Mustafa Dedeoğlu is a Street & People Photographer from Istanbul. Through his wonderful street photographs, he loves to show what hasn’t been said before. Mustafa’s pictures makes us taste every bit of his wonderful country and there is this feel of nativeness in his photographs which is one of the prime reasons for the exquisite flavor of his country.

Often in monochrome and wide, there is this dominance of emotions and easily relatable content with Mustafa’s photographs. These are examples for us believe more in spirit of humanity which prevails to be uniform throughout the globe.

Street Photography by Mustafa Dedeoglu

Few words about yourself?

I was born in Istanbul on 22nd February, 1978. Having come from an engineering background, I started taking photos six years ago solely by my own trial-and-error efforts with no special or professional courses. Contrary to the common practices, i have not been so much engaged in watching photos, as i am used to try what has not been tried before, so it becomes possible to create some specific things for me to achieve in photography.

During my early days of my photography, i was rather involved in fictional works by taking photos in the remote and demoted places of my beloved  Istanbul. Before publishing my photos through internet, i hesitantly began to show them to some of my close friends and relatives. For me, it was very surprising to get some positive feedback, which encouraged me to share my works from then onwards, in a union of website for professional Turkish photographers. My fictional works really drew attention there too, and it kept my enthusiasm fresh.

Later, when gaining exposure through more global photography forums and network, realized a lot more. I can say that it was the breaking point in my life as a photographer, as i became aware of the fact that the most important factor was not the techniques, but the composition and the story itself. My horizon was really enlarged by watching the works of various magnificient global photographers, where upon i was more inclined to focus on the composition.

What kind of place is Istanbul for photography?

Istanbul is very characteristic place. History and modernity are nested in this city so that gives lots of options to photographers. You can view historical places as well as the city hosts pictures reflect the modern face of the developing city. This is a place which combines asia and europe.

With a camera on the street, what is that you always wish to capture?

I would like to reflect natural and sincere frames. I strive for it and I try to keep a secret notion of time, in this sense, my Istanbul has been very helpful for me. I shoot moments which are compelling and natural to me as well as aesthetically appealing.

Your Gear?

I am using Nikon. I have 2 bodies, Nikon D800 and D700. I mostly love to use my wide-angle lens. My lenses are Nikon 14-24 mm, Nikon 35 mm and Nikon 50 mm.

Who is your inspiration?

From my country Ara Güler and of course I love the works of Henri Cartier Bresson. Both of contemporary photographers has similar studies, and have their own unique styles which is very inspiring for me.

Please click on the image for enlarge and better view.

You can find Mustafa Dedeoğlu on the Web :

Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to Mustafa Dedeoğlu. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.