Foreigners see Istanbul through their photo lens

ISTANBUL

Hundreds of Istanbul photos taken by foreigners competed at the contest. The photos will be displayed at an exhibition at Taksim Subway.

The fourth annual Istanbul Photo Contest, “Istanbul in the Eyes of Foreigners,” has come to a close following a competition that featured 655 photos from 138 photographers.

The competition was won by professional Russian photographer Anna Kosali, who was followed by Italian architect Lucio Asta and professional French photographer Eric Teissedre.

Winners of the contest receive an all-expenses-paid holiday in Istanbul – one week for Kosali, five days for Asta and a weekend for Teissedre.

Organized by Les Arts Turcs and Şengüler Tourism, the Istanbul Photo Contest aims to give foreign photographers the opportunity to capture the importance of the historical peninsula and modern Istanbul, according to organizers. The contest is open to foreign photographers only.

The photo competition is designed to encourage foreign photographers of all skill levels to submit photos that visually express how the city sought to become the 2010 Eurpean Capital of Culture, organizers said.


“We desire to see our country’s excellence through the eyes of foreigners by adding the historical peninsula to the Istanbul Photograph Collection. We believe that photography is a universal concept and a picture is ‘worth a thousand words’ and aim to prove that you will represent your feelings not by hundreds of words but in a single shot. This is a project with volunteer spirit from all over the world,” Les Arts Turcs said in a statement on its website about the competition.

This year 138 photographers from 37 countries participated in the contest and submitted a total of 655 photos. The jury included world-renowned Turkish photographer Ara Güler, along with Tülin Ersöz, Yazgülü Aldoğan, Nihal Gündüz, Ersin Kalkan, Ahmet Yoldar, Selahattin Sevi, Kaan Koç, Kemal Özyiğit, Ercan Arslan, Eyüp Karasakal, Hasan İnsel and Adnan Genç.

For the first time this year, the contest featured participants from Pakistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Philippines.

The award ceremony will take place at the beginning of the new year. There will also be an exhibit displaying photos from the contest at the Taksim metro stop.

The first Istanbul Photo Contest was organized in 2008 through a website founded by Nurdoğan Şengüler with the participation of 190 photographers from 37 countries submitting 950 photos. In 2009, under the new title of “Istanbul in the Eyes of Foreigners,” the contest grew to 213 photographers from 40 countries that submitted 1,117 photos.


The goal of the contest is to witness Istanbul in its historical and touristic attractions by focusing on the ancient city walls and structures including mosques, museums, bridges, towers, churches, synagogues, Sufi lodges, cisterns and palaces. Photographers are also encouraged to experience Istanbul’s life, including everything from its people to its cats, parks, fountains, baths, grand bazaar, spice market, shopping centers, authentic Turkish cuisine, boutique hotels, handcrafts, shops, artists and more.