Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Sukru Mehmet Omur from Turkey
We have decided to launch a new intimate style of interview into TheAppWhisperer – the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website. We feel it is important that our community feel close to each other, as it is this support that helps us to nurture one another, gain confidence and continue to grow.
This is our third interview, our two previous interviews with myself and Sarah Bichachi, can be found here. Today, we are publishing our next interview, with Sukru Mehmet Omur from Istanbul in Turkey. Trained as a Doctor, Omur provides a cure for all that ails you with his cultural flair of mobile photography and art. This is an interview that shifts and squalls, a great adventure with forensic tenderness. A complete delight, enjoy!
What was your childhood or earliest ambition?
I remember from my childhood, that I wanted to become a pilot or a doctor, I was 9 years old. In the end I became a doctor.
First Recognition?
I was very succesful in sports and I started getting awards for this when I was 12 years old.
First job?
During my medical school years I used to be guide for french travelers in Cappadocia, central Anatolia. This wonderland gave me the taste of photography and travelling. This region is where I started taking photographs and learned how it was to travel and discover different places and meet different people.
Private or state school?
Both. Private for Lycee and then State schools. I was in a private French school and went to state school and university.
University or Work?
University for a long period. First medical education takes a long time and then I worked as a teacher.
Who was or still is your mentor?
A very close friend of mine was my mentor. Brillant, intelligent and a gentile man. Now I see him rarely.
How physically fit are you?
Not bad, I have recently gained some weight that I need to lose.
Ambition or talent: What matters more to success?
I think that Ambition is more important than talent for the success in life.
How politically committed are you?
I am interested to all the political issues, and I think that our world is not so healthy.
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
I have no other ambition I am satisfied with all I have and that makes me happy.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Collections. I like to collect things which are mostly useless. I think this is a disease, but a good one.
In what place are you happiest?
A triangle between Paris-Istanbul- and some other place that could change in a northern country, makes me happy.
What ambitions do you still have?
I would love to draw and paint, be completely immersed into arts.
What drives you on?
I am devoted to mobile photography and art. TuMobArt, a Turkish mobile artists community drives me lot.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
To live a healthy and happy life, enjoy life and work on mobile artistry.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
Liars and superficial people, I don’t want to be with any of them.
If your 20 year old self could see you now, what would he think?
He would tell me “Bravo! You succeeded”.
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
I don’t have so much interest to objects. I lose many things and I forget quickly. Maybe that’s why I collect. I collect to lose:))
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Environmental problems, pollutions, immigration problems and world politics.
Do you believe in an afterlife?
I am agnostic.
If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
9/10 I am happy.
Thank you for this amazing interview Joanne carter.
Contact Details for Sukru Mehmet Omur
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
