Starting from Marseilles of the 4th of May 1843, a French writer Maxime du Coup reached to Izmir at the end of May. After Ephesus he came to Istanbul. The young writer, visiting later Greece, Italy and Algeria published a book with pictures at Paris in 1848 by the name of SOUVENIRS ET PAYSAGES D'ORIENT: Smyrne, Ephese, Magnesite, Constantinople, Syrio.
British Francis Frith whose interest in photography had begun in 1850, had many exhibitions of photographs from his journeys to the Mediterranean Sea making an album by the name of "EGYPT, SINAI AND PALESTINE" of 37 pictures with his self portrait in Ottoman outfits on its first page.
A photographer Francis Bedford who had participated to the journey that Edward the 7th, the Wales Prince, made to Turkey And Middle East in 1862, took calotype negatives of 10 by 12 cm. The photographs of this journey were published by Day Son at London. This album named TOUR IN THE EAST; PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES OF EGYPTE, THE HOLY LAND AND SYRIA, CONSTANTINOPLE, THE MEDITERRANEAN AND ATHENS consisted of 172 albumin prints of 25 by 30 cm. The publication with three sections has 48 photographs from Egypt in the first section, 76 photographs from the Holy Land and Syria in the second section, 48 photographs from Constantinople and the Mediterranean Athens in the third section.
CHARLES- EDOUARD JEANERENT (shortly known as "Le Corbusier"), an architect, paid a short visit to Constantinople from Europe with August Klipstein, an art historian, in 1911 and took many photographs. The architectural works of Le Corbusier were made into an album called "LE VOYAGE D'ORIENT" later in 1966.
OTTOMAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND PUBLICATIONS
As it happened all over the world photography is established by foreigners outsiders (Europeans), and is transformed into art with the founding of ateliers.
Sultan Abdulhamit who had begun to reign in 1876, wanted to document the Ottoman Empire with photographs like the previous sultan. He acquired himself a camera, took photographs of the inside of the palace himself. Later with years of the fear of getting killed, he had the leading photographers in a sense of documenting of Istanbul take photographs of the officers of the palace.
The established photographers of Pera took photographs of many foreign statesmen, kings, Ambassadors visiting the Sultan, presented to the Palace and the foreign statesmen in albums. Sultan honored these photographers with "nisan" and medallions for their works.
The large size album taken to an exhibition of Pascal Sebah from Pera opened at Vienna in 1873 is an important document because it documented customary outfits and folkloric customs of all cities within the Ottoman borders.
The Ottoman state which began to fall into pieces with the maladministration of Sultan Abdulhamit, was introduced to foreign countries with a different presentation by photography. The self-satisfied sense in the photographs of the country, taken by the important photographers of the time, were arranged in albums and sent to foreign countries. One of these is the collection of Abdulhamit at the Yildiz Palace put later among the Istanbul Library publications. This work was later published under the name Imperial's Self-Portrait.
YUZBASI HUSNU / Captain Husnu taught at the artillery school after graduating from the artillery art class of Muhendishane-i Berr-i Humayun in 1865. He is one of the military photographers assigned to follow events by Abdulhamit the 2nd. He wrote a book, RISALE-I FOTOGRAFYA, in 1872. This work, the first written book by a muslim photographer, was published earlier in 1866 by DER TOROSYON in Armenian letters.
TANGREDE DUMAS continuing his works at Beirut since 1860 opened a photography studio on Grande Rue de Pera in 1866. Four large albums of Dumas, a master of landscapes and panoramic views, were published in 1877.
NEV'USUL FOTOGRAFYA by Ahmet Ihsan (Tokgoz) was published at the print house of Cemal Efendi in 1889, FOTO-CINKOGRAFI translated by Ahmet Fuad from Reux was again published at the print shop of Cemal Efendi in 1890.
FOTOGRAFYA RISALESI is another work of 42 pages published by Amali Ragip Bey at the print shop of Mahmut Bey in 1890.
FOTOGRAFYA DERSLERI / Photography courses in 1890 and AMELI VE NAZARI MUFASSAL FOTOGRAFYA / Theoretical and applied photography in 1891 as 190+1 pages were published by Hamdi Pasazade M. Halit belonging to Sehr Amaneti Celilesi at the print shop of Mehmet Bey.
The chief photographer at Darulaceze / Poorhouse and the photography teacher at the Bahriye / Navy School, Bahriyeli Ali Sami had signed as "Ali Sami from the Naval Construction Engineers" his book MEBAD-I USUL-U FOTOGRAFYA printed in 1893. All of the books printed at the print shop of Stefan have been sealed. It is indicated in the introduction that those without a seal are fake. This book is a publication dedicated to Sultan Abdulhamit II.
SINEMA VE FOTOGRAF MAKINALARI LEVAZIMATI KATALOGU / Catalog of equipment for motion picture and photography, printed by S. Sureyya about 1929 is the last work printed in old Turkish letters.
