Living in Bangladesh, which is one of the most populated countries in the world with 163 million people, poses a challenge when taking pictures showing natural beauty.
And for photographer Tafsir Ahmed Khan, 30, who is from the capital and largest city Dhaka, which alone has almost 9 million inhabitants, it is especially challenging.
As can be seen from these pictures, he manages to get round the problem by focusing a lot on water and also on some of the spectacular scenery available on the country’s ‘Haor’, a type of wetland ecosystem particular to north-eastern Bangladesh that fill up during monsoon season, dramatically changing the landscape.
These wetland ecosystems which are mainly found in the north of the country fill up during the monsoon with run-off water from rivers and canals forming huge inland seas where the villages appear like tiny islands.
A photo in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh by Tafsir Ahmed Khan,30. 
A photo in Bangladesh by Tafsir Ahmed Khan,30.
He began his hobby in 2016 when he purchased a camera, with some of his earlier images also focusing on the minute detail of some of the country’s nature before then settling on waterways and the wetland ecosystem. He also turned to the heavens as well, photographing shots at night time but his main focus is now on wetlands.
In an exclusive interview with Newsflash he said: “I follow many foreign photographers and saw them taking beautiful photos of their countries. However, I couldn’t find many in my own country. Then I figured, why not take some artistic photos here? That’s where the adventure began.
“In Bangladesh, we don’t have any deserts or big mountains. Although I have gone to a hilly area a couple of times. Those hills are not that big if you compare them with mountains.
“Large swaths of wooded land are uncommon in this area.”
He added: “We have some, but it’s difficult to get there and dangerous, so only locals can go. Countryside is only available for a short period of time (typically 1-3 months), and it is normally submerged for the majority of the time. It’s referred to as ‘Haor’ by us. I’ve never been during the dry season.”
He would love to go abroad but said: “I haven’t had a chance to leave the county for photography purposes.
“I love to travel and make different trips with my wife, two to three times a year in some places inside the country. While travelling I take photos because I travel only for photography.”
He added: “I always look for a strong foreground, and once I’ve found one, I look for a composition bit. Before I go anywhere, I look on social media and search for recent photos of that location to get a feel for it.”
A photo by Tafsir Ahmed Khan,30. 
A photo in Bangladesh by Tafsir Ahmed Khan,30.
He said that he uses some special effects, like neutral density (ND) for his long-exposure photography and he explained that these make the water and cloud really smooth, something he really likes. On other occasions, he uses a circular polarizer filter to cut the reflections.
He said: “I am a part-time photographer, I don’t get paid for it, I am a university professor by trade. Despite the fact that I would like to pursue photography as a career someday.”
Speaking about his equipment, he said: ”I use an old entry-level APSC mirrorless camera from Sony. A Sony A6000, to be exact and also I have two manual lenses.”
He said that he does not mind not having a fancy camera, adding: ”I want to motivate people to put more emphasis on skill building, rather than buying.”
With 163 million people, Bangladesh is the eighth largest country in the world. But Tafsir says there are spots for great photos with very few people. He said that Bangladesh has a lot of “natural beauty”.
He said that Bangladesh is a lush country, with fertile land making it one of the greenest on the map.
But he said it was not all rosy, with climate change becoming an increasingly alarming threat. He said: “For instance, light pollution is affecting my astrophotography now, which was not that prominent five years ago.”
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Story By: Arian Movileanu, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
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