“My First Love is Street Photography”: Interview with Book Publisher Hüseyin Yılmaz from Istanbul

Click to read more

Eric’s Note: This is a transcript of an interview I did with Huseyin Yilmaz, an avid photographer and photo book publisher from Istanbul. Huseyin runs Espas, the premier bookstore in Istanbul. In this interview he shares his passion for street photography, his garbage collector project, his experiences in Gezi park, and the importance of photo books. 

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Huseyin Yilmaz—you know my bookstore and publishing house here called Espas. If you were curious, Espas means art space in Turksih. We only publish art and photography books. I studied photography in Marmara University – and I love to shoot in the streets.

When did you first get interested in photography?

In 2003-2004, I saw my friend’s photographs—and she (Hürü) is also an academic at Mimar Sinan Fine Art Üniversity. When I first expressed interest in photography, she gave me a Minolta to play with.

At first, I didn’t even know how to use it properly — I just shot in auto mode. Then she showed me how to do more technical things with the camera, which interested me more into photography.

Soon after, I started studying for university exams and in 2004, I went to the Marmara University’s division for photography—which started my journey into photography.

DSC_1435-3

When you first started photography, what types of photography interested you the most?

Street photography interested me first—because I like to be in touch with people. I want to learn from their lives, their experiences, and I enjoy making relationships with them to better understand life. There is nothing that interests me more than people. My first love is street photography.

Are there certain street photographers that first inspired you?

I can’t name specific photographers (there are too many) but I was especially inspired by Lee Friedlander – his photos are very different. His work is very unusual, and that is what I like about it.

DSC_1121-1

Is there a specific project from Friedlander you appreciated the most? Can you also tell us more what photography projects you worked on while in school?

I know all his photos- but I cant say a specific one.

When I was studying photography in school, we were given homework — which was to concentrate on photographing certain subjects and make a project.

My first project was done on street photography. The first of my projects were on street singers. The second was on Hıdırellez Bayram, a spring festival in Turkey in May. On that day, it is generally Roma people who come and celebrate. They all come together to enjoy their time together, dance, and drink together. So my projects revolved around that.

Also to photograph, I always would try to go to social protests to photograph people. I don’t like violence, but I want to shoot and see the feelings of people. Different colors of people—like that. Portraits, especially.

Huseyin bey 23.tif

When it comes to photographing portraits of people—what do you want your viewers to feel from your photos?

I want to show how they are living. I’m looking on the signs on their living spaces or around their environments. To show their ideas, their feelings, what they like—in which class they are coming from.

So first of all, I want to look at their walls. Because the walls show the signs of their ideas and ideology and feelings, and traditions.

Can you tell us some projects you’ve worked on in which you tried to interact with your subjects? Especially your project on the garbage collectors?

The name of the project is “Bachelors“—or garbage collectors. Because everyday in Istanbul you can see them. They are on the road, collecting garbage—so you don’t know who they are, where they are coming from—so I’m interested in their lives.

To start the project, I first watched them to better understand who they are. I wanted to know what their profession was, where they lived, and other aspects of their lives.

Huseyin bey 14.tif

I first learned most of these garbage collectors is that they came from other cities into Istanbul. They also don’t live with their families in Istanbul. Many of these garbage collectors live together away from their families– and this is a tradition. They come from as far as Anatolia to collect garbage, and they work under a boss. Under these bosses, they calculate their accounts. During some periods, they live in Istanbul, and in other periods they return to their families to return them money. They have no social security and live in unhealthy living conditions.

Some of them are different. Some of them have regular lives, families, children [in Anatolia], but some of them are losers. Some of them are alcoholics, and live only for beer.

To gain trust with them, I first started by trying to befriend them. The problem is that they don’t trust most outsiders– because the police and municipality officers always harass them. Therefore I worked 2-3 years on this project.

At first, the garbage collectors kicked me out and didn’t trust me. They thought I was from the secret service. So to disarm them sometimes I brought them tea, biscuits, shared food with them. Sometimes I stayed with them, watched television– and became their friends. Then soon they trusted me– and then I started to take photographs.

Huseyin bey 1.tif

When I look at photos of your subjects, they look very comfortable around you. For men who live in horrible conditions—look quite hopeful. How is their view in life? Happy and strong and hopeful, or sad and depressed?

Most of them are strong and hopeful- and think they are living honorably for their families. From the outside people generally think they are dangerous, steal things, and that they aren’t good people.

But that’s not right. Many of them are very hopeful and strong, regardless of living in poor conditions. They also do all of this hard work for their family and future children– and don’t even earn that much money while doing it.

In a lot of places you shoot are dark and cramped. How did you take your photos? Share your technique and technique.

I used a tripod and Kodak Tri-X 400. I used a 1000 watt cinema light as well. With this equipment, it allowed me to photograph them in their dark quarters.

Huseyin bey 19.tif

Why did you use a cinema light—why not a flash?

I don’t like flash- because they can’t act naturally with a flash. With cinema light, it is like during the day—so they can move. I don’t want them to pose for me. All the shooting is natural. This is my style- I prefer that.

How many photos you end up shooting?

Maybe 40-60 rolls of film.

DSC_1133-2

How did you edit it down, and sequence it?