The book of "FOTOGRAFCILIK REHBERI / Guide to Photography" that the journalist photographer BURHAN FELEK published in 1917 should not be forgotten. FOTOGRAF MAKINALARI LEVAZIMATI KATALOGU NO 2 / Second equipment catalog for photography machines and equipment is the first photography book published in Latin Turkish characters in 1929 by Hamdi and Sons. The contents of roughly 70 photography books published since then are technical. The declaration of the Republic, alphabet reforms and the founding of public centers are the most important influences in the development of the cultures of photography in our country. Most of the publications included photography information related to motion picture techniques.
"Fotograflarla Turkiye / Turkey in photographs", published in Germany, consists of works of Othmar Pherfchy who was working at the Matbuat Umum Mudurlugu of the time, and is the most important album. Othmar has learnt photography from Jean Weinberg.
"GAZININ ESERI", an album published also at the Matbuat Umum Mudurlugu had consisted of pictures of state ministers, party leaders, directors and administrators of public foundations taken by Jean Weinberg, a photography specialist at the university, in the same years.
Public centers have provided help to the development of photography
in the first years of the Republic. Many valuable photography teachers
are raised here. Skills were necessary for an interest in photography.
Besides courses, the photography books published were technical in content.
The most important technical publications published during this period
are:
"Foto Konusmalari", Talks on Photo (1947) by Sinasi Barutcu
"Amator Fotografcilik" Amateur Photography (1962) by Hasan Deniz
"Butun Yonleriyle Fotografcilik" Photography with different aspects
(1977-1980-1985) by Aydemir Gokgoz.
A single photography album worth to mention has not been published till the 1970's. The works of Ruchan Unver in 1976, Yirmibes yilda fotograflarla olaylar / Events of 25 years with photographs and of Fikret Otyam in 1978 are from the period of albums consisting of photographs of east . The most important works of the period are the Turkish Photography Periodicals published at the Yeni / New photography magazine in 1978 and 1980, and the albums of Raslantilar / Coincidences by Yilmaz Kaini in May 1979, Yasam Kavgasi / Life Struggle by Ibrahim Demirel in 1980, Siyah Beyaz Fotograflar / Black and White Photographs by Gultekin Cizgen, Turkiye Fotograflari / Turkey Photographs by Ara Guler in 1980.
The quality of publications accelerated in the 1980's with the development of photography. The difficulty of production is obvious because of the blind alley of publication in our country due to financial impossibilities. Albums published until a certain period came out as result of personal financing efforts of the artists. However, photography publication provided documentation of important works with financial supply of private institutions of the photography series formed in print shops of the past.
Exhibitions were opened and catalogs were published along. Each of these resemble a little album quality and content wise.
Contents are another important function, providing developments of photography. Catalogs, published according to contest results, are important documents showing the level of photography.
For the development of photography, it remains to the future generations that needs some documentarial and theoretical publications. There are very few works prepared this way. Only in the last two years, some publications and translations examining theoretical topics made grounds for dispute.
The past of photography magazines go way back in our country. Our first photography magazine is "Profesyonel ve Amatorun Dergisi FOTO" Photo: Magazine of Professional and Amateur which Sinasi Barutcu published in 1945. This is followed by FOTOGRAF / photography by Fikri Goksay in 1948. However both magazines completed their life span within two issues.
Photography magazine is an important problem. The sales of the magazines prepared in difficulty because of the presentation and the content, are few due to insufficient number of readers. This is mainly the reason for many magazines have a short life span.
FOTOGRAF SINEMA DERGISI / THE PHOTOGRAPHY CINEMA MAGAZINE published by IFSAK amateurly, has decreased in quantity, but, however has reached its issue. In this way we should not forget photography magazines published within the structure of associations. While photographers satisfy their amateur publication enthusiasm in these magazines, an important need in the photography world is fulfilled.
The Photography magazine Afsad edited amateurly is published every other months. Even though the other newspaper like publication of Afad had not last long, it brought a new dimension to photography publishing.
The works of our photographers abroad:
The albums of "Iki yabanci goz bir kisacik bakis / Two Outside Eyes
and Glance" and recently published "Iptal yitik kusak / Lost Generation"
Canceled by Mehmet Unal are publications published abroad.
PHOTOGRAPHY ARTICLES AT PRESS
Most of the articles edited on photography included technical subjects till the 1960's. There were not a staff and writer enough to criticize in those years. Persons charged as newspaper correspondents would write according to the mood of the exhibition, transfer photographic images into a written content.
Sezer Tansug and Kaya Ozsezgin created a critic milieu of photography worth to mention, after their successful art criticism of the 1970's Press. A good experience about photography articles came with the publication of the magazine "Yeni Fotograflar / New photographs" in 1976. The signatures of S. Tansug and K. Ozsezgin which we see in the photography magazine Zaman / Time helps us to draw a portrait of photography criticism. Today, S. Ali Ak, Engin Cizgen and Mehmet Bayhan are the names with great experience on photography writing.
What does it mean to be a good writer of photography?
First of all it is to know well the basics of photography, light, techniques,
composition. He ought to have good knowledge of art history, philosophy,
psychology and the most important the aesthetic concept.