BOARD OF DIRECTORS (26 APRIL 2025 / .. APRIL 2028)
Mehmet KILIÇOĞLU - Chairman of the Board of Directors / FOTONO21
Abdullah SEZGİN - Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors / SAMFAD
Erol ÖZER - Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors / MFD
Ela AKTAY - Secretary General of the Board of Directors / SAGÜSAD
Hikmet YILMAZ - Treasurer of the Board of Directors / BEYFOTODER
Tarık AKKURT - TFSF Organizations Unit Officer / BUFSAD
Canan TOR - Equality-Focused Projects Unit Officer / FEFSAD
Onur DEMİRKAPI - Technology Unit Officer / AYFOD
Burak KURT - Digital Platform Unit Officer / OFSAD
Serdar İYİİZ - Member Associations Communication Unit Officer / EFOD
Koray M. ÜRKMEZ - Competitions Unit Officer / MARFOD
Hüseyin SALIŞ - Educational Development Unit Officer / İFOD
Şevki SİLAN - Delegates Unit Officer / FOTOĞRAFMETRE
Mehmet BAYSAN - Youth Unit Officer / EFSAD
Öner AKKAYA - TFSF Titles Unit Officer / GİFOD
Bahir DİBEKOĞLU - Non-Member Associations Unit Officer / DENFOT
Mehmet BEDİR - TFSF Social Responsibility Unit Officer / KEFSA
Burak ŞENBAK - TFSF Istanbul Organizations Unit Officer / BÜFOD
Ateş EVİRGEN - TFSF Underwater Photography Unit Officer / SUFOD
Ali Rıza AKALIN - TFSF Gallery Officer / AFSAD
Tahir CEYLAN - TFSF Design and Promotion Unit Officer / ASFOD
Emrah AKYILDIZ - TFSF Ankara Organizations Unit Officer / AFSAD
BOARD OF AUDITORS (26 APRIL 2025 / .. APRIL 2028)
İbrahim ELMAN - ZEYFOD
Turgay BİLGE - Legal Unit / KAFSİD
Mehmet BOYACI / ANFAD
ALTERNATE BOARD OF AUDITORS
H. İbrahim ÜZMEZOĞLU / TEFOD
Necmettin KARACA / VANSAD
Latif SAKIZ / MFSD
...
Mehmet KILIÇOĞLU – Chairman of the Board of Directors
Born in 1973 in the Dicle district of Diyarbakır, Mehmet Kılıçoğlu graduated from Dicle University's Ziya Gökalp Faculty of Education, Department of Classroom Teaching, in 1994, and from Anadolu University's Open Education Faculty, Department of Photography and Camera Operation, in 2013. He currently serves as assistant principal at a state school in Diyarbakır.
Driven by his interest in and knowledge of the art of photography, he founded the Diyarbakır Fotono21 Photography Community in 2013 and the Fotono21 Photography Association in 2016. During this time he made a significant educational contribution by giving more than 2,500 hours of basic photography training in total, as well as advanced training in documentary photography, at public education centers.
Also playing an active role in bringing his artistic output to wider audiences, Kılıçoğlu has taken part in over 100 group exhibitions to date, and has held 11 solo exhibitions, continuing his individual contribution to the art of photography. He served as a member of the TFSF Board of Directors in the 10th term.
Abdullah SEZGİN - Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors
I was born in Trabzon in 1957. I graduated from Karadeniz Technical University's Department of Electrical Engineering in 1978. I worked as a faculty member at KTU between 1979 and 1993, and at Ondokuz Mayıs University between 1993 and 2014, retiring in September 2014. I am married and have a daughter.
Under my family's influence I became acquainted with photography in my childhood. At first, photography for me was simply a record of my memories. In 1988 I joined FOTOFORUM, and until I left Trabzon in 1993 I took on active roles in the association's activities. There I learned that photography is not merely a record, that certain things can be conveyed through photography, and that there are certain clues to doing so. I discovered collective work.
In 2002 I was among the founders of the Samsun Photography Art Association (SAMFAD). Since that day I have continued to serve as Chairman of our association's Board of Directors. I have taken on duties in many activities, primarily education, as well as exhibitions, shows, shooting trips, projects and so on.
In 2018 I completed Anadolu University's Open Education Faculty "Photography and Camera Operation" program, adding an academic credential to what had until then been a self-taught photographic background.
I have been a SAMFAD delegate to the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye, of which we have been a member since 2008. I have served on TFSF Boards of Directors elected since 2011. I have taken on various duties such as responsibility for the Education Unit, Regional Responsibility, and TFSF Competition Representative. In the 11th term I am also serving as TFSF Vice Chairman.
