Inspirational Stories #16: Egemen Karakaya

In the 16th edition of our Inspirational Stories series, we are pleased to feature Egemen Karakaya, an architect and architectural photographer based in Istanbul, whose practice moves fluidly between design, teaching, and visual documentation. Trained as an architect and shaped by professional experience in multiple architecture offices, Karakaya brings a spatial and conceptual sensitivity to photography and film, informed by both practice and academia. Alongside his professional work, he has also contributed to architectural education, reinforcing the close relationship between architectural thinking and visual representation in his career.

In the following part, Egemen Karakaya reflects on his journey from architectural practice to photography and film, sharing the experiences, motivations, and inspirations that have shaped his visual approach to architecture.

1. How did your journey into architectural photography begin, and what led you to focus specifically on photographing architecture and built environments?

I’ve always loved photography. Eventually, I realized it was a way for me to express myself more easily than writing or speaking. In architecture school, photography became a key representation
tool for me to understand environment and its phenomenological qualities. Even the “renders” we made were like virtual photos and I spent a lot of time perfecting them. After my master’s degree, I worked in various architecture firms while continuing my PhD and teaching part-time. During that time, I was photographing my colleagues’ projects. People liked my work, and I began to see a professional path there. With this decision, I started taking steps forward. Today, representing architecture through my own lens, adding new layers of meaning, and creating a unique atmosphere is still what excites me most.

2. Turkey has a rapidly evolving architectural landscape, ranging from contemporary large-scale infrastructure to more intimate, context-driven projects. How do you see architectural production in Turkey today, and how does working within this context influence your photography?

Building something is a long process with many people involved. It takes a lot of effort to stay true to a design, especially when budget issues arise. Architects often get frustrated when the result isn’t perfect. However, I believe a good idea deserves to emerge anyway. We should talk about these results to move architectural theory forward. That’s why I believe in the critical power of photography. I like facing the reality of a project and showing it as it is. What some see as “imperfections” I see as opportunities for a new perspective.

3. You have photographed a wide range of projects with different scales, materials, and design languages. What elements usually guide your visual decisions when approaching a new project?

I start by seeking to grasp the architect’s idea, the built form, and its location. Light remains the most essential element. I chase the exact light needed for the atmospheric narrative of the story. This light should paint the surfaces, the spatial volumes, the earth, and the sky in such a way that it creates a profound resonance. When that happens, I know the viewer truly connects with that specific place and moment.

4. How do collaborations with architects influence your photographic process? Do you see architectural photography as a dialogue between designer and photographer?

Definitely. It’s like a silent conversation. Once a building is done, it’s out of the architect’s hands. Then the photographer comes in as an observer, reads the architecture and captures a visual response. Sometimes that response is unexpected—this, for me, is the most meaningful form of dialogue.

5. Your work on the Kalyon Karapınar Solar Power Plant helped bring the project international recognition, including selections at the World Architecture Festival and Dezeen Awards. How did you approach photographing such a large-scale, technically complex project, and why do you think the images resonated globally?

I believe this project reminded us all once again of the critical importance of photography within architecture. There was a strong design idea and I tried to represent it as best as I could. In both “the photographs and the film, the feeling I tried to evoke was: “What happens if the world collapses?” This was because the project was designed to produce sustainable energy sources so that the world doesn’t collapse. The contrasting atmosphere I created actually established a dialectical relationship with the project’s core idea.

6. What advice would you give to architecture students or young architects who want to better understand how photography can strengthen architectural storytelling and presentation?

I think mimesis (imitation) is the best way to learn. To copy a photo, you really have to understand how it was made—the angle, the time of day and the lens. It’s great praxis to try and recreate a photo you like. It helps you find your own way. The most important thing is knowing “why” you are taking the photo. For me, the rest is a learning process that never ends.

Egemen Karakaya’s insights reveal architectural photography as a thoughtful and critical extension of architectural practice, one that engages with light, atmosphere, and reality to construct new narratives around the built environment. Through his reflections on process, collaboration, and learning, he underscores photography’s power to question perfection, amplify design ideas, and strengthen architectural storytelling across scales and media. We sincerely thank Egemen Karakaya for generously sharing his journey and perspectives with us in the 16th edition of Inspirational Stories, and for contributing his clarity, sensitivity, and experience to this ongoing conversation.