Erkin Kalayci: a photographic anthropologist

The Australian Photographic Prize’s 2024 Student of the Year is devoted to learning and experimenting in his photography.

Growing up in a small town in Türkiye with a family full of photographers, Erkin Kalayci can’t remember a life without a camera in his hand. 

After working as a graphic designer, visual communications consultant and art director for many years, all roads led him back to photography.

“While studying landscape architecture at university, I always had a camera in my bag,” Erkin told Southbank News.

Erkin has been working as a photographer semi-professionally for more than 20 years, and began working full-time after immigrating to Australia. 

Now, almost 10 years in, he’s pursuing a Master of Arts at Photography Studies College (PSC). 

After feeling confined by the pressures of conforming to industry trends in his professional work, he sought to hone his artistic vision through the Master’s program.

“Contrary to popular belief, practicing something you are passionate about as a profession is not an enviable thing … over time, you become more of a craftsman than an artist,” he said.

“This whirlpool became uneasy for me. I can take technically good and visually appealing photographs but want to take more than just pretty images. I want to make art.”

Erkin’s solo exhibition The Hidden Shaman, has just finished showing at PSC’s Captured Gallery in Southbank.

“I’ve dabbled in almost every genre, from macro to landscape, editorial to street photography, and infrared to minimal styles.”

Despite being a self-described “perpetual experimenter”, the focus of Erkin’s photography always returns to one thing: people.

“I wouldn’t label myself only as a portrait photographer, but I have a deep-seated desire to understand and describe people, their lives, and their relationships with their environment and each other,” he said. 

“This makes me a photographer of all things human: babies, births, weddings, deaths, portraits, streets, events, sports, art, and fashion.”

“Photography is a collaborative effort between you and your subject. If there is no connection, trust, and collaboration at the moment of the click, I cannot succeed.” •