RENEGADE VISIONS

David Collier chatting with Yigit Uygur for Renegade Visions. Issue #49/52

Where do you live?
I live in a small fishing village called Gumusluk at the west side of Turkey.

What is life like living there?
It’s peaceful and calmness in winter time. Summers are crowded but tolerable. Gumusluk is an ancient village and founded by the Myndos civilization 2500 years ago. You know that the ancient artefacts. It is exciting…

What got you started into photography?
I began taking pictures when I was nine years old with the camera that was a present from my grandfather. He was also a photographer. He taught me all basic rules about photography but when he died, I was 12 and I threw away the camera. By the time I turned back to take photo around my 20’s.

Camera gear?
Some analogue cameras, Canon FTb, Nikon F3, Dacora Dignette, Kodak instamatic 233, Yashica Rapid 17 ee, a few Kodak Retinette f, Lubitels and a Reporter not using for a long time. Much kind of lenses. I mostly use digital cameras, all these are Nikon.

Your work is quite painting like and you also work with blur, can you tell us a bit about your photographing and editing process?
Since I come from photo journalism I believe in completing the image while shooting it. If you do street photography or photojournalism, I feel it’s not ethical to manipulate or retouch your photos. It’s documenting, it’s reality, you can’t change reality. I feel this is photography and photographers are meant to shoot like this. Therefore when one manipulates his photos I consider him a visual artist not a photographer. Then the camera becomes just a tool. Even though I produce visual art (in this kind of work), I chose to stay loyal to the tradition of photography. I don’t like photoshop or other means of manipulation much. I use them minimally. So what do I do for editing? I edit my photos before image leaves the camera. I use dirty glasses or old mirrors during the shooting. That’s why my work seems more like painting. Sometimes I use those two materials with multiple exposures. For example I shoot a window behind a dirty glass in the first exposure and over it I shoot a model’s reflection from an old mirror while the model is moving. Thus the model seems like a ghost. Sometimes I use some wide angle lenses without attaching them to the camera. I hold the reverse side of the wide angle lens with my hand and I move it around my camera’s own lens. I usually use this technique with 50mm lens. This creates an effect where the edges and corners become black in the image and models or subjects become distorted. For the noise (grain), I use very high iso and sometimes I especially opt for blur. After working interactively with these props and the model, I edit the contrast and light or add some more noise with photoshop. I did use photoshop to add some textures and layers to my images for a short period. But even though I see it as a valid tool for visual artists I personally don’t like the phony feeling it creates in me.

Do you have any upcoming projects planned?
No, I’m just watching nature and killing time. I do not like to interfere the life… Maybe some exhibitions but no great ideals

What do you do for fun?
I love Russian and north European movies; I love travelling and off-road and of course taking photos.

If money was no object where in the world would you like to travel to?
Siberia! Even M56 Kolyma Highway

Where can we find you? (blogs, Vimeo, youtube, facebook, Twitter etc)
cargocollective.com/yigituygur, www.glossom.com/yigituygur

In the next 12 months, what are your plans and where would you like to be?
I don’t know, I’ll be taking photos and maybe I’ll have a travel somewhere in Anatolia

Anything else?
Thank you! I’m happy to be a part of Renegade Visions.