Before the Rain, 2006 nuribilgeceylan.com
Award-winning director Nuri Bilge Ceylan happens to be a fine photographer as well. His latest project focuses on his father Mehmet Emin; both of his parents have actually taken part in many of his films. Especially in Clouds of May, my favourite Nuri Bilge Ceylan film, Mehmet Emin comes across as an engaging figure, evoking a harmonious relationship with nature, and an invaluable ability to find meaning in the simplest of things.
The photographs communicate a sense of inner peace and contemplation, and the slight melancholy that coming to terms with life occasionally involves. On the one hand, there are some very simple and common indoor activities at play; for instance, Mehmet Emin is making breakfast. And yet, he appears to do so in the most exquisite morning light, while the contrast between the angle from the darkened interior, and the focus on the source of light, evokes a sense of spirituality which is reminiscent of a religious space, rather than a kitchen.
The photographs communicate a sense of inner peace and contemplation, and the slight melancholy that coming to terms with life occasionally involves. On the one hand, there are some very simple and common indoor activities at play; for instance, Mehmet Emin is making breakfast. And yet, he appears to do so in the most exquisite morning light, while the contrast between the angle from the darkened interior, and the focus on the source of light, evokes a sense of spirituality which is reminiscent of a religious space, rather than a kitchen.
Mehmet Emin is furthermore placed in a natural environment, in long and medium shots which draw upon the light of the season. The former engage with the vastness of the landscape, while the latter address the details of the leaves, the soil, and the grass. In the long shots, the composition of the frame often signposts the human figure as a meeting point between the earth and the sky. Despite the overwhelming size of both, the delicate figure of Mehmet Emin is distinct not in opposition to the environment, but as an integral component of it; his presence appears to be as peaceful and natural as that of a tree.
The Road Home, Yenice, Çanakkale, 2006 nuribilgeceylan.com
Silent Meadow, Yenice, 2007 nuribilgeceylan.com
The medium shots allow a view of Mehmet Emin’s facial expressions and body language, and as a result, they display an immense contemplative quality which surpasses the content of the frame itself. To the extent that these pictures are medium shots of the human figure, they are also close-ups of the surrounding environment; and the focus on the former results in a deliberately limited and out-of-focus representation of the latter. And yet, Mehmet Emin’s gaze and posture emerge as subtle reflections upon all that cannot be fully or clearly seen, but can still be fully and clearly felt.
Backyard, 2007 nuribilgeceylan.com
Under the Oaks in his Field, 2007 nuribilgeceylan.com
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