Biography
I am currently based in Toronto, Canada … but my background is Turkish-Bulgarian, and I was born in Svishtov, a small town on the Danube River. During the 80s, my family and I lived as ex-pats in North Africa, in Tripoli, Libya.
I learned about photography for the first time while attending an international school, the “Oil Companies School [OCS],” for the children of foreign workers, starting in Grade 6 at age 10. Remarkably, early on, I was given a comprehensive education in the core photographic practices - including film camera work, composition and aesthetics, darkroom techniques, etc.
I continued my education in photography after coming to Canada with my family in the late 1980s. Ever since, I have been a lifelong lover, practitioner and occasional photography teacher.
I am a graduate of McGill University (BA), McMaster University (MA), and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (JD). I’m a recipient of multiple prestigious scholarships and grants and a peer-reviewed, published author. I practiced law for several years, but for the sake of my health, I changed track and returned to school to do graduate-level work.
My family and I live in downtown Toronto, including my wife and our two young children. In addition to my photography practice, I am a part-time Ph.D. student in philosophy at the University of Western Ontario. My studies focus on environmental philosophy as well as the work of early-modern German philosophers, namely Kant and Hegel. You can find more information about me via my links page:
... trivia ...
... In my spare time, I play chess with my kids and enjoy making Bauhaus-style sketches like the one on this page.
... I fell in love with the music of Pink Floyd when I was about 7 or 8 years old, which might possibly explain some of my melancholic tendencies.
... Two of my favourite films: Steven Soderbergh's "Kafka", starring Jeremy Irons ... and "Wildside (Vildspor)", starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Mads Mikkelsen.
... All-time favourite dish: Cassoulet ... which I've managed to cook only a grand total of 3 times, so far.
... The languages I was taught, from earliest to the latest: Turkish, Bulgarian, Russian, English, Arabic, French, German. ... The languages I know, from best to least: English, Bulgarian, Turkish, German, French, Russian, Arabic (merely a selection of words and phrases).
... Two of my favourite photographs: Minor White's "Peeled Paint" and André Kertész's "Chez Mondrian".