BIOGRAPHY

From Turkey, born in 1936, educated at Faculty of Architecture in Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and graduated in 1962.

Since then a bellow camera given me as a present when I was 12 years old I became deeply interested in photography. This hobby continued until I finished my studies and moved to Ankara for my military service at Army Photo-Film Center where I learned the techniques of photography and film production which made me more conscious about the film and photography as an art.

Short after my military service I moved to Sweden in 1965. While working as an architect I continued practising photography and extended my film interest by studying in the Film Institute of Stockholm University where I had the possibilities to learn about the History, the Sociology and the Psychology of film making. Also as a member I often visited Stockholms Cinemateket and saw a great number of films, including all the classics of various countries and the newly produced ones as well, which were often presented by their directors, actors and followed by film talks. I have been travelling a lot in many countries and shot a huge amount of pictures in  diapositives but seeing the fading colours now I consider it as a mistake. I photograph nowadays mainly in b/w in analog form and trying to learn the digital techniques which I feel can take some time to fully master it. Except for some pictures I sold to the Cinemateket and one or two published in Turkish and Swedish magazines I didn’t make a living on it and only because of that fact I don’t call myself a professional.

The ”DREAM FACTORY”

* The portraits are arranged in CHRONOLOGICAL order

* Click on “Thumbnails” to open the page.

* Persons who are other/more than directors are mentioned in (brackets).

* To stop rolling, and enlarging the photos please click on the Picture.

* Pages “DAILY OBSERVATIONS” and “FACES” are under construction and will be extended with more photos continuously.

Since 1968 I’ve been taking photos of film people who visited the Cinemateket and of those who came to Stockholm for film festival days arranged by the culture institutes of various nations. I have now in my folio which I call “DREAM FACTORY” some hundreds of portraits of those film workers. I began with and continue using  analog form  even today. I always believed that portraits are more expressive in b/w than in colour and the time spent in the dark room is very stimulating since you are a part of the whole process from the beginning to the end and feel a tremendous pleasure when you witness the image gradually developing in your presence. I must emphasize that none of the pictures in this folio were shot in studios where you have the possibilities and time for the best results. My portraits are often shot in poorly illuminated locals and as I never use flash had to sometimes press the film up to 1600 ASA. It was quite a problem too having the persons stay for a shooting. They seldom had much time, were often surrounded by a crowd who collected autographs, being photographed together and so on, and therefore I had to make preparations some hours before I met my object. I inspected the place, tried to find the best spot and light source ( sometimes a neon light from an advertisement panel ) available and plan in advance how the picture should be. It was only possible then to beg the person to  stay there where I just chose and shooting two or three frames at most would not take more than a few minutes, and that was it. A brief encounter!

The film people in my catalogue represent countries all over the world and are engaged in different parts of the film making process. Some of them were quite unknown to a large public at the time they were photographed but most of them are prominent personalities in their own countries and many of them are internationally awarded now. I am sure that the many débutantes amongst can and will be internationally known and awarded in a near future too.

The strength of this folio, I believe, is that it shows these people in their everyday life, as what they are and in their professional context without any manners imposed on them. “BEING more than ACTING” is my concept when I take these photos. Long takings and overworked shootings in studios have sometimes the risk and disadvantage that the result says more about the photographer than his object. I consider my photos mainly as a document more than a piece of art even many of them hopefully may deserve the title. It took me about 50 years and many hours to put together this collection and I am now opening the chest and presenting them to all those film lovers who may have seen the movies but have little knowledge about the staff behind who created them.

I am open to discuss the possibilities of exhibiting the whole or part of this folio in combination with film festivals or other occasions.

* CONTACT : ( e-mail : battal.kdry@gmail.com ) / Tel: 0762-012503

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