THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY GETS ITS FEDERATION
A dream of the Turkish photography world has come true and for the first time in Türkiye, an art branch has a federation. The work started with the entry into force of the new Civil Law at the beginning of 2002, for which great efforts had been made for many years, was completed and the Federation of the Art of Photography (TFSF) became a legal entity on May 30, 2003.
Photography, which started to develop in the 1800s and spread rapidly all over the world in a short time, did not take much time to come to our country. However, the establishment of groups and associations and the development of the art of photography in our country were not in parallel. It has always been a source of sadness for Turkish photographers to know that there are almost a hundred-year-old photography associations in Europe, and that even Far Eastern countries have photography federations. The development of photography in our country gained momentum with the start of association in the 1950s. Although around 40 associations have been established in Türkiye over the years, today there are more than twenty photography associations all over Anatolia. New ones are being added to this number and the number of members reaches 2,000.
Since 1987, photography associations, which have continued their unity and work under the names of FDÇK (Photography Associations Working Committee) and later TFDB (Union of Photography Art Associations of Türkiye), have continued their efforts toward establishing a federation. Following the establishment of the Federation, they will continue working more effectively and systematically for the development of Turkish photography, reaching wider audiences, and representing it more successfully on national and international platforms, building on 16 years of experience and their newly acquired official status.
The aim of the Federation of the Art of Photography (TFSF) is to contribute to raising generations who see rather than merely look by making use of both the documentary and artistic dimensions of photography, to lead efforts for the development and strengthening of the art of photography in Türkiye, and to represent Türkiye successfully in international platforms.
The founding member associations of the Federation are as follows:
AFAD - Adana Photography Amateurs Association
ANFAD - Antalya Photography and Cinema Amateurs Association
BANFAD - Bandırma Photography Amateurs Association
BASAF - Balıkesir Art Photographers Association
EFOD - Edirne Photography Art Association
FOTOFORUM - Photography Art Association – Trabzon
FOTOGEN - Photography Art Association – Istanbul
FSK - Photographic Art Association – Ankara
GAFSAD - Gaziantep Amateur Photography Art Association
IFOD - Izmir Photographic Art Association
IFSAK - Istanbul Photography and Cinema Amateurs Association
KASK - Kocaeli Photographic Art Association
KONFAD - Konya Photography Amateurs Association
MFD - Mersin Photography Association
ZEYFOD - Zeytinli Photography Amateurs Association – Edremit
TFSF Interim Board of Directors
May 30, 2003