The final point of my photographic career that makes me proud is the "2024 TFSF Award" given to me as a result of my association's nomination and the TFSF Board of Directors' approval. I am very grateful to everyone who contributed to this.
"Life is worth shooting."
Prof. Dr. Erol ÖZER - Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors
Born in Trabzon. A graduate of the Department of Geological Engineering at Karadeniz Technical University. He retired in 2023 as a faculty member from the Department of Geological Engineering at Mersin University. He is a member of the Mersin Photography Association and an honorary member of the Trabzon Photography House Association. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye (TFSF). Between 2005 and 2008 he was founding chairman of the Mersin Toros Mountaineering Club (TODAK) and remains a member of that club. His photographic interests are nature, mountaineering, macro life and sky photography. In 2014 he received the EFIAP title awarded by the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP). He won the best photographer award at the international competition "1st Hyvinkaa International Exhibition of Photographic Art 2016" in Finland, and won the Fotogen 12th Sami Güner Cup in 2018 with his works "Sultan," "Colors of Nature" and "Light of the Summit." He has held the solo photography exhibitions "Light Falling on Snowy Summits," "Colors of Nature" and "Traces of Time," as well as numerous group exhibitions. He serves as education coordinator responsible for the Mersin Photography Association's basic photography training and its advanced photography training and workshops known as Fotoakademi. In addition to the professional courses he teaches in the Department of Geological Engineering at Mersin University, he has also taught undergraduate-level photography courses in the Department of Geological Engineering, the Department of Art History, the School of Health and the School of Jewelry Technology at Mersin University. In 2022, at the 3rd International Mountain and Ecology Congress organized by Karadeniz Technical University, he gave a presentation titled "Mountains and Photography" within the panel "Mountains and Art," and the presentation was published in the congress panel book of the "3rd International Mountain and Ecology Congress Within the Framework of Sustainable Development (MEDESU2022)."
Ela AKTAY - Secretary General of the Board of Directors
Born in Tarsus in 1978. She completed her primary, middle and high school education in Tarsus. She began studying Tourism and Hotel Management at university, and studied foreign languages between 1998 and 2000 at Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin in the USA. Between 2000 and 2005 she studied French and English Language Teaching at Anadolu University's Faculty of Education, Department of Foreign Languages Education. She began working as an English teacher within the Ministry of National Education in September 2005 and continues in this role in Adapazarı. She has received National and European Quality Labels for the national and international projects she has carried out with her students. She became acquainted with SAGÜSAD in 2010. She received her first photography training from İsmail Arzu Açıkel. She has taken part in many training courses, projects and exhibitions within the association. She has won numerous awards and had works exhibited in national and international photography competitions. She has served on the SAGÜSAD Board of Directors since 2013. Since 2023, following Basic Photography Knowledge Trainer Training within TFSF, she has also begun teaching within SAGÜSAD. She has additionally completed the "TFSF - Post-Disaster Photography-Based Psychosocial Support Work with Children" trainer program.
As of April 26, 2025 she took up the post of Secretary General of the 11th TFSF Board of Directors.
She regards taking photographs as a form of therapy for capturing moments, expressing emotions, connecting with nature, observing the world more carefully, and getting away from the stress of life.
Hikmet YILMAZ - Treasurer of the Board of Directors
He became acquainted with photography in 1980, thanks to a camera that came into their home. During middle and high school, he spent his free time developing film and making prints in a darkroom at a photography studio near their home. He developed himself in this field by taking photographs at school events, weddings and trips.
During his university years he worked particularly on portrait and macro photography. In 2012 he was among the founders of the Beylikdüzü Photography Association and has taken an active role in its management since its founding. He has served as the association's chairman for the last four years.
To date he has given dozens of basic photography seminars, run studio sessions, and organized workshops on product, food, model and portrait shooting techniques. He has brought photography enthusiasts together by organizing night photography marathons and photography trips. He has given basic Photoshop and Lightroom training, organized exhibitions and presentations, and taken part in such activities.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Beylikdüzü Photography Association and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye. He lives in Beylikdüzü, Istanbul, is married and is the father of two children.
