Journalist’s Ara Güler photos in Anadolu Agency archive

ANKARA

The photographs of late photojournalist Ara Güler, taken by journalist Nezih Tavlaş while writing the biography “The Life Story of Photojournalist Ara Güler,” were published in the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) Archive.

In the 106 photos taken by Tavlaş, published on the sixth anniversary of Güler's death, Güler is seen at home, in his office, on the street and at the airport.

Tavlaş said that he spent the years 2007-2010 with the master photojournalist while preparing his book. “I believe that Güler's success was not a coincidence, and I prepared the book with the aim of telling this to all of Türkiye,” he said.

He explained that he started preparing the book's framework by reading all the articles, essays, interviews and news about Ara Güler.

Tavlaş explained that he continuously took photographs of Ara Güler from the moment they met, and continued:

“Later he started bringing me photos that had been taken before. I said, 'I want to take photos of you myself.' For example, when he saw the photo I took at the airport because of his fear of flying, he got excited and framed it himself. He separated the other photos I took of him sitting in the middle of the road, on a chair, reading a newspaper and printed them and giving them out here and there. I heard him tell Umut Sülün from Fotoğrafevi, 'This guy's photographic eye is better than many who walk around calling themselves photographers.' For an amateur photographer like me, receiving such a comment from the master, even if not said to my face, is priceless.”

Ara Güler

Güler, who contributed important photos to the visual memory of Türkiye and the world, was born on Aug. 16, 1928, in Istanbul. Güler received his early education at home under the supervision of caregivers and nannies, and later attended Mıhitaryan Monastery School (Pangaltı High School), Galatasaray High School and Getronagan Armenian High School.

Güler realized his passion for photography and journalism with the first camera his father bought in 1940.

He enrolled at the Journalism Institute, the first institution in its field in Türkiye, established under the Faculty of Economics at Istanbul University, but could not fully attend classes as he was working at the same time.

Güler worked for various newspapers and in 1958 he took on the role of Near East photojournalist for the magazines Time-Life, Paris-Match and Der Stern.

Güler began working as the head of the photography department at Hayat magazine and, in 1953, after meeting Henri Cartier Bresson, became a member of Paris Magnum Agency.

Traveling the world and producing numerous photo reports for the Magnum Agency, Güler interviewed and photographed many famous individuals, including Winston Churchill, Salvador Dali, Picasso, Alfred Hitchcock, Indira Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, Bill Brandt and Ansel Adams.

The “Photography Annual Anthology” published in England described Güler as one of “the world's seven best photographers.” In 1962, Güler earned the title “Master of Leica,” a distinction awarded to very few photographers, and the Swiss magazine Kamera dedicated a special issue to him.

Güler's photos were featured in Mariana Noris' work “Young Türkiye,” published in the U.S. in 1953, and his series of photographs was published alongside Richard Avedon's work in the anthology “Photography of the World,” released in Japan in 1967.

His book “Ara Güler's Cinematographer”s was published in 1989. In 1991, Güler photographed “The Sixth Continent,” a book by Halikarnas Balıkçısı (Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı), for the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Known as the Photographer of Istanbul, Güler's years of work photographing the structures of Mimar Sinan were featured in the book “Sinan, Architect of Soliman the Magnificent” in 1992. In the same year, his book “Living in Türkiye” was published under the title Turkish Style in the U.K., U.S., Singapore and in France.

Güler's photographs are held at the National Library of France, the George Eastman Museum in the U.S. and the Sheldon Collection at the University of Nebraska. His works have been exhibited at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and the Imaginary Photo Museum.

With over 2 million photographs in his archive, Güler's awards include the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Award and the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Culture and Arts Grand Award.

The master photojournalist, who passed away at the age of 90 on Oct. 17, 2018, while receiving treatment in a hospital in Istanbul, was laid to rest in Şişli Armenian Cemetery.