Interview with Tuna Angel, Winner of DSPF 2025 