Tarık AKKURT - TFSF Organizations Unit Officer
He began photography in November 2000 by joining the Basic Photography Training opened by the Bursa Photography Art Association (Bufsad), first printing cards and then shooting slides. In 2001 he presented a slide show titled "Ayvalık." He became a Bufsad member in 2002. His photographs appeared in the albums "Kütahya From Yesterday to Today" (Yıldırım Municipality), "Night Views of Our City" (Osmangazi Municipality) and "Between Two Bridges." He took part in various group exhibitions and slide shows. He won awards in national competitions. He is a founding member of Bufat, the first photography workshop established within Bufsad in 2005, the Bursa Photography Workshop. With this workshop he held the photography exhibition "Hanlar" as part of the 17th Bursa Photography Days. Again as part of the 17th Bursa Photography Days he held the "Bursasolarize" photography show, and in November 2011 the "Bosnia and Herzegovina" show, and in October 2014 the "Espana" photography show. He tries to build his photographic style around detail, construction, minimalism and abstraction in conceptual photography. Since the 2020 pandemic he has taken an interest in mobile photography.
Since February 2024 he has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of BUFSAD, the Bursa Photography and Cinema Amateurs Association.
Canan TOR - Equality-Focused Projects Unit Officer
I was born in 1964.
Living in Fethiye and working at Desti Advertising Agency have kept me closely involved with photography.
I graduated from Anadolu University's Open Education Faculty, Department of Photography and Camera Operation.
I continue my photography education by taking part in various workshops.
I took part in project-based training and exhibitions organized by ANAFOD (Istanbul Anatolian Side Photography Art Association) and the Women Photographers Association.
I am Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of FEFSAD (Fethiye Photography and Cinema Association),
and a member of the Women Photographers Association and ANAFOD.
Onur DEMİRKAPI - Technology Unit Officer
He is from Aydın and completed his high school education there. He completed his university education in the Department of Computer and Instructional Technologies Education at Çanakkale 18 Mart University. He currently continues his teaching career in Aydın. Alongside his profession he has also completed programs in Photography and Camera Operation, Management Information Systems, and Public Relations and Advertising, and is continuing in Visual Communication Design. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Aydın Photography Art Association since its founding. He also gives various training courses in information technology through the Cisco Networking Academy and on different platforms. He is married and the father of one child.
Burak KURT - Digital Platform Unit Officer
After graduating from Gazi University's Computer Systems Teaching undergraduate program, I completed a master's degree in Graphic Design at Ordu University. I graduated from Anadolu University's Photography and Camera Operation, and Web Design and Coding, programs. I currently work as a teacher in Ordu.
Becoming acquainted with the Ordu Photography Art Association (OFSAD) in 2011 steered me toward the art of photography. I have been an active member of the association since then, and have served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2019. Within the association I take on the role of instructor in photography training courses and facilitator in the photography projects carried out.
To date I have taken part with my photographs in nearly 20 group exhibitions at home and abroad (including in the United States and France). I have taken part in numerous talks and presentations. Between 2012 and 2019, I took part in coordinating exhibitions covering various art forms such as photography, graphics, painting and sculpture at the Taşbaşı Art Gallery, which operated under the auspices of the Ordu Photography Art Association (OFSAD) in cooperation with the Ordu Plastic Arts Association (OPSAD).
Between 2015 and 2022 I held various positions at the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye (TFSF). I currently continue my work as the officer responsible for TFSF's Digital Platforms Unit and as a member of the Board of Directors.
Serdar İYİİZ - Member Associations Communication Unit Officer
Born in Edirne.
He completed his primary, middle and high school education in Edirne.
He is a graduate of Trakya University's Department of Mathematics and Anadolu University's Department of Photography and Camera Operation.
He served as Culture and Art Advisor to the Edirne Municipality.
He is a mosaic and stained-glass artist.
He has mosaic and stained-glass works in many places in Türkiye and abroad.
He taught mosaic and stained glass in Trakya University's Department of Wall Decoration.
He was closely involved with sports for many years.
He served as Edirne Regional Table Tennis Coach and on the Table Tennis National Teams Coaches Committee.
He has led the Edirne Photography Art Association as chairman for 21 years.
Under his leadership the Edirne Photography Art Association acquired its building through public donations.
He served as TFSF Vice Chairman.
He served on the TFSF Board of Directors for one term as Competition Complaints Unit Officer.
He knows Greek and German.
Koray M. ÜRKMEZ - Competitions Unit Officer
Born in Izmir in 1974, Koray Muharrem Ürkmez is an important photography artist who took up photography in 2008 and has focused especially on environmental, ecological and social-sensitivity subjects. Throughout his artistic life he has placed the relationship between nature and humanity at the center of his work, addressing themes such as environmental disasters, natural catastrophes and ecological destruction, aiming to raise awareness in these areas.
Ürkmez's work serves not only to draw attention to environmental problems but also to strengthen collective memory and consciousness. At the "Ecological Destruction 2022" photography exhibition held in 2022, his powerful photographs focusing particularly on the Marmaris forest fire deeply affected viewers. He also took part in the exhibition "The Republic in Its 100th Year," organized in 2023 by the Marmaris Friends of Photography Association (MARFOD), demonstrating his sensitivity toward the country's historical and cultural heritage.
