We had the good fortune of connecting with Serkan Atrek and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Serkan, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important element that helped me throughout my career is trying to see the project through my clients’ eyes. No matter how good my past work is, each project is a new challenge. So communicating and understanding their needs is crucial and this communication should be before, during and after any portrait session to have a happy client.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Photography or not, every artistic profession can become stressful when money gets involved. When I first started, balancing work and personal life was a big struggle. Needing to handle every aspect of business and art by myself was putting pressure due to my perfectionist personality. But, it is crucial to remember that you can use other people’s expertise elevate each other, and with that, you can allocate your time better to focus on what is important. I can now proudly say that this progress made me a happier person overall which reflected to my photography as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
To anyone visiting Phoenix, I would recommend for them to enjoy wonderful landscapes throughout the area. Sedona also is in a very short distance if anyone wants to see the beautiful red rock formation. Within the city, I very much enjoy speakeasies to have a nice conversation. The Ostrich in downtown Chandler, Undertow and Melinda’s Alley in downtown Phoenix is only couple many.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Although taking photographs seem to be an individual effort, there is always a team behind a creation of a project including hair and makeup artists, stylists and assistants. Thats why I want to thank everyone in my team for their willingness to get involved and always inspire me to see a new perspective.

Website: www.serkanatrek.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/serkanatrek

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