Today we’d like to introduce you to Can Ahtam.
Hi Can, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, I’ve started my photography journey with those first snapshots from a disposable camera my mother gifted me as a child. I was fortunate enough to travel a lot with my family to countries around Europe and Africa, and of course, the Americas. The travel component gave me a different understanding of the world we live in and unintentionally, you compare your culture to others and try to seek out the differences and different understandings. That drew me into documenting the differences I observed visually by photography.
Right around undergraduate life, I have decided to make photography a professional approach and add this skill to business and marketing as a means of visual communications. As I was taking my photography lectures along with my business degree, I got highly discouraged by my photography professor who had claimed that I lacked the talent and the eye for photography. I took my portfolio at the time to a renowned photographer, Mr. Ara Guler, who recently has passed away, and asked him for his opinion and at least not cut me off and give me constructive criticism. He owned this cafe in Taksim, Istanbul, and sat at his cafe every once in a while. I approached him, presented my work, and asked for his input after telling my story. He took a sip from his drink, and with a small smile on his face, he looked at me and said “Forget your professor. Do what you love.”
He continued our conversation by giving useful and memorable tips in photography and encouraged me to find my own way. So I did, starting my life in Boston as I pursued my MBA degree and continued photography stronger and more passionate than ever. The rest just continued.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Having lived in Istanbul, Turkey, so long; I was fortunate enough to excel at my skill and work in capturing street photography in a candid fashion, but as I’ve transitioned my life to the USA, one of the biggest challenges I had to overcome was each individual’s choice of privacy and personal space. The only way to overcome that for me was to respect and understand that and actually find individuals who would be willing to pose for me instead. Although that took the authenticity away from the goal, I was just longing to continue my existing skills and passion in portrait photography. What started out in Boston as a Portrait Photographers Meet Up turned into a 120+ person PortraitMeet in later years, gathering the local community and creatives alike around the world together with single mission to shoot portrait together.
Once I’ve moved to Los Angeles, I’ve continued to host multiple PortraitMeets across the Great Los Angeles Area. Creative spaces such as Unita in El Segundo, CA, were extremely welcoming and allowing us to host our gatherings at their spaces. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, I had to put a pause on these efforts to keep everyone safe. I hope, as COVID-19 cases decrease and more health support and advancements are being made, I’d like to restart that effort once more.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a big fan of portraits, the close-up portraits (or as LA community likes to call it – headshots)
To me, anybody can take photos of a street or an architectural beauty because it is standing right in front of you, frozen in space. A person, however, is a being that experiences constant change with various stimuli presented which makes the portrait extra unique and special.
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy shooting things like landscape, city, nature… etc. but I find greater value in connecting with people and documenting this through how I see others in photography. It inspires me to get to know others and exchange ideas, visions, as well as stories.
I want people to see the good and the beautiful value every person can bring and not discriminate and judge based on our differences. If everybody were the same, I think we would have a pretty boring life.
What matters most to you?
Being in the moment matters to me a lot as it allows me to focus on the present and forget every other stressor. Photography gives me a purpose to recognize valuable moments that I’d love to cherish and keep for future generations to view, learn, and replicate. Preserving the present through my lens allows others to see the world I choose to see.
Contact Info:
- Email: can.ahtam@gmail.com
- Website: www.canahtam.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/canahtam
Image Credits
Image 1 (Girl with Mirror): @sarah_rosenkrantz Image 2 (Girl with Hat): @svetlanaconstantine Image 3 (Girl Under Water): @jessica.phoebs Image 4: (Girl in Milk Bath): @shannonl11 Image 5 (Girl in Black): @mariahtbrady