Koray Ürkmez served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Marmaris Friends of Photography Association (MARFOD) from 2012 to 2024, making active contributions to the association's activities. In addition to the association, Ürkmez has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye (TFSF) since 2017, and was appointed to the post of "Competitions Unit Officer" at the 11th Ordinary General Assembly held on April 26, 2025. In this position he undertakes critical responsibilities such as the organization, arrangement and oversight of the federation's photography competitions.
Hüseyin SALIŞ - Educational Development Unit Officer
Born in 1972 in the Kurtalan district of Siirt, Hüseyin Şalış is a graduate of Ege University's Department of Biology. Having begun his teaching career within the Ministry of National Education, Şalış has also served as a Trainer of Trainers and as a Fatih Project Instructor in the field of educational technology.
Şalış became acquainted with photography in 2008, and completed Anadolu University's Department of Photography and Camera Operation between 2015 and 2017. Standing out in photography particularly for his landscape and travel photographs, Şalış has won numerous awards in national and international competitions.
He has given photography training at National Education and Public Education Centers, and has organized Basic Photography, Long and Star-Trail Exposure, and Photoshop workshops within the Izmir Photography Art Association (İFOD). Since 2022 he has served as Vice Chairman of the İFOD Board of Directors.
Regarding photography as both a form of expression and an educational tool, Hüseyin Şalış continues to learn, produce and teach in both his artist and instructor capacities.
Şevki SİLAN - Delegates Unit Officer
I was born in Istanbul in 1963. I have been in working life since 1980.
I began my working life at Yapı Kredi Bank. I then moved to Finansbank and took part in the bank's founding work. Between 1992 and 1998 I worked in the factoring sector. I currently continue working at Fiba Holding A.Ş.
I am married, with a son and a daughter.
I took up photography as a hobby in 2008. However, after a while, photography went beyond being a hobby for me and became a tremendous passion. I was very sorry I had not experienced this passion sooner, and I fit into two years everything that could have been fit into ten years' worth of photography.
From 2008 until the end of 2015 I was chairman of the Finansbank Photography Club. I am a member of the İfsak Association and a founding member of the Fotoğrafmetre Association, and I currently serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fotoğrafmetre Association.
I have taken part in many group exhibitions in Türkiye.
At the Fotoğrafmetre Association, at Fotoğrafine, at the PhotoFocus Photography School and in private one-on-one sessions, I have shared, and continue to share, my accumulated knowledge of photography.
Alongside photography training, I have also provided photography consultancy (training, trips and projects) to Fibabanka A.Ş. and the Rimer Photography Club.
I received training from, and also went on shoots together with, some of Türkiye's most senior photographers, such as Sabit Kalfagil, Nusret Nurdan Eren, Ali İhsan Gökçen, Oktay Çolak, Osman Ürper, Mustafa Bilge Satkın and Özcan Yurdalan. The training I received covered Basic and Advanced Photography, Composition, Nature, Macro, Landscape, Portrait, Street and Documentary photography...
I take great pleasure in shooting, and sharing with others, nature, history, landscape, life and documentary photographs.
I believe that photography changes a person's outlook and way of life a great deal.
Mehmet BAYSAN - Youth Unit Officer
He took up photography in 2003 through training given by EFSAD, first printing cards and then shooting slides. After joining EFSAD he took a place on the Board of Directors and worked actively in many projects, trips and photography weeks.
With the transition to digital photography he began taking part in training seminars. He took part in the formation of the TEI Photography Club at TEI, where he worked, as well as the Hisarlar Photography Club and
the Eczacıbaşı Photography Club. Between 2014 and 2016 he served as Chairman of the EFSAD Board of Directors.
A letter of thanks received from the United Nations Population Fund office for the "Migration School" project carried out with Anadolu University's Faculty of Communication in 2014, the EFSAD 20th Anniversary album, and the 2014 Almanac,
are among the achievements brought to EFSAD.
He became a member of the Sille Art Palace in 2016 and takes part in joint projects both at EFSAD and at the Sille Art Palace.
He has taken part with his photographs in EFSAD's national and international exhibitions. He has won awards in national photography competitions.
Still-life work and work done with studio lighting are the photographic genres he particularly favors.
Öner AKKAYA - TFSF Titles Unit Officer
I was born in Giresun in 1986. After completing my high school education at Bulancak High School, I graduated from Dokuz Eylül University's Geotechnical Technician program. I continued at Karadeniz Technical University's Department of Geological Engineering but had to pause my education due to civil-service employment. I later completed Anadolu University's Open Education Faculty, Department of Business Administration.
