Recently we stumbled upon a cool black & white photographer Ali Babi from Istanbul. He runs a platform "I Shoot Black & White" which is dedicated exclusively to black & white photographies.

Only black & white? Why? What’s the idea behind? We took the chance and asked some questions about him as a photographer as well about his platform.

Photography by: Ali Babi

So here’s an interview with Ali Babi:

Tell us a little bit about you
My name is Ali, I'm 43 years old and I'm a SAP Consultant, who has a passion for photography. I was born and raised in Southern Germany, and live now in Istanbul for 3 years. I'm married and have 3 kids.

Why did you become a photographer?
Because I like to spend time taking pictures, and photography shows me the world from a different angle.

What is special about the pictures you take?
I think my pictures are showing and letting the people feel the same thing that I feel and see when I took the picture.

What sort of work do you specialize in?
I'm specialized in street photography and street modelling. I also like portraits.

Did you go to school to study photography?
I went to some photography courses, and I intend to study photography next year.

How long have you been a photographer?
I started to take pictures over 25 years ago. I shot and developed my own pics. Then I took a break for almost 15 years, and started 2 years ago again with digital photography.

What or who got you started in photography?
A friend of mine was a photographer, and someday he gave me his camera, and the whole journey started :)

What photography jobs do you prefer to do?
I like portrait and street modelling also architecture shots.

How do you approach people you want to take pictures from on the street?
Do you ask them for permission or do you just take picture without asking?
It depends where and who I shoot. Most times I ask, I think that's fair.

Why do you only shoot black & white?
I think that colors distort the actual statement of an image.

What is the idea behind your platform ishootbw.com?
I wanted present my own work and noticed on twitter, that many people asked me where they can find an easy platform to present their pics. So I decided to open my homepage to everyone who wants to present his Black and White work.

Which photography equipment do you prefer? / What type of cameras do you shoot with?
I prefer Nikon cameras. I'm shooting right now with a Nikon D7100 and a D7200. For Portraits I use mostly a 50mm 1.4 and for Street 18-140 or my 35mm 1.8.

What do you think about smartphone photography?
Do you sometimes shoots pictures with your smartphone?
Yes, I do, but this pics are more for fun and daily situations.

Is it already good for some tasks?
Yes for daily situations, but not more.

Will it maybe replace normal DSLR cameras?
For me - no. Because I compare it with ebooks and books. Sure I read also ebooks, but they will never replace a real book [you're] holding in your hands.

To hold a DSLR in your hands is something different, you have a relationship with this camera, and no smartphone will ever let you feel the same. It's not only the result that is important as a photographer, also the time when taking pictures.

How important is Photoshop in your final images?
I do not remove anything that is on the raw image or change it that way, that it's totally different. I do only exposure stuff in lightroom. I want to remember the place or model as it was, not like I or anyone else wanted to see it.

A photographer who inspires you?
I started my digital journey with some photographers that are popular like Jared Polin, Matt Granger, Tony Northrupp and Scott Kelby.

What do you think about tilpy.com
I like it, It's different than other communities, it's closer to the people, and I like that. You can find really good and quality pictures. And I like the contests.

Photography by: Ali Babi

Here you can find Ali Babi’s i shoot black and white page: http://ishootbw.com

See his portfolio on Tilpy