Who is the person behind the photos?

My partner Mark Sink and myself make the work together.

 How did you discover photography and what makes you keep on doing it?

When I was a child, my dad would teach me the basics of using a camera. In high school I took a photo class and knew from then on that is what I wanted to do. I set up a darkroom in my family's second bathroom and would stay up all night printing.

 

Which artist would you like to work with? 

I have many artists I admire. I already work with and collaborate with someone I love and admire, Mark Sink. I feel very lucky to collaborate with him almost every day. Sylvie Tillmann, Bruno Dayan,  Paolo Roversi, Rineke Dijkstra, and  Nazif Topçuoğlu are a few of my contemporary favorites.  

In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a photographer, and what differentiates it from a good photo taker?

Well almost everyone is a photographer these days with digital cameras. They are easy to use, and a wonderful tool. I think a good photographer is someone who thinks of art, photography, painting, history, cooking, life, people, all day long, everyday all day and never takes a break from work. Art is not work as an artist, it becomes like a labor of love, like raising a child. You would do anything for it and never cease being committed to it. Art is life.

What are your hobbies besides photography? 

 I like to cook, I worked as a cook for a couple years, I now work as a florist, I love flowers and bees, I like to blog, watch people on the street, I sew and construct many of the outfits in the pictures with the help of my mom, I like bookmaking.

Is there anything you want express with your works?

The way I see things.

What do you expect from your photographic future? 

I expect there is a lot for me ahead. I have ideas I am just starting to work on and I hope I become a better photographer and make better work all the time. I hope that I am not ever without a camera and if I am I hope I am doing something really wonderful and interesting instead and then take a picture of it.

 Thanks to Kristen Hatgi

Photos by Kristen Hatgi and Mark Sink