Most of the big companies were already in the digital world, but even smaller companies saw the need for it. They found themselves in the online marketplace. In this context, as we meet the visual needs emerging in the digital world, there became a high demand for photography and video. We have been working intensely since the first day of quarantine.
Who is Nurdan Usta? How did you decide to become a photography artist and how did you start your profession?
I was born in Istanbul and graduated from Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Photography.
I am married and we have an 8-year-old son named Mehmet Yiğit.
I can say that the photography club I joined while studying fashion at university changed my life.
The design phase of the photo, the shooting and the processes we made afterwards fascinated me and I decided to study the photograpy.
After studying fashion for 2 years, I prepared again, took exams and started studying photography.
I have been in touch with photography since I entered the photography department in 2000. I have a job that allows me to try different things and feeds my soul and mind. I can say that this is both my job and my hobby, which I love very much.
My student years were also very good, but I started to work as an assistant after the second grade. After gaining enough experience in assistantship, I started taking pictures on my own. I have been working with many companies and magazines for years. I also shoot photos and videos for private projects.
Could you tell us about the content of the photos you took and your own style?
Which areas make you happy to take photographs the most?
– Of course, it has always been very exciting for me to take fashion or fashion portraits because I love being in touch with people. And because I often work with magazines, I have the opportunity to meet and work with very valuable people. And it makes me feel so lucky. We are together with many different people such as artists, actors, fashionistas, children, business people. I think that feeds me a lot, too.
In general, I like shooting in different areas. That’s what I do when I look at my work. Even if I do things in different fields, I interpret them in my own way. I take fashion, portrait, children’s fashion, fashion portrait and still life. They are all different areas, but if you have the ability to give the emotion you want to give and an aesthetic perspective, you can do a lot of things at the same time. I can say it is a bit like being a musi-cian who can play a lot of instruments. I’m very into video these years. Along with social media, video be-gan to be more involved in our lives. It is incredibly enjoyable to produce something in this area as much.
What would you like to tell us if we asked you to talk about fashion photography? What are the subtleties and different sides of fashion photography?
When it comes to fashion photography, as we all guess, product-first photos come to mind first. But just showing the product is not enough. When we look at the photograph, we need to feel the desired image and emotion. It should give this feeling to the person who sees that photo and be able to capture that per-son at that moment.
This is achieved by elaborating all the elements in the photograph. This is a team work. Before shooting, we prepare moodboards and work on the photo we want. From the model selection to the colors used, the background, if it can be done, to the decor, hair, make-up, light design, all of them are thought out and designed in advance. The company and the creative team are creating a project together. And finally, this work comes to life, and that is how those beautiful photos come out.
Nothing is a coincidence. The photographer and the entire creative team working together must constantly improve themselves and follow what is happening in the world, what are new trends, etc.-
Due to the pandemic, events have been cancelled, restrictions, stay-at-home days, etc., we are going through a difficult process… What have you done during this period, what has this process added to you?
How have you been affected by the increasing digitalization and techno-logical developments? What were the reflections of this on your art and your profession?
As you said, we are going through a strange period in which we live as the whole world due to the pandemic.
In this process, we made a faster transition to the digital world order, which was approaching. We hear a lot of the philosophical, political and economic effects and predictions of this process. Of course, this has reflected on the basis of companies. They had to show themselves online.
Because the number of customers entering through the door is almost nonexistent. And it be-came essential to exist in digital media.
Most of the big companies were already in the digital world, but even smaller companies saw the need for it. They found themselves in the online marketplace.
In this context, as we meet the visual needs emerging in the digital world, there became a high demand for photography and video. We have been working intensely since the first day of quar-antine.
With the densities, different needs and solutions also occurred. We shot on Facetime. I photo-graphed two people on the same day, one in Germany and the other in America, from my home in Istanbul.
Honestly, challanges come with solutions. I think it is very important to keep up with the change.
And to be solution oriented and fast… I can say that I have seen the advantage of these as-pects.
Lastly, if 2020 was a photo frame, how would you describe it? How do you expect 2021?
I don’t know what it would be like if 2020 was a photo frame, but I think I’d take a silhouette frame in reverse light. It would be a frame where bright and dark areas were at the ends, the details were not seen very much.
I see 2021 as a continuation of 2020. We have been through a process, we are going through it. Of course, nothing’s permanent. These days will pass, but there may not be a complete return to the old. I think we need to be open to new versions.
They can reach me and my team from these addresses.:
– Through our website www.nurdanusta.com
– Through Instagram @nurdanusta
– With E-mail ustanurdan@gmail.com