Feature: Ozer Kurt
Meet Ozer Kurt, the first place winner of our ARTFLAKES Instagram Photo Contest. Kurt, who works as a Senior Digital Art Director in Instanbul, loves taking pictures with his various digital and analogue cameras. But there is one camera he enjoys taking pictures with even more, and that’s his smartphone camera!
Want to know more about him? Then read our interview:
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, my name is Ozer Kurt. I live in Istanbul and I am working as a Senior Digital Art Director in a social media agency.
When did you start using Instagram and what is your favorite thing about it?
Photography has been in my life for almost 17 years. I own a couple of analogue and digital professional cameras. I like to shoot whatever catches my eye in my daily life. I don’t only go on a photowalk to take photos. I used to keep one of my cameras with me at all time. But we have our super powerful smartphones and their almost DSLR quality cameras so now I take the opportunity to leave my professional cameras at home and just go out with my smartphone. If you don’t have any monetary expectations you can satisfy and sometimes exceed your needs with your smartphone’s camera. Nowadays we have new ecommerce sites which help you to sell photos you took with your phone and earn few bucks.
I started using Instagram 2 years ago. My favorite feature of Instagram, and the most fun part of it, is that it adds more color to my daily life, plus it is more visual than a still photo. I like to look through a square frame instead of a 3:2 classic one. I used to get that feeling with my old Lubitel 2 camera and I think that’s the main reason why I have this emotional bond with Instagram today.
I use various apps along with Instagram for cropping, grading etc, but my final touch is always done on Instagram. Of course there are some things which I don’t like, for instance people sharing the photos they took with their DSLR. And those HDR photos, I’m not really into them.
My favourite Instagram effects are Hefe, Valencia and X-Pro II.
What’s your philosophy on photography?
I think I already answered this above, but in short “Don’t just go hunt for a photo, just live your life it will find you and come into your life eventually.”
What are your 3 favorite Instagrams in your own Instagram stream?
Thank you, Ozer! Follow Ozer on Instagram @deoksiribo