I continue my working life as unit officer in the Revenue Service under the Bulancak Municipality's Directorate of Financial Services.
I have been interested in photography since 2005. In 2018 I became acquainted with the Giresun Photography Art Association (GİFOD) and took part in the association's activities. I was elected to the Board of Directors at the general assembly held in 2020. I am now in my third term serving as GİFOD's chairman. In the photography I pursue as a hobby, I particularly prefer working with silhouette and backlight themes.
Bahir DİBEKOĞLU - Non-Member Associations Unit Officer
Born on 08.08.1969 in Izmir.
He graduated from Anadolu University's Faculty of Economics in 1993. He continued his working life as a Human Resources Manager for 29 years. He retired in March 2022.
He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Peryön Ege Human Management Association between 2014 and 2019, and as a member of its Board of Auditors between 2019 and 2023.
His first encounter with photography was with a Kodak mini Pocket A-1 he used in middle school. Until his university years he took photographs with various analog cameras.
He took up professional photography in 2012.
He completed Anadolu University's Department of Economics in 1994, and the Open Education Faculty's Department of Audio-Visual Techniques and Media Production, Photography and Camera Operation Program, in 2018.
Since 2014, with a selection of 75 photographs, he has taken part in 58 competitions in 22 countries. He has received 37 awards and had works included in 275 exhibitions.
As part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of our Republic, one of his photographs (whirling dervishes) was included in the exhibition marking the Republic's 100th anniversary held in 5 major cities of Japan;
one of his photographs (balloon and ballerina) was included at the 8th FIAP Photo Meeting held in Asturias, Spain, on the occasion of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye's 20th anniversary,
and 2 of his photographs (efe folk figures and Apollo) were exhibited at the "Indonesia Institute of the Arts of Yogyakarta Exhibition Center," a FIAP gallery in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in a photography exhibition promoting Türkiye's natural beauty and cultural heritage.
In 2023 he became a member of the Denizli Photography Association (DENFOT).
He has taken part in many group exhibitions organized by photography associations.
From FIAP (The International Federation of Photographic Art)
he received the AFIAP (Artist) title in 2017,
and the EFIAP (Excellence) title in 2021.
He currently works as an instructor in basic photography shooting, serves as a jury member in photography competitions, organizes photography competitions, and provides project consultancy to the Ali Yavuzçehre Foundation.
Since 2025 he has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Denizli Photography Association.
Mehmet BEDİR - TFSF Social Responsibility Unit Officer
I was born in Kozan in 1975. I attended primary, middle and high school in Kozan. I completed my undergraduate studies in the Department of Biology at Gazi University's Gazi Faculty of Education, and my master's degree in the Department of Biology at Erciyes University's Faculty of Science. I have been a teacher for 28 years.
My photography journey began 13 years ago with basic photography and advanced composition-technique training from photography artist Nuri ÇORBACIOĞLU (AFIAP); I also took part in shooting and composition-technique workshops led by academic and photography artist Prof. Dr. Sabit KALFAGİL among others, as well as Faruk AKBAŞ, Mehmet ÇAKIR and Ali İhsan GÖKÇEN.
Burak ŞENBAK - TFSF Istanbul Organizations Unit Officer
ESFIAP, EFIAP\b, GPU HERMES
After Kadıköy Anadolu High School he graduated from Istanbul Technical University's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering. He completed his master's degree at Istanbul University's Faculty of Business Administration, Department of Business Administration. For many years he worked in the private sector internationally in technical-product sales, project management and business development.
Since 2010 he has served as a "Photography Instructor" at İFSAK, BÜFOD and the Bakırköy Photography Club. He is also one of the instructors at the PHOTOPLAY Photography Course. He gives photography training in both Turkish and English. He has provided consultancy services to many associations and institutions on national and international platforms. While organizing national and international competitions, photo marathons and photography days, he has served as a jury member in around 100 national and international photography competitions and taken on the role of curator in many photography projects.
He opened his first solo exhibition, "About to Return," in 2014. As of 2025 he has held 8 solo exhibitions in total.
In 2020 he set up his own YouTube channel, @burak_senbak, and began sharing training videos he prepared on photography, Photoshop and Instagram. His Instagram account is @burak_senbak.
He currently continues his duties as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Büyükçekmece Photography Association, member of the TFSF Board of Directors, FIAP Photo Academy Organization Unit, and PSA Türkiye Director of Member Relations.
Ateş EVİRGEN - TFSF Underwater Photography Unit Officer
Born in Ankara in 1956.
