| Description: by Alyson Clingsong Clennon
There’s an undeniable magic that possesses Evrim Icoz’ photography. It is transfixing. You feel the quiet shock of witnessing an intimate story unfold. You feel privileged to discover a host of lives depicted: all the momentum and complexity of people who stand alone in their world, yet are inseparable from their setting and each other.
…Maybe it’s the influence of his Mediterranean homeland that drenches Evrim’s photography in the warmth of human stories.
Profound sensitivity toward the communal nature of relationships saturate his art with complexity and depth. His artistic vision is great enough to include diverse elements: the background, the secondary stories, and, of course, the leading cast. His photojournalistic eye appreciates the added interest of scene. By juxtaposing what is intentional against what is unusual, he often reveals the great humor of lives accidentally intertwined through his lens.
He sees more than just the heroes of the moment, and courageously includes the surrounding characters. A rushing groom, late to change into his tux, bursts in on a hotel cleaning lady. A mother waits in the room with children while the bride gets ready next door. A pair of locals loiter on the street corner while the new couple kisses for the camera. These unscripted moments are irreplaceable for their charming honesty.
…It could be Evrim’s cultural roots that infuse him with a passion that’s willing to sacrifice it all to capture a single moment of human experience.
Istanbul, on the border between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, has forever been the place where all the rich mystique of the East commingles with all the ambitious motion of the West. And Evrim embodies the best qualities of his homeland. At the top of his classes in the most prestigious Turkish schools, he was awarded a scholarship to Duke, where he graduated with a Master’s Degree in Engineering. He bought his first camera in 1999, and left a career at Intel to pursue photography as an independent contractor in 2004.
His artistic ability is only surpassed by his commitment to excellence: though entirely self-taught, he became virtually an overnight success story in the world of photojournalistic competition. In 2004, the first year he entered the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) competition, he won first place. In 2006, he took home first-place trophies in the Wedding Photojournalist Association’s 4 of the 10 categories, and won the runner-up position for worldwide Photographer of the Year. He won first place again at WPPI in 2007.
Using digital and infrared techniques, and the possibilities available through technology, Evrim is as savvy as he is passionate. He takes advantage of all the tools available to his profession, in order to create art while maintaining the integrity of the story.
…Or perhaps it’s his experience as an award-winning social dancer that gives him such authoritative command over motion, form, and poise.
Close to action is where Evrim feels most comfortable, and the vitality of every shot is striking. His ability to capture motion is daring and warm all at once. Every scene appears to drip with light; a powerful and dramatic fluidity characterizes his work.
He mingles, he dances, he laughs and interacts and becomes one with the crowd. His goal is always to be uninvasive, and he knows that part of his role is to put people at ease with his presence. The result is an unparalleled candor. He is able, through his own relaxed nature, to reveal what is beautifully genuine in the people around him.
Whatever the reason, against Evrim’s lens the elements of line, color, light, and human connection all melt together. Yet, amidst this abundance, he maintains the serenity and intimacy of a moment where two people feel themselves to be alone with one another in their world.
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