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photo credit: Hatice Kafadar
about this website
published photos & articles
current equipment & technical proficiency
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Born in 1968, Ankara, now I'm a
photographer working since 2000 in affiliation with Atlas, a leading geographic
magazine published in Turkey. For many years, I have been a serious
amateur, having travelled long distances on muddy roads, hiked on silent
mountain paths, wandered in deep forests and canyons, for the search of
better images.
First meeting with photography was some
experiments with my father's Agfa Isola, as he taught me the basics of
usage when I was 7 years old, then followed by Exacta. At 16, I stepped into my own photographic
world, buying a Lomo Smena, a lightweight rangefinder with little value if
lost or damaged, yet providing unexpected image quality and the basic
controls for creativity. That year, with a modest budget, I survived a 2-month
journey all around the country, while it was unimaginable for the age. I
had to overcome the lack of light meter by memorizing and calculating
values. The successful images were appreciated by my high school, and
that led to an exhibition sponsored by state.
In the university years, I owned a Minolta
system and used for more than a decade. Its prime lenses could provide
high standard images, if proper technique applied. In the library, I
preferred to spend long hours looking at the National Geographic
collection, instead of studying lessons. It's not hard to guess the rest.
Mechanical engineering was not for me, despite of a tendency towards
technology and science. Then I studied tourism, and worked as the manager
of a travel agency, before realizing I should be in the photography
industry. After a detailed research for a high definition MF camera, I've
recently decided for a Mamiya 7 system. For certain needs, the advantages
outweigh its
disadvantages. Since I barely managed to afford the camera plus 3 lenses;
any digital camera today, better than top 35mm film+scan quality would be
out of my financial reach, sharing the same situation together with many semi-pros.
My Philosophy in Photography: I may never
find the exact answer what especially drives into landscape photography. I
always see strong relation between landscapes and polyphonic music, as
well as maths. Though it's no secret as success depends being at the right
place at the right time, also I try to combine emotion with technique, in
effort to maintain precise balance between art and reality. My photographs
vary from grand vistas to tranquil scenes, or intimate abstracts
sometimes induced by fractal geometry. Generally, landscape related
photography is a complex branch, and needs a thorough understanding of
light, color, composition and harmony of the instruments provided by
nature and mankind. I believe most landscape photographers are under the
strong motive seeking perfection and also "the heaven on earth",
although not often admitted.
Turgut Tarhan - 2004
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