This was my graduate project, as I worked on it for 2-3 years. My teachers helped me edit it down. They walked me through it, which helped me a lot.

Do you think its possible for a photographer to edit his own work by himself? Or they need other people helping.

My idea is you need a mentor. Every photographer needs a mentor because photographers can’t emotionally detach themselves from their photos. You can’t be objective. You have feelings for your photos—so you must be criticized.

So sometimes you get emotionally attached to your photos even though they’re not that good?

Yes.

Huseyin bey 16.tif

So you’ve photographed Gezi park and the uprisings—can you share your experiences photographing the events?

On the first night, I wasn’t in Gezi park – as the municipalities burned down the tents on Thursday night.

On Friday, I went to Taksim Square because they announced a press release. So I took photos. But I had no helmet, mask, tear gas, etc. I didn’t expect the police to use tear gas—because it seemed just like a press meeting. I took some photos, then somebody said: the police is using their gas masks. So soon the place was full of water and tear gas. So I carried my glasses in my hand and ran away (because I was scared they would knock off my glasses with the water or tear gas). So I ran away back to Espas—and was upset. My clothes were all ruined from the water and the tear gas. When I experienced tear gas, I felt like I was going to die.

Then the Gezi occupy movement started. The government’s violent force made the movement even bigger. So on Facebook and Twitter I supported the Gezi park occupy movement. Over time, more people got upset, and went to Taksim.

It then became a war between the protestors and police. Soon the police retreated from the park on the second day. Then on the fourth of June I had an operation for my kidneys (for 10 days I wasn’t at Gezi park). But after 10 days I went back to Gezi park and started to shoot the details—like the trunks of trees. Because this event started for trees. The municipality wanted to make Gezi park into a shopping mall (and historical building like 300 hundred year ago same and its nonsense). So trees were very symbolic and iconic. I shot the trees for future reference—all the details of the trees (they were wrapped with signs and such).

In the end, they kicked out all protestors from the park. Now it is quiet.

Huseyin bey 10.tif

Looking at other peoples photos from Istanbul during the uprisings- do you think the media portrayed the event?

The local Turkish media failed badly- as they didn’t show the real reasons of the protests. They made it look like a circus- as they showed that nothing happened. It made people upset. In a week, in Turkey we first had 1.5 million people on twitter. In a week, it turned to 10 million users in twitter. It shows how our media failed and cheated people.

The media is Istanbul is censored and doesn’t show the full truth.

To transition, you have a love for photography books- can you share why you love them and why you think they are important in today’s digital world.

Books are still important because you feel something if you look at a photo book- as it is different from a picture or an image in Facebook or digital media. You smell the photo, see it, so you can’t take the same taste from digital media to printed media. You see photos digitally and forget it in the media.

I still feel photo books are important and will be more important in the future—just like gold. Because in the future, maybe photo books wont be published like they are in this period. So collecting books, having books is still important for me.

Huseyin bey 26.tif

How many books do you have?

I have a lot of books- and I enjoy collecting them as well. Maybe one day I want to own more photo books than exist at the bookstore.

I don’t have that many as I’d like, as they are expensive –but I love them . They are the first thing in my life.

I want to publish more books as well. We have published 15 books already – 12 or 13 of them are photography books (on photo theory). Our goal is to show people that you have to read about photography. If you don’t read about photography, your photography won’t be good.

Huseyin bey 11.tif

There are a lot of street photographers out there—what are some books youd recommend for them?

For reading i recommend ‘On Being a Photographer’ by David Hurn—Magnum photographer. His book is very practical and gives many clues for beginners.

And “The Education of a Photographer” is a very good book. It is compiled book by Charles Trope – a big educator. And Stephen Heller and Adam Bell. They give many examples from many photographers from many different areas. So it is a good collection of essays about photographers and memories. There are many books. But in Turkey we don’t have a lot of books in Turkish. So we are trying to publish them into Turkish.

How about photo-books, what would you recommend for street photographers?

My friend Jason Eskenazi’s “Wonderland” book. I also recommend books by Josef Koudelka. My good friend Ariel Zwart who has a good book named “Zift” on the wall facades in Istanbul.  Turkish photographer can’t often feel the subjects that exist in their own city– but Ariel as a Dutch photographer was able to capture the essence of the subject matter well. Just like how a good photographer can feel the taste of the image like a hunter (sniff sniff). I also recommend Lee Friedlander, and many other classic street photographers.

But at the end of the day, just go to the streets and just shoot. What you feel, what you find—what is interesting. You are teaching yourself in the streets. And I feel that is important.

DSC_1463-4

To wrap up, any last things you would like to mention?

We are now publishing two books – one is Victor Burgin’s on “Thinking on Photography” which is important—and Susan Linfield’s book: “Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence” in Turkish. I am very happy to publish them. And Turkish readers can read them.

Also in October 4th and 12th we will have a festival—the 3rd Bursa International Photo Festival in Bursa. This year might be smaller, but it’s important – to make a festival for the third time. So that’s all. But Istanbul is a very good place for street photographers. You can find many different layers, many different lives. It is a miniature country – like a miniature part of Turkey. So come to Istanbul and come shoot street photography here.

For more information on Espas, check out their website here.