Erdem Summak grew up in Izmir and has been storytelling ever since childhood. He moved to Istanbul to study engineering in his early 20s. While he was studying his engineering degree he did not give up his big passion of photography.
Summak’s other passion is travelling. He has been traveling far from home and taking photographs for a long time. Living together with these two passions, his storytelling transformed him into a person who creates positive impacts on others and society.
Summak is currently based in Doha, where he is working with some tourism boards and travel magazines as a curator and content creator.
We featured a collection of his images on the @worldphotorg feed.
How did you become a photographer?
Ever since my childhood, I love still images of life. Whenever I see a still image, some fictional stories came up to my mind and I try to figure out what happens/ed at that very moment, what experiences those characters have/had. There is a huge part of my inner side pulling me into that scenery and create joyful moments.
I always felt like I was a photographer in my previous life. It was my early ages, I’ve got my first camera.
You have visited 35 countries and 78 cities. Where is next on your list?
I want to have longer stays where I am travelling, so most probably I will go to South America or The Far East (based in Bali, travelling all countries around Bali) and will stay there for two months.
Do you have a favorite image? Why is it special?
‘Wild horses of Anatolia’ is my favorite image. Because their story makes this photo very special.
When machinery came into modern life of Anatolian people, they released their horses into the wild, as they did not need them. All those horses came together, the population rapidly increased and became a huge horse population, struggling to find food in this semi wild lands, surrounded by humans. They still have a connection to humans as they need food and they need to survive.
There are still some Anatolian people who need the horses, so they catch the horses when needed in the summer. However, because they cannot afford to feed them in the winter they release these horses into the wild again.
What inspires you for your photoshoots?
Nature and experiences inspire me most in my shootings.
