Türkiye has a long photographic tradition, and many Turkish photographers have made significant contributions to the field, in documentary work, photojournalism, architecture and contemporary art. Here are some of the best-known names and what each of them is recognised for.
Ara Güler
Ara Güler (1928–2018) is the most famous photographer Türkiye has produced. An Istanbul-born photojournalist of Armenian descent, he is often called “the Eye of Istanbul”. His black and white photographs of the city from the 1950s and 1960s, with fishermen, ferries, tram lines, workers and misty streets, have become the visual memory of old Istanbul. He worked for major international magazines, was associated with Magnum Photos, and photographed many famous figures, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Alfred Hitchcock. Güler always described himself as a photojournalist rather than an artist. The Ara Güler Museum in Istanbul preserves his archive.
Yıldız Moran
Yıldız Moran is remembered as one of the first academically trained women photographers in Türkiye. She studied photography in England and, after returning home in the 1950s, photographed Anatolian landscapes and people with a quiet, poetic eye. Although her active career was short, her work is regarded as an important part of the history of Turkish photography.
Ahmet Ertuğ
Ahmet Ertuğ trained as an architect before turning to photography. He is known for large-format photographs of historical architecture, particularly Byzantine and Ottoman monuments such as Hagia Sophia, as well as grand libraries and opera houses in Europe. His images are noted for their extraordinary detail and symmetry, and they are published in large, finely printed books.
Murat Germen
Murat Germen is a contemporary Turkish artist, photographer and academic. His work deals with cities, urban transformation and the effects of rapid construction, with Istanbul as a recurring subject. He often uses digital techniques to combine and rework photographs into dense, sometimes abstract images, as in his series “Muta-morphosis”.
Bülent Kılıç
Bülent Kılıç is a Turkish photojournalist who has worked for the news agency Agence France-Presse. He is known for his coverage of major news events, including the conflict in Ukraine, the war in Syria and the refugee crisis on Türkiye’s borders, as well as protests in Türkiye. His news photographs have received major international photojournalism awards.
Nilüfer Demir
Nilüfer Demir is a Turkish photojournalist based in Bodrum, who worked for Doğan News Agency. In 2015 she took the photographs of Alan Kurdi, a young Syrian boy who drowned while his family was trying to reach Greece. The images were published around the world and had a strong effect on the public debate about the refugee crisis.
What Their Work Has in Common
These photographers work in very different styles, but there are common threads. Many of them are closely tied to place, above all to Istanbul, a city whose layers of history and constant change have inspired photographers for more than a century. Many also share a documentary instinct: a wish to record people, buildings and events before they disappear or are forgotten.
Where to See Turkish Photography
- The Ara Güler Museum in Istanbul, dedicated to his archive
- Istanbul Modern, which has a photography collection and regular exhibitions
- Photography books, which are the best way to study the work of Ara Güler and Ahmet Ertuğ in depth
These are just a few examples of the many talented photographers who have emerged from Türkiye. A new generation of documentary, fashion and art photographers continues the tradition today.
Main cover photo: Ara Güler / New York Times
