the kind of result you want and go for the lighting setup which will help you to achieve that result.

Camera gear and editing software is also a constant and integral aspect of your work. Can you give a brief overview of your go-to camera gear and editing software?

Right now I am using the Nikon D850 with the NIKKOR 105mm F/1.4E ED, NIKKOR 85mm F/1.8G and NIKKOR 50mm F/1.8G lenses. And for the editing part I use Photoshop.

Thank you very much for your time Ashraful! Where can people follow you on your socials and go to see your website? Could you offer up a final piece of advice for someone aspiring to improve as a photographer or get into photography?

It’s absolutely my pleasure! If anyone is interested, they can follow my works on Instagram @monsieur_arefin and @ashrafularefin. Also, my website www.ashrafularefin.com.

And sure, I’d like to say to anyone interested in photography: just enjoy the process. Do it from your heart without thinking about others. Make mistakes and learn from them. Photography is an expressive art form and everyone does it differently. So, there’s no right or wrong way, there’s only your way. You may watch and learn from others but follow only your path.

Stay Creative!