He completed his higher education at Istanbul University's Faculty of Business Administration.
He received his scuba diving training in 1977.
He took up underwater photography in 1982.
He held his first solo underwater photography exhibition in 1992.
He became a PADI diving instructor in 1993. From 1994 he began giving underwater photography training with the same organization's "Underwater Photography Instructor" certification.
He began publishing "Deniz Magazin" in 1995 and "Sualtı Dünyası Dergisi" (Underwater World Magazine) in 1996, and served as editor of Sualtı Dünyası Dergisi until 2009.
He has taken underwater photographs by diving in many countries around the world, including the North and South Poles.
With the photographs he took while diving in Antarctica in 2007, he became the first photographer from our country to shoot underwater photographs on that continent.
He has published the books "Türkiye's Sea Fish in Photographs," "There Is Life in the Marmara; For Now," "There Is Life in the Marmara; For Now - 2," "Shooting Photographs Underwater" and "The Blue Traveler."
He was among the founding members of the "Underwater Photographers and Filmmakers Association (SUFOD)," established in 2017, and currently continues to serve as Chairman of the association's Board of Directors.
In the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye's 11th-term Board of Directors, formed in 2025, he took his place with the title "TFSF Underwater Unit Officer."
Ali Rıza AKALIN - TFSF Gallery Officer
Born in Ankara in 1946. A high school graduate. He took up photography in 1977.
He has been a member of AFSAD since 1978. He has served on AFSAD's management and as Chairman of the Board of Directors. His photographs have been published in the Swiss magazine "Photoamateure" (4/85) and the Belgian magazine "Objektif" (79/88). His biography, photographs and interviews have been published in magazines and catalogues such as "Fotoğraf" (AFSAD), "Günümüz Türk Fotoğrafı," "Türkiye 92," "Ada Kentliyim," "Türk Fotoğrafında Çıplak," "60 Sonrası Türk Fotoğrafı," "Cumhuriyet," "Sunu," "Fotoğrafımızda Bugün," "Enerjik Bakış," "Kontrast," "TR'de Marka," the GAP Documentary, "Ustalarla Söyleşi," "Fotoğraf Dergisi," and "Ustalarımızdan." He has held the solo exhibitions "Yığılmalar" (Accumulations), "Cam Gözler" (Glass Eyes), "10 x 15s," "Doğada Gezintiler" (Walks in Nature), "Resimsel" (Pictorial) and "Yalın Haller" (Plain States), and has also taken part in group exhibitions held in the USA, Germany and Austria. Among the awards he has won are the Success Award of the State 7th Photography Competition, as well as awards from competitions themed around Peace, Nature, City and Human, Arabesque, and Health. Programs featuring his photographic life, photographs and views have been made on ART, ATA TV, KANAL-B, BENGÜ TV and İZ TV. Since 1999 his recent photographic output has been based on the movements and formative methods of painting; using techniques such as "Vaseline Smearing," "Mirror Reflection," "Dry Scraping" and "Coarse Grain," he produces work aimed at examining the interactions between painting and photography, their shared values or their contradictions, and at strengthening the sense of the third dimension in photography. He has published the albums "Resimsel" (Pictorial) and "Fotokolaj" (Photo Collage). He also has two further albums, "Işık Ülkesi Fethiye" (Fethiye, Land of Light) and "Kareler" (Frames). He currently gives course and workshop training, and writes exhibition reviews and articles on photography. His activities, comments and interviews have been published in the regional papers Zafer, Pusula and Çağ, and in national papers such as Evrensel and Aydınlık.
He took part in the exhibitions "Turkey, Faces and Places" 1981 (USA), "Turkei ich liebe dich" 1989 (Germany), "Türkische Fotokunst" 1991 (Austria), "Der Wald Frauen" 2010 (Germany) and "Health and Art" 2012 (Germany). At the initiative of BASAF, during the construction of the Photography Museum established in Balıkesir, he served as its Ankara Representative.
Between May 2017 and April 2019 he served as Vice Chairman of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye (TFSF). In addition, on account of his efforts toward organizing art-photography associations and his production of alternative photographs using different techniques since 2000, he was deemed worthy of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye's (TFSF) "2021 Service Award." For the term May 2022 - May 2025, he was elected to the post of Vice Chairman of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye (TFSF).
Tahir CEYLAN - TFSF Design and Promotion Unit Officer
Tahir Ceylan was born in Konya in 1982. He is a graduate of Selçuk University's Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Department of Computer Technologies and Programming. Since 2002 he has worked professionally in web, graphic design and software. He is married and the father of a daughter.
