Ismat Jahan

Ismat Jahan started her career in marketing and advertising and then decided to follow her passion, photography. In 2001, Ismat graduated in Professional Photography from the New York Institute of Photography.

She started her career as an advertising photographer but she is passionate about portraiture and nature photography. From 2001 to 2011, she worked as a professional photographer for different advertising agencies in Bangladesh. Ismat worked as a Course Instructor at the Dhaka campus of the Perdana College of Malaysia and for three years she also ran a portrait studio at the Bashundhara City mall in Dhaka.

She loves photographing trees! Her first Solo Photography Exhibition titled ‘Songs in Praise of Trees’ was held in Dhaka at the Shilpangan Gallery in 2004; and her second Solo Photography Exhibition titled ‘Aesthetic Beauty of Trees’ was held in April 2007 at the Art & Soul Gallery, also in Dhaka. Ismat also participated in two group exhibitions.

In 2011, Ismat switched to the development sector and worked in jute and tea projects. Besides Project Management, she also prepared Photo Stories, videos on project beneficiaries and did product photography of products of SMEs (Small and Medium Entrepreneurs).

From photography Ismat also grew interest in film making, and she completed short courses on Film Appreciation, Film Making, Documentary Film Making, Editing & Post-Production and Cinematography. In January 2018 she started working on her first documentary ‘Sayeeda Khanum—The Pioneer Female Photographer of Bangladesh’. Being a photographer herself, Ismat thought Sayeeda Khanum would be the most fitting subject for her first documentary.

This documentary was Officially Selected and screened at a number of International and national film festivals, including at the 8th Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival (KSIFF), where it won the Special Festival Mention award.

Ismat studied Economics and Business Administration but her true passion lies with photography and film making.  She is an optimist; she wants to bring out positives of life through her work and inspire viewers.  Ismat loves travelling and watching movies.