In Dom and Abdal from Syria to Gaziantep, a
photo exhibition orchestrated for the Council
of Europe and the Zero Discrimination
Association, Seymen’s unique approach marries
documentary photography with strategic
direction. The series explores the Dom and
Abdal, a group of people related to the Roma,
who are often faced with discrimination and
are currently caught up in the crisis of Syria.
Even as refugees in a Turkish camp, the Dom
and Abdal are still pushed to the fringe of the
camp’s society.
Using lighting equipment to manipulate the
outdoor environment, Seymen’s series captures
the Dom and Abdal in their scant lodgings—
natural settings with arranged poses.
“This could be a different t y pe of
documentary photography,” Seymen reflects, “I
immediately intervened in the scene instead of
waiting for it to happen. I previously planned
what and how to photograph.”
Yet while he dictates the arrangement of each
shot, Seymen manages to accurately portray
the lives of the Dom and Abdal in the camp—
carefully positioning moments that document
reality in an artistic way.
Seymen goes on to explain that, whether
shooting professional models or subjects
like the Doma and Abdal, “one of the most
important things” as a photographer is to clearly
communicate one’s vision to the model: “If any
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