February’s revolog calendar shot was taken by Nural Idrisoglu, who has always had a passion for analog photography. It even led to her becoming the manager of Lomography Turkey! Now she’s up to some new adventures. Read on to learn where life has taken her and her photography projects so far.
Where are you from, how old are you?
Hello! I’m Nural, from Istanbul, Turkey. I’m currently living in Turku, Finland. I’m 34.
Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be a photographer?
I took black and white film development classes in high school for a year, I guess the passion started back then. I studied Political Science and International Relations in University, worked in Human Resources for about 7-8 years, while keeping photography as a hobby, in the background. When Lomography was opening a shop in Turkey, I became the manager, so my hobby sort of became my job. And I just opened my personal blog and photography is a big part of it!
Do you professionally work as a photographer?
I still hesitate to call myself a photographer but I can definitely say that I LOVE taking photos! I don’t professionally work as a photographer, but I do give workshops on photography, where I talk about history of photography, different experimental techniques and film development.
Why do you like to take analog pictures? Do you shoot digital as well?
Does iPhone count as digital? 🙂 I have a little son and I do take his photos with my smart phone, but other than that I stick to the analog medium. I like the feel of film, I like not seeing the results right away, I like the different effects I receive from film. It is all very exciting! Instead of doing post-production, I get to decide how my results will turn out by selecting which camera and film to use beforehand..
Is there a certain background story behind the picture that is featured in February our 2019 calendar? If so, would you like to share it with us?
This photo was taken in a town called İğneada in northern Turkey’s Kırklareli city. It is located at the border with Bulgaria. The photo was taken in the Floodplain Forests National Park, which is one of the remaining floodplain forests in Europe. It was a cold December day, but I was lucky to have some sun. And it turned out to be one of my favorite photos 🙂
Do you have a favorite subject to photograph? If so, why?
I just like pressing the shutter! I do enjoy landscape photography the most. But I always have a camera with me just in case.
What’s your favorite analog camera?
I have to name my Top 2, as I use them the most often. One is Lomo LC-A+, which I have been using since 2009. It is compact, light, easy to use. I don’t even have to think before I take a photo, and I can trust it will always produce great results. My number 2 is the Leica M4-P. It is a little heavier and I have to check my settings before I shoot, but it gives me flexibility in my aperture and shutter settings, so I have more control over my results.
Do you have a favorite revolog film?
All! But I use the “special effects” ones, more than I use the “color shifting” ones… I can’t resist taking a Tesla 2, Texture or Plexus when I go on a vacation!
Taken with Tesla 2 film Taken with Tesla 2 film Taken with Tesla 2 film Taken with Tesla 1 film
Do you have any future projects you’d like to talk about?
As mentioned above, I just opened my blog!!! It is called Life In The Clouds. I have been writing about photography for quite sometime now and have been contemplating turning it into a personal blog. So I finally did it. I write about photography, travel, family life and just life in general. Since I now live in Finland, you can also find Nordic life tips/quirks as well.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, Nural! Follow her work on her website, facebook, or instagram @nural_idr
Featured products: Calendar 2019 – Rasp – Volvox – Texture – Tesla 1 – Tesla 2 – 460nm – Snovlox