About 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. Presently, she is working as a photographer and filmmaker.

In November 2023, two of Ismat’s photographs were exhibited at the ‘Why Do You Do It?’ Group Art Exhibition, organized by the Boomer Gallery in London.  Her first Solo Photography Exhibition, ‘Songs in Praise of Trees’ was held in 2004 at the Shilpangan Gallery in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her second Solo Photography Exhibition, ‘Aesthetic Beauty of Trees’ was held at the Art & Soul Gallery in 2007 also in Dhaka. She also participated in two other group exhibitions.

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

In 2007, Ismat worked as the Consultant cum Project Coordinator of Sub-project One: ‘Changing Images of Women in Bangladesh’.  She mentored 10 young photographers, curated their work and organized four photography exhibitions. In 2011, Ismat switched to the development sector and worked in jute and tea projects. But she continued with her passion for photography and 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 2019 she completed 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. She is now working in a children film as an Executive Producer.

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.