Interview with photographer Alper Dutkin

A postgraduate student in the field of education, Alper Dutkin from the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (Turkey) gained First Place in the People and Portraits category in the 2009 Microsoft Future Pro Photographer Competition. Alper works as a freelance photographer and has only started his hobby in photography as recent as 2006. Despite this, his works have already been exhibited at two international photography contests held by Arel University and Halic University. I had a great opportunity to ask him some questions about the competition and what his thoughts are on photography.

Blurry Lives © Alper Dutkin

Let’s start by telling us where this photo was taken.

The photo was taken in the Fevzipasa District, Canakkale / Turkey. Fevzipasa district is a colorful place in Canakkale. The people inhabited here are Gypsies from all over the world who were taken for the construction of the Cimenlik Castle (Kala-I Sultaniye) in 1462 by the Ottoman Empire. They have settled here since then.

What message did you try to convey through this photograph?

I am not concerned about conveying a message through a single photo. However, in general, I want to document the Fevzipasa District, an important place in the history of Canakkale, with my photos. These days, all over the Turkey, urban renewal projects are held and Gypsy people are forced to move from their living places. And these places are arranged for the rich people who want to build big mansions… Sulukule in Istanbul is a sad example for this situation.

What goes through your mind when deciding whether to photograph something or not?

I have my camera for 3 years. What I consider as ‘a photo to be taken’ has changed in time, naturally. When I first started taking photos, I didn’t want people to realize that I am taking their photos. A nice photo was like that for me then. I wanted it to be realistic, no poses or something and I used to stick to this thought. In time, I started to consider that communicating with the people in the photos is very important too. Now I talk with people, get to know about them and their lives, and take their photos. I can say I realized the necessity of communication. No problem if they look at the camera or not.
Tell us a bit about what you’re studying.

I have graduated from Canakkale Onsekiz MArt University, Social Sciences Teaching department. Now I do my M.A. degree in the Education Management and Supervision department in the same school. My department’s aim is raising school managers and supervisors equipped with institutional knowledge and ability to use them.

Has photography enhanced what you do in your field of study and vice-versa?

Mostly my department in the university helped me in my photo career. As I stated above, I am interested in the communication between the photographer and his model than dealing with thinking about the way he took the photo. In the university, I took courses like human relationship and communication and with these I gained different perspectives. The pros of my photos to my field are the exemplifications I made in the courses through my photo experiences generally.

What it’s like to be a freelance photographer?

It is good for the freedom it gave to you of course, but to tell the truth I am a person who is a bit lack of self discipline so it might be better if I worked for an agency.

Whose work inspires you?

Firstly Josef Koudelka, Martin Parr and Bill Brandt inspire me.

What’s your formula for a successful photograph?

A photographer should have a reason, an aim but this aim needn’t to be a social issue. Even though I like instant photos, I like the photos that are thought before and taken when it is the right time. I think aesthetic is as important as the concept of the photos. Briefly, I reckon that ‘a photo which can speak all languages is a good photo.’

Do you consider your photography to be documentary or fine art?

My photos are mostly documentary. But the aesthetical aspect is important too, because it is the aesthetic that shows the photo. So that, I can say I try to combine these two in my photos.

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers?

In the recent years, the interest in photography has risen, along with the development of digital photography. Newbie people in photography world insist that they should be approved in a very short time by everyone. So that, this brought corruption in the photo world unfortunately. For example there is a so called photo sharing website. People upload photos there, the others only comment as ‘congrats mate this photo is so cool’ or ‘the light is great, everything is great’ and ‘congrats photographer of the day, visit my page too’ etc. These comments are accepted by keen photographers and they interpret these as ‘I am done, I am a good photographer’. This causes them to come to a deadlock. So, my first suggestion is they should choose their photo sharing websites carefully. Apart from this, the ‘mass consumption’ exists in the photo industry. It is wrong to believe that good photos can only be taken by really good equipments. For example, my machine is digital and my lenses as old as me. And we see what nice things can be done with these plastic Holga cameras. I want to say that photographers should know everything from the machines they should use to the places they should live. But, I hope these statements cannot be misunderstood as I am a developing and young photographer myself too.

Any big dreams about your future?

Naturally I want to deal with photos all my life. To tell the truth, I am concerned about when I start working, my photo life will be affected negatively so I want to leave on doing not too many work but living as a normal person. My parents are emigrated from Macedonia.

My grandfather Şükrü Karakaş and I were dreaming about visiting Macedonia with a red car and taking photos there. Sadly, he deceased recently. But the dream still exists, I want to go to Macedonia this summer and take photos there for my grandfather and grandmother.

An interesting photo story you would like to share with us?

ÇAnakkale is a city that surrounded by military services so that, taking photos there is not always easy. Policemen always asking for identity cards and sometimes they can shout as ‘ what the hell are you doing, there is nothing here to be photographed’. This behavior is hard to reply and this story goes on … But I succeeded taking a photo of the military area as it was like a knot for me. (photo below)

End of interview

Thank a lot Alper for sharing with us your time and story!

You can learn more about Alper Dutkin at his personal website.

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