BIO

˝ I like photography, it is the way to express myself. ˝

The Turkish poet Edip Cansever has once said in his poem

“A person resembles the place he lives / He resembles the water, the soil of that place”.

Just like the poet said, Ali Agtas who was born on the biggest of the Princes’ Islands,

Buyukada, bears a great resemblance to the soils of his hometown.

He was raised in the nature and silent streets of Buyukada. He painted since he was a child,

and between the ages of 12 and 17 he was interested in music and he got on the stage to perform his music.

˝ pictures have music inside.˝

He unwittingly became familiar with the nature, the light, aesthetics and harmony during his childhood in the magical environment of the Princes’ Islands. Then came the day to leave the Islands... By-passing the city of Istanbul which was at his elbow, he setlled in Munich, Germany in the year of 1970. From that day on Munich was his second home. He started with a graphics and design training. His emotional foundation was already intact, thus the training he received in Munich, one of Europe’s most important cities, has helped emerging his structure in a very short period of time. Right after his graduation he worked as graphics designer and art director in Playboy, Quick and the famous music magazine Bravo.

At the age of 27 he launched his own advertising agency. He served noteworthy companies like

BMW, Triumph, TEC, VCL video, Genuin, Taubert and Pensato. - Ipekyol, Tüzün, Ekol, Nelson, Karaca, Pierre Cardin, Cacharel.

As a child of the Island rose under the sun, he loves ˝ natural light ˝, he takes his pictures under the sunlight.

Although he knows the artificial light by heart and although he has the right kind of equipment, he prefers the natural sunlight, because he believes it is the truest light. His photos do not tolarate manipulation.

˝ I am not alone, I like Teamwork.“

He takes his pictures on the brief moment when the model forgets that her photo is being taken. Everyone sees the moments; however Ali and photographers like him are the ones that catch those moments.

And then that moment is presented to the eternity. The pleasure remains with the one that observes the photograph.

Ali is one of those that presents that moment to us.

˝ it is easy to see, but hard to catch.˝

Besides private shoots, Ali Agtas also makes commercial shoots and the amateur soul and the emotional intensity you can feel at every pixel of his photos are just like life itself, just like the Princes’ Islands which he was raised at.

˝ keep it simple in agreement with nature.˝

What did the poet say?

˝A person resembles the place he lives / He resembles the water, the soil of that place ˝