Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Mehmet Duyulmus from Istanbul, 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 twenty third interview, to read the others, please go here. Today, we are publishing this expansive and fearless interview with Mehmet Duyulmus from Istanbul, Turkey.
All images ©Mehmet Duyulmus
What was your childhood or earliest ambition?
When I was a child though it was popular to want to be a pilot, doctor, lawyer or an officer, I secretly wanted to be an actor or a performing artist.
First Recognition
Instead of becoming an actor, because I was studying at a French school in Istanbul in order to practice French during the summer holiday, I Worked in a shop in the Covered Bazaar selling carpets to tourists. This made me feel very flattered because I could talk a foreign language and I was proud to make some pocket money.
First Job
My first job was in tourism. First I became a professional tourist guide and then I became a partner of a tourism agency.
Private or State school?
I attended state primary school and then a private missionary catholic French high school, Lycée de Saint Benoit (by the way I am a Muslim living in Muslim majority country).
University or Work?
Obviously it was work!
Who was or is still is your mentor?
My first mentor was a French philosophy teacher in school. He broadened my way of thinking and looking at art.
How physically fit are you?
I don’t have much to complain about just a few things that come with age! I feel very well and fit!
Ambition or talent: What matters more to success?
Well I believe that ambition and talent go hand in hand of course with a lot of luck.
How politically committed are you?
It is not possible not to be politically committed in my country where economy fluctuates with high leaps considering the fact that I am a business person who owns a business. We also have a big issues such as human rights, democracy and justice.
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
I would like to sail around the world and discover new lands and people.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Art, especially mobile art. In fact it started as a hobby and now it seems as if it is going to be a full time occupation for the third phase of my life.
In what places are you happiest?
I am happiest when I am together with my dear wife and my son and daughter and grandchildren, because my kids live abroad and we can all come together in the summer in our summer house by the sea.
What ambitions do you still have?
I would like to own and run a renown art gallery!
What drives you on?
When there are people with good and beautiful thought s and who are happy, this feeling spreads and affects me.
What is the greatest achievement of your life so far?
My greatest achievement in life is my family.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
Lazy people irritate me a lot. I dislike fanatics, radicals and extremists.
If your 20 year old self could see you now, what would she think?
Would most probably be proud of me personally because I am a content person but might criticise me for not being more active politically!
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
I lost my parents early in life because of their illnesses. I wish they had lived long enough to appreciate what I achieved in life.
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Refugees all over the world and especially in Turkey. No more religions WARS!
Do you believe in an afterlife?
I want to believe in an after life but it does not sound real.
If you had to rate your satisfaction with your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
Eight out of ten!
Contact Details for Mehmet Duyulmus
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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)
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