He took his first steps in this field in 2006, and in 2011 took advanced training to develop himself further. To date he has held many solo exhibitions, taken part in group exhibitions, and had his work honored with awards in many national and international photography competitions.
Since 2022 he has served as chairman of the Anatolian Selçuk Photography Association. He continues to contribute to the art of photography through workshops, seminars, exhibitions and projects organized within the association.
By assisting young photographers, he supports their development and helps bring the art of photography to wider audiences in society.
Emrah AKYILDIZ - TFSF Ankara Organizations Unit Officer
Born in Ankara; a certified public accountant, photographer and visual artist. He currently practices his profession as a freelancer in Ankara. He works predominantly on environmental portraiture, storytelling and creative studio photography. Emrah carries out both personal and commissioned projects, and also gives training on art and photography. He currently organizes workshops and seminars on basic photography, portrait photography and studio photography at the Ankara Photography Artists Association and Fotokolektif, and provides training, seminar and consultancy services related to his fields of work to universities and to various private and public institutions. He is a member of the board of directors of the Ankara Photography Artists Association and the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye, and is a competition representative for the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye.
BOARD OF AUDITORS
İbrahim ELMAN
Born in Edremit in 1951. He is married and the father of one child. He has served as founding chairman of many foundations and associations. He has served as a municipal council member, and as a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Assembly of the Chamber of Commerce.
He regards photography as his second marriage. He is among the founders and chairmen of Zeyfod.
He is among the founding members of TFSF, the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye, and served as chairman of the TFSF Board of Auditors for two terms.
He holds memberships in the FSK, ZEYFOD, BASAF, BEAFSAD and Ahlat photography associations.
M. Turgay BİLGE
Born in Konya in 1970.
He completed Konya Anadolu High School in 1988 and Selçuk University's Faculty of Law in 1992. He completed his master's degree in International Law within the Public Law Department at Selçuk University in 1997.
He has practiced as a freelance lawyer since 1993.
After two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the Konya Bar Association, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations between 2009 and 2013. He served as a member of the Ministry of Justice's Mediation Board and Interview Board.
He served as chairman of the Konya Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association and the Konya Maarif College Alumni Association, and as a member of the board of directors of the Central Anatolian Federation of Industrialists' and Businessmen's Associations.
His interest in photography began during secondary school, and with the small income he earned from school photography he acquired his first professional camera in 1984. Together with the friends he made through his interest in photography, and believing in the importance of organization, he was one of the founders and first members of the Konya Photography Amateurs Association in 1996. He later served as secretary, board member and chairman at KONFAD.
He was involved in the work of the Turkish Photography Associations Union, the first national organization of photography-art associations.
In 2003 he was among the founders of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye, Türkiye's first art federation.
After serving as founding Secretary General of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye (TFSF), M. Turgay Bilge served as Vice Chairman and as the officer responsible for international relations. Following the TFSF general assembly held in 2011, he was elected Chairman of TFSF.
In this capacity, he represented TFSF at the 28th Congress of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), of which TFSF is a member, held in China in 2006, at the 29th FIAP congress held in Slovakia in 2008, and at the 30th FIAP congress held in Vietnam in 2010. At the 31st FIAP congress held in South Korea in 2012 he played a role in Türkiye being chosen to host the 32nd Congress, and in 2014 the FIAP Congress and the FIAP Black & White Biennial were held in Türkiye.
Within the framework of the TFSF publication "Photography and Our Rights," which addresses subjects such as copyright, privacy protection and photographers' rights in the art of photography, he takes part as a speaker in talks organized by many associations and events, sharing his talk "Photography and Ethics."
Regarding photography as a way of life and as the ability to see the art in life, Bilge, while lamenting that he cannot devote enough time to photography alongside organizational work, still organizes and serves as a jury member at various national and international photography competitions and seminars, alongside his own exhibitions and shows.
Alongside the art of photography, M. Turgay Bilge is also interested in the sport of bridge, and is the father of three children, Turan Toprak, Ata Tunç and Alp Talay.
Mehmet BOYACI
I was born on February 14, 1965 in Antalya. My father is Hakkı Boyacı, my mother is Mihrace Boyacı, and my sibling is Nazlı Kedeoğlu. I am married to Sevilay Boyacı and am the father of Mihrace Şimay and Gülsen Ayça.
