HISTORIC ARCHIVES OF STUDIO OSEP REVEALEDFONT SIZE: LARGER|SMALLER

Hurriyet Daily News
oric-archives-of-studio-osep-revealed-2009-11-02
N ov 2 2009
Turkey

Sociologist Tayfun SerttaÅ~_ has revealed the near-forgotten story of
Studio Osep, the leading photography studio in Turkey for decades,
with a new book that synthesizes 10 years of research and presents
some 6,500 archival photos

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story omitted the origin of
Minasoglu’s family.

If the story of Osep Minasoglu – born Hovsep Minasyon to a family of
Armenian origin – had not accidentally crossed the path of sociologist
Tayfun SerttaÅ~_, then Minasoglu’s 70-year adventure as a Turkish
studio-photography pioneer could have been lost to history.

Minasoglu started taking photos with an Agfa camera that his brother
gave him when he was still a child. During the 1950s, he learned
photographic techniques from experts at the U.S.-based Kodak Company
in his spare time.

His family was wealthy. Minasoglu received his education at Saint
Benoît French School in Beyoglu, which was attended largely by
students of privilege. But a surprise awaited the Minasoglu family
during World War II: the Wealth Tax, which was issued in 1942 during
the administration of Prime Minister Å~^ukru Saracoglu. This tax
on the country’s rich was applied in part to discriminate against
the financial independence of Turkey’s non-Muslims. Many successful
non-Muslims lost their wealth, while those who failed to pay the tax
were sent to work camps in AÅ~_kale in the eastern Anatolian province
of Erzurum.

Non-Muslim financial independence was similarly affected by the events
of Sept. 6-7, 1955, which left a stain on Turkey’s recent history.

Tension between Turkey and Greece had been increasing because of
the Cyprus problem while public opinion was very sensitive toward
further provocation, meaning that even the slightest spark could
cause a societal explosion. This inferno duly happened.

On Sept. 6, the Istanbul Express reported that Ataturk’s house had
been bombed in Thessaloniki. People rushed into the streets, attacking
Greeks, Armenians and Jews over the course of two days. The Minasoglu
family was also attacked, shortly after losing its wealth in the wake
of the Wealth Tax. Minasoglu had to leave school.

Following the events, Kodak closed down its branch office in Turkey.

With reference letters from the company in hand, Minasoglu left Turkey
for Beirut and traveled on to Paris.

Minasoglu finds a champion

Now, in honor of the photographer, sociologist Tayfun SerttaÅ~_ has
published "Studio Osep," a Turkish- and English-language work from
Aras Publishing that features the results of his 10 years of research
on Minasoglu. Furthermore, an exhibition displaying photos compiled
from Minasoglu’s archives has opened at Gallery Non in Istanbul’s
Tophane district. The exhibition runs through Nov. 14.

All photos in the book and exhibition were compiled from 6,500
images found in Minasoglu’s single-room house in TarlabaÅ~_ı. The
sociologist, speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review,
recounted the photographer’s 70-year story.

"I have been researching the life of Minasoglu for 10 years. I spent
most of my days with him, but I only realized that I was with such
a legend five years ago," said SerttaÅ~_. "Osep’s photos document
Turkey’s recent history."

New faces of Turkish cinema

Minasoglu’s Paris adventure ended because of the 1956 war between
France and Algeria; because of pressures against immigrants, he was
forced to return to Istanbul. He opened a studio in Sirkeci and took
tourist photos using a Polaroid camera.

Minasoglu said the Polaroid camera was not used in Turkey during
those years, meaning that Minasoglu was able to take advantage of
the technology and earn good money within a short time.

Later on, Studio Osep moved to a new location covering 350 square
meters on Topagacı Street in Taksim. Minasoglu began to take photos
of future actors and actresses. Turkey’s Hollywood, YeÅ~_ilcam, gained
new faces thanks to him. Fittingly for a photographer involved with
actors and actresses, the studio is also remembered today as the
first in Turkey to retouch photos.

SerttaÅ~_, who offers a sociological perspective on Studio Osep’s
years capturing YeÅ~_ilcam, said: "Only some of the prospective future
actresses who came to the studio for a photo shoot actually became
famous. Osep’s skillful photos had a great share in this. However,
those who could not gain fame were often sent to brothels on Cihangir’s
Abanoz Street. Actually, Minasoglu unwittingly photographed the
sociology of Beyoglu for 40 years."

Minasoglu not only photographed actors and actresses but also
politicians and ambassadors. He is also the first photographer to shoot
for pornographic magazines in Turkey. "I was not interested in women’s
bodies while taking their photos, because I was a professional,"
he said. "Turkey was freer in those years. There was no alienation
from women’s bodies in the country [as there is today]."

BOX

Archives perished in a fire

Minasoglu said he had never shared the secrets of his 70-year career
with anyone, adding, "I used methods of lighting and retouching
method while shooting YeÅ~_ilcam’s future actresses. I preferred
special light for hair. I took photos in a special, large room and,
in this way, I could take candid shots of the models."

Minasoglu kept a copy of all his photos. There were thousands of
photos in his studio at the time of his bankruptcy in 1990. When his
studio was repossessed, Minasoglu entrusted his archives to one of his
friends. However, as the result of a fire, all his archival documents,
historically significant correspondence and technical formulas were
reduced to ash.