EMRE DOĞRU by Zeynep Yener
When you know a photograph before you knew the photographer behind that image, you cannot escape the feeling. That you eagerly want to know more about the artist, for he is indeed an artist by having introduced himself through a piece of his work…
I first met Emre in 2004 by way of his fashion stories that we were gladly running at this magazine I used to act as an editor at the time. Pretty soon, I was able to meet the man in person, an occasion which not only led me to work more closely with one of the most talented photographers of our times and hometown, but also acquire a good friend. In the course of the two years when we shared the same studio as our individual working environments, I realized that Emre was favored by every single model, fashion editor and etc. in the industry for being easy and fun to work with, alongside his creative skills.
Trained an architect at Yeditepe University, it didn’t take long for Emre to discover that he had an eye for photography. With a group of friends he co-founded 20ML in 2002 and kicked-off a career behind the camera, focusing on fashion and advertising photography. In short time, Emre created his own, recognizable style while proving that one doesn’t need to be traditionally trained and memorize the laws of photography in order to come up with striking pictorial images.
Lensing major ad campaigns for the likes of Cacharel, Damat, Tween, Hotiç, Garanti Bank, Akbank and etc. so far, Emre has also photographed various covers and fashion editorials for a number of periodicals including Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, 2debir and Beymen magazine.
His commercial work, always striking and never overly processed, may have won Emre critical acclaim within the industry, but it is his personal work (being a good friend you get the chance to be exposed to unpublished, hidden stuff) that I found to be the true gem. Beautiful is too simple an adjective to describe those images. They are so real, honest and they have a meaning, reflecting raw emotions and generally, the humorous side of this man.
Emre is currently working solo, shifting places between Istanbul and London.
I always keep track of his recent works (both commercial and personal), and each time I find myself appreciating Emre for his strong narrative skills and his unique way of capturing those moments in time.
Contact
emre@emredogru.com