PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY

BUKET OZATAY EFIAP/d2, EPSA, R.ISF5, A.ISF, F.ISF, A.ICS, F.ICS, M.ICS, M.USPA, F.SWAN, Hon.SAP, M.SAP, Hon.A.SAP, Hon.FPI, Hon.F.GNG , Hon.F.APF, Hon.FPMP, Hon.GMGNG, Hon.F.TPAS, Hon.M.GCPC
She is a Turkish Cypriot photographer born in Nicosia Cyprus. After graduating from university in Business Administration and Marketing, she worked in her father’s photography business for more than twenty years. Buket has been working as a freelance photographer for the past year. She is based in Cyprus and has been teaching basic photography and photoshop classes for the last nine years at various municipalities and privately.
Her work includes creative, documentary, portrait and travel photography. Her high aesthetic works often incorporate creative, geometric and balanced compositions, with prominent use of contrasting light and shadows, along with dynamic interplay between texture and forms.
She is a photographer with a passion in promoting photography as an art form. Over the years, her contribution to photography is recognized by many of her peers in the photography circle worldwide. She is a very active; respected international judge.
She is the first Cypriot women photographer and second Cypriot photographer to receive EFIAP/d2 from FIAP in 2021. She earned her EPSA title from PSA in 2021. She is a PSA Regional Exhibitions Standards Director (RESD) for Europe-East, Middle East and Central Asia since 2021.
Her photographs have been exhibited internationally in more than 90 countries in international photo competitions/exhibitions, festivals, fairs, galleries and biennials and have received hundreds of awards.
She has been organizing a national photo competition and exhibition yearly since 2009 in memory of her late photographer father.
She is the President of Nicosia Photographic Society, NPS which also organizes international exhibitions since 2021.

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Interview

What is your preferred genre of photography?

Creative, documentary, portrait and travel photography are my favorite genre in photography.
My passion is to explore and capture images from around the world. I was able to take photographs of different faces, colors and all the richness pertaining to human beings wherever I visited. Although my work process is mainly focused on capturing people in their natural environment, I enjoy creative photography as well. Photography is the way I view the world and how I responds to it through my camera.

Do you encourage photographers to participate in photography salons? Why?

Yes. I do encourage photographers to participate in photography salons or any competitions they can participate nationally or internationally. Because I believe it motivates them to continue, shoot more and better. It helps them to improve themselves. Moreover, it helps them to broaden their horizons.
However, one should not forget that competitions is not a measurement tool for your photography. Although many judges use judging guidelines; their personal diverse opinions, experiences and knowledge play a role in deciding the winners.

Tell us about photography culture in Cyprus.

Most of the Cypriot photographers are focused on portraits, landscape, nature, travel and street photography. Cyprus is a very small country which makes it very hard to make money by selling photos. In order to make money some are focused on real estate photography. Wedding photography has always been a good sector. Some are also selling their photos on international digital social media and on photo sharing websites. As it’s everywhere else these platforms are helping photographers to sell their photos online.

Your favorite photography destination and why?

Very difficult to answer because I love travelling. I love to see the world, people and different cultures. I don’t have any specific favorite photography destination. Where ever I went and took pictures I liked them all. Every place you go has different beauties and cultures. I can’t distinguish. However, I must say that when I travel the one that affect me the most is people and culture. I can say that I look forward visiting Tunisa next October and India next January.

Your favorite photographer ?

I don’t have a favorite photographer. I never had favorite singer, artist etc.
I believe that my love to my late father who was also a professional photographer made me love photography. He was my inspiration.
However, Steve McCurry is special for me. I was very proud to have my photographs exhibited at the Berlin Photo Biennial in 2016 where Steve McCurry was a special guest and key note speaker at the gala dinner. His photographs were also exhibited at the same venue. Moreover, I was chosen for the round table discussion with him at the exhibition venue which was unforgettable for me. I will always cherish for those moments.

I believe that my love to my late father who was also a professional photographer made me love photography.

Any particular memorable photograph which you will cherish always? Tell us the story behind that image.

This is also very difficult to answer since I don’t have any particular favorite photograph. How can we distinguish them. As many says they are like our kids. But I have a particular memorable documentary photography project, part of which was exhibited at the Berlin Photo Biennial as photo series. The documentary was about a women ward in North Nicosia Cyprus. It was not only very difficult to work with prisoned women but was also very emotional.

Your camera kit contains?

Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera.
Canon 24-70, 70-200, 16-35 and 24-105 lenses.
Couple of tripods which I almost never use.

Any photography equipment you feel is worth buying other than the camera of course?

For me as long as I have my camera and one lens and of course my eyes, soul and heart with me; I don’t need anything else. But for some genre of photography you might need other equipment. It depends what you are shooting.

Any advice for the new upcoming photographers?

My advice for the new photographers would be to know as much as they can about their cameras, take a basic photography class form a good photographer who can teach well. Then they should read and click a lot.
I would also suggest to watch many pictures, especially award-winning images of any competition and try to analysis the reason of winning, try to understand how a successful photograph is and what techniques they are using.
Learn about light which is one of the most important things in photography; to some photographers the most important. Learn also about composition, concept and post-processing. Timing and creativity are also very important.
My latest advice would be not to shoot specially for competitions or for the others unless you do photography professionally. Shoot for yourself. if you want and when you find competition, search for an image suitable for the competition’s theme.
The experience, the knowledge, the technical and artistic quality of each one is undoubtedly the components that add value to his/her photographs.

Your thoughts on PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY finally.

As far as I see PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY is promoting photography not only through Facebook with photo of the day and comments but also through their website; the official blog http://www.phoenixphotography2022.photo.blog This gives the opportunity to the photographers to publish their work and articles with best photo collections and photo series.
PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY is encouraging photographers by holding regular photography competition with special awards,certificates & mementos.These are great motivators for photographers.
Keep up the great work you are doing. Congratulations!!!
It’s my absolute honor to be invited to judge PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY championship for the 183rd year of International Photography Day in 2022.

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