F. Dilek Yurdakul30Is Documentary Photography Ever Objective?

In the new episode of Eyeshot 50mm, we sit down with F. Dilek Yurdakul, National Geographic documentary photographer, lawyer, and activist, for a deep and unfiltered conversation about photography, ethics, and responsibility. Drawing from her background in law and her long-term documentary projects on cancer patients, COVID-19, workers’ rights, and marginalized communities, Yurdakul reflects on photography as a tool for justice rather than spectacle.

She speaks openly about emotional proximity in the field, ethical boundaries, and the weight of representation, questioning the myth of objectivity in documentary photography. We also explore the role of social media, visibility, editing, and AI, and what it means to photograph with conviction in an image-saturated world.

This episode is a thoughtful reflection on presence, choice, and the responsibility that comes with telling other people’s stories.