Journeying through the different worlds of imagery by Batsceba Hardy
arslanalp
To begin this journey, I chose to focus on a Turkish photographer named Alphan Yilmazmaden, whom I met years ago on DeviantArt under the username arslanalp. I would describe Alphan as a 'theatrical' photographer. His images are genuine representations, but I also see a conceptual mind at work in his photography. In summary, he is a remarkable street photographer who blends various elements while maintaining his unique style.
In analysing his photographic path, I've noticed the evolution of his exploration of colour. It seems he is trying to create a dreamlike world through his use of colour, as if he wants reality to be 'discovered' from his perspective at times.
Specialising in street photography, Alphan approaches his work from a unique perspective, seeking to find order amidst chaos while exploring the irrationality and surrealism of everyday life. He believes that the possibilities in photography are limited only by one’s imagination.
Alphan has participated in workshops with various photography artists and has served as a photography consultant for two terms in the PhotoTherapy Workshop, which is part of the Rehabilitation and Art Psychotherapy Program at the Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University. He held his first solo exhibition at the Istanbul Photography Museum and has participated in both national and international group exhibitions. As an award-winning photographer, Alphan has taken part in numerous competitions and festivals.
From its founding in 2012 until its conclusion in 2022, he was a member of the photography collective Turquoise Street.
Now is a member of Istanbul Candid Street Photographers.
He effectively utilises both black-and-white and colour photography in his work. There are times when colour serves as the primary focus, enhancing the impact of the image, while in other cases, black-and-white photography conveys the central idea more powerfully. I appreciate how he thoughtfully applies this distinction, particularly when emphasising light spots, as demonstrated in this picture:
The light is often the protagonist of his shots. As if he stabbed the image with light. When I asked him about the difference between using light in colour and black and white photography, he responded:
When I am shooting, I focus on finding the "good light" for an excellent photograph. This allows me to have more control over my images. Once I discover the right light, I begin looking for subjects, backgrounds, shadows, and colours, as well as the relationships between these elements. I recognise that colour photography is much more challenging than black and white since it requires managing many more variables. I consider switching to black and white if the lighting isn't ideal. However, since I shoot in RAW format, I can easily check and switch between black and white and colour versions later if I feel I missed something.
I am an amateur photographer based in Istanbul, Turkey, focusing on street photography. Living in such a dynamic, crowded, and historical city provides me with endless opportunities to capture unique moments. My goal is to reflect the interactions between people and their social environment. In conclusion, I have come to understand that the similarities between human beings are often more significant than I initially thought. Istanbul has been a crowded, mysterious, and chaotic city almost from the beginning. Colour photography arrived relatively late in Turkey compared to other European countries, so most of the notable photographs circulated were in black and white. This contributed to the city's air of mystery. Photographers might feel that capturing Istanbul in colour could reveal too much of that mystery or that colour photography poses a real challenge for this vibrant city. In this regard, thanks to Alex Webb and Bruno Barbey for demonstrating that the colour photography of Istanbul can also be beautiful.