I began primary school at Antalya Barbaros Primary School, then continued my middle school education at Antalya Faruk Tugayoğlu Middle School. Because of the adverse political developments the country was experiencing when I graduated from middle school, I studied in the Metalworking Department of Antalya Industrial Vocational High School. After finishing high school I entered working life without a break; during this period I worked in international haulage, stripping work at a coal mine, real estate in Antalya, and we set up a granite factory in the Antalya Organized Industrial Zone. Wanting to study at university alongside working life, I was admitted to, and graduated from, Anadolu University's Department of Economics. After becoming acquainted with ANFAD I studied Anadolu University's Department of Photography and Camera Operation and trained in photography. Because of my work in advertising I also completed Anadolu University's Department of Brand and Communication. Not content with that, I also graduated from Anadolu University's Department of Social Media Management.
I founded Artı Grafik Reklamcılık Matbaacılık Turizm İnşaat ve Nakliyat Ticaret Ltd. Şti. and served as Chairman of its Board of Directors. For many years I also worked with my father in international haulage. Meanwhile, from 1994 to the present I have worked, and continue to work, in the advertising and printing sector as the ARTI GRAFİK advertising agency; in line with my profession I manage my photography and digital design and production work.
I founded the Atlas Study Education Center but had to give it up after a short time.
I am a Troop Leader Scout in the Turkish Scouting Federation. Together with my fellow scout leaders I founded the Ata Nature Scouting Youth and Sports Club Association and managed it for many years. Through education camps and camping immersed in nature I enjoyed every moment of nature and photographed it.
I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Antalya Printing Industrialists Association.
In 2010, together with our Antalyan friends, to bring Antalyans together, get them acquainted, develop friendship among future generations and bring young people together, we formed the Antalyans and Friends of Antalya Platform. We held meetings, breakfast gatherings, hotel gatherings and Antalyans' Gathering nights. I have been part of it from its formation to today. I took on management as a material and moral supporter. Since January 2019 I have continued my role as founding chairman of the Antalyans and Friends of Antalya Association.
I became acquainted with photography at a young age; my first camera was a Kodak Retinette II left over from my father's youth. With this camera, following our photographer's instructions, I began taking black-and-white photographs by manually setting sunny 125-11, shade 60-8 aperture and shutter priority, and the distance. For many years I was the family's photographer. I also took many photographs with this camera in my youth.
I became acquainted with ANFAD; during this period, beyond the professional photographs I knew about and took, I reinforced my artistic photography shooting and technique through the Basic Photography training I received from Anfad. At ANFAD I served as a member of the Board of Directors, as Treasurer and as Vice Chairman, and for many years I have served, and continue to serve, as Chairman of the Board of Directors. During these periods I also served, and continue to serve, as a TFSF delegate.
I have continued as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Antalya Photography and Cinema Amateurs Association for many years.
I continue in the role of Competitions Representative for the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye. I currently continue to serve as a member of the Board of Auditors of the Photographic Arts Federation of Türkiye.
ALTERNATE BOARD OF AUDITORS
Halil İbrahim ÜZMEZOĞLU
I was born in Tekirdağ in 1965. I completed my primary, middle and high school education in Tekirdağ. I am a graduate of an associate degree program at Istanbul University.
I have been a jeweler for 41 years. I once served as a member of the Tekirdağ Provincial General Assembly. I have held various positions in many civil society organizations. My hobbies are travelling and taking photographs.
I have been a member of the Tekirdağ Photography Association since 2012 and am serving my third term as chairman.
I have taken part with my photographs in many photography exhibitions. I have won awards and had works exhibited in domestic and international photography competitions.
In photography, macro, ornithological, nature, life and architectural subjects are my priority preferences.
I am married, with 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
Latif SAKIZ
An artist, photographer, director and civil-society volunteer from Mardin. He carries out active work in the fields of art and the right to the city.
Latif Sakız completed his basic education in Mardin. He earned an associate degree in Photography at Anadolu University. He is studying in the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema at Mardin Artuklu University's Faculty of Fine Arts. He serves as chairman of Mardin Artuklu University's Cinema and Art Community. Having also directed many short films, Sakız drew attention with his 2025 fiction short film "Ma'un (White Trap)," which he wrote and directed and in which he appeared in front of the camera for the first time.
Active in various civil society organizations since 2001, Sakız has played an active role in projects themed around the right to the city and volunteerism. As a columnist for the Mardin Söz newspaper, he has written articles on urban culture, art and social issues.
From 2016 to the present, Latif Sakız has won dozens of awards for occupational and portrait photography within living spaces. Since 2018 he has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of MFSD (Mardin Photography and Art Association). Since 2020 he has written, managed and reported on 12 EU projects. He currently manages an EU project. Working at a public institution, Sakız continues to support young people in the fields of art and culture.
Latif Sakız continues to actively pursue his work in the fields of art and civil society and contributes to Mardin's cultural life.