Digital photography has allowed us all to become self-proclaimed photographers. Except, the majority of our images never seem to have that lingering presence that makes an image memorable.

 
In the latest edition of one small seed, issue 23 “Cult of Self”, we showcase the work of Janine Kuschke-van derTuin, first runner-up of our Selected Creatives competition. She comments that,

…each photograph [is] a little piece of my soul.

It’s no wonder that there is more to photography than our compulsive clicking…

Photographer Akif Hakan Celebi continues his Asian cinema-inspired love affair in his newest work. His objective is to avoid all fashion photography clichés, except the usage of skinny girls, and introduce his own expressionistic point of view.

The Turkish-born, Hong Kong-based ‘photo-surrealist’ started his career in TV Production but felt the need to be more individually creative and so, embarked on hissolo photographic voyage. His work has an element of sincerity, which he produces by using alternative poses, moody lighting, contrasting tones and most importantly, the models. Celebi admits that he is likely to hunt you down and use all methods of persuasion, if you have that all intriguing element to him.

Avoiding archetypal beauty and using models that he says ‘have a natural innocence to them,’ it’s how he produces his powerful imagery. The nudity in his photography is just another technique he uses to show his female subjects in an independent and confident light.

From behind the lens, Celebi loves to improvise, believing in the power of happenstance, chemistry and reflecting life in its rawest form. He uses colour as a tool to enhance mood of the image and create various emotional responses from the viewers. His scenes are recreations from his favorite Far Eastern films and thus, the usage of exotic Asian models are prominent. Celebi’s photography is borderline fine-art but his ability to extract our emotionsis why we keep saying, ‘please sir, I want some more.’