Photo Live Magazine First Issue

Hi Ayhan, it’s nice to meet you.
You’re living in Turkey, tell us about
life in Turkey, what do you do for a
job or are you studying?
I live in Istanbul. I have a Business
Administration degree, after finishing
my masters degree in Australia,
I completed my PhD on Organizational
Behavior. I work as a trainer,
professional coach and university instructor.
My work is basically about
listening, understanding and communicating
with people.
How did you get started as a photographer?
I was always interested in photography
and cinema, but did not actively
take pictures. The only exception is
a short period in my late teens when I
had a SLR camera and was interested
in taking portrait shots, but that
lasted only a few years. So, basically
my creativity had a long winter period
until 2 years ago, when both of
my parents died in the same year. It
made me realize that nothing is repeated
in life, that moments have
a special soul which can only be
experienced as they happen. This
event had a profound impact on my
photography.
And how would you describe your
photography?
I try to see the stories that are hidden
in fleeting moments. I try to spot
and highlight the poetry in what feels
to be mundane at first sight. I’m interested
in contrasts, unusual behaviors,
hidden links, near misses,
accidental encounters because they
add to my story telling.
My subjects are usually people who
are on the move, who are experiencing
a moment that will disappear in a
few seconds.
I especially care about their emotions,
whatever they are at that moment.
But my favourite theme is the
feeling of freedom, where you feel
constantly moving and evolving,
knowing no borders or attachments.
(or sometimes people who lack that
kind of freedom) I quite often use
symbols like birds, sea, sky, floating
hair, wind etc because they remind
me of that sense of freedom.
I have to ask, tell us about the birds
that often play a role in your photos...
Istanbul has a huge bird population.
They are literally everywhere, hovering
above your head in every street.
Birds were a forced choice at first,
because they usually photobomb
your pictures. But soon I picked up
on the qualities that they add to
anything they fly past. I love birds
because they symbolize almost
everything about my photography:
freedom, wisdom, motion, emotions,
grace. I can’t imagine living in a city
without many birds.
What areas in Istanbul do you like to
photograph in? Why..?
I love spending time in Karaköy, Eminönü,
Galata, Beyoğlu. Because almost
nobody actually lives in those
neighborhoods, the people there
come from all walks of life for a temporary
purpose with the intention to
go back home at night, so you see
lots of contrast and drama; since its
near the sea, there’s excitement or
sometimes total indifference in people’s
faces, people’s faces talk; the
walls are talking too, with many layers
of texture and graffiti; it all adds
to my themes.
A lot of your photos also feature the
ocean, is this something that draws
you?
We call it Bosphorus, basically it’s a
strait, like a giant salt water river going
through the heart of the city. It
is constantly flowing, moving the waters
from one side of the earth to the
other. There’s also an undercurrent
which pushes the waters back in the
opposite direction. The Bosphorus
also attracts northerly and southerly
winds. When I take a boat ride along
the Bosphorus and breathe in the
fresh breeze, I imagine the air that
fills my lungs came all the way from
Scandinavia, it touched he hair of
a kid playing on the beach, or went
through dark enchanted forests, it
helped a seagull soar and now it’s in
my lungs. It gives a sense of “borderlessness”,
a sense of constant motion
and collision. I believe it shapes
the character of my people, and it
also shaped the character of my
photographs.
Browsing your Instagram feed, you
have a gift for capturing moments.
People relating to each other, living
life, and your post processing style
is very different. Talk us through how
you go about taking photos and then
what happens at the end of the day
when you are finished shooting.
I’m interested in people. I can look
at a crowded street and immediately
spot a person that has potential
for a story. Then I get my camera or
phone ready and wait for them to do
something interesting. And they usually
do.
When shooting, I set aside all my
worries about composition, framing,
timing etc. These are all worries of
the mind and they can all be fixed
later. I only concentrate on seizing
the spirit of that moment, which can
only be done by seeing from the
heart. I trust my gut feelings and
give the controls to my fingers rather
than my mind. My fingers autono-
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