Mustafa Seven | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 Sivas, Turkey |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Occupations | |
| Website | mustafaseven |
Mustafa Seven is a Turkish photojournalist and street photographer. His work captures intimate, candid scenes of everyday moments in Istanbul and around the world. [1]
Seven was born in Sivas, Turkey in 1974. [2] He began his career as a photojournalist at Sabah in 1995, later working for Hürriyet, Gazete Pazar, Milliyet and Akşam, where he was the photo editor.
After nearly two decades in photojournalism, Seven shifted his focus to street photography. In 2006, he founded GİF (Güzel İşler Fotoğraf Galerisi), where he undertook advertising and independent photography projects. He held his first solo exhibition called Tek in 2013, which was first presented at Nişantaşı Gallery Eksen in Istanbul from 7 to 28 March 2013. [3] [4] [5] In 2014, he participated in the ComeSeeTurkey project, capturing culturally and geographically significant imagery across the country. [6] [7]
Seven launched the Instagram project "Faces of the Earth" in 2015 to share anonymous portraits from around the globe. [8] Same year, he was appointed as the jury president for the Antalya-themed photography competition organized for the 133rd anniversary of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry. [9] In 2016, Seven’s Faces of the Earth exhibition, held at Art Loft Fototrek - Olympus Gallery in Istanbul, presented portraits independent of places. [10] In November 2016, he was featured among 20 photographers in "Ustaca Fotoğraflar", a book presenting 220 images by Turkey’s photography masters. Published by Fotoiz, the project aimed to preserve and celebrate the legacy of these artists and their contributions to Turkish visual culture. [11]
In 2018, Seven served as a jury member for Türkiye’s photojournalism award, the "Press Photos of the Year" competition, organized by the Turkish Photojournalists Association (TFMD). He was also recognised for his global influence as a photojournalist and Instagram photography phenomenon. [12] That same year, he joined the jury of "Photomaraton Istanbul," the Turkish edition of the world’s most celebrated amateur and professional street photography event, [13] and served on the jury of the International Golden Saffron Photography Competition, held in conjunction with the International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival. [14]
In 2020, Seven was once again selected as a jury member for Türkiye’s photojournalism award, the "Press Photos of the Year" competition. [15] As part of the event’s broader cultural outreach, Seven and other jury members engaged with students at Akdeniz University. [16] Same year, he served as a jury member for the national photography contest "Life in the Days of COVID-19," organized by Yeşilyurt, Malatya. The contest aimed to artistically document the transformations in daily life, human behavior, and social interaction during the global pandemic. [17] In 2021, continued his jury work at the 2nd National Photo Safari, an event organized to document the life and natural beauty of Ağrı. [18] He returned as a jury member for the "Press Photos of the Year" competition in 2021 [19] and 2022. [20]
Seven was a member of the international selection committee for UNESCO’s Silk Roads Youth Research Grant Programme in both 2023 [21] and 2024. [22]
He conducts street and mobile photography workshops and collaborates with universities and cultural institutions. [23] He is a member of professional bodies such as the Turkish Photojournalists Association, International Federation of Journalists, Turkish Journalists' Union, and FOTON Association. [24] [25]