Welcome to the first installment of my new blog.

My name is Timur Civan, I’m a cinematographer, photographer, artist and alchemist. The purpose of this blog is two fold. First to explore the ways in which technology, both digital and analog can be put to new and creative use for generating images. Second to catalog the challenges i experience in my daily work as a Cinematographer. I will do this by posting up my own innovations, experiments, lighting contraptions and experiences.

I have a fondness for both the unpredictable filter that is the organic medium and the precision of the latest cutting edge technology. The happy artistic medium in my opinion lives in between. Our generation is seeing the transition from the tactile world of paper, celluloid, pencil and paint, to the digit, silicon and the computer monitor. The beauty of the transitional time, is that all mediums of art are both relevant and necessary for making sense of culture in this world. The tactile is not quite obsolete, and the digital has not yet fully dominated. The tipping point has never been so exciting because the mash up of the two lends itself to such interesting things.

I take pride in having learned cinematography the old fashioned way. Through apprenticeship and hands on experience assisting another Cinematographer. His background being in 35mm film, he taught me to do certain aspects of the job the “old fashioned way”, but to embrace the newest technology to help create your art. The balance of the two is what i strive for.

-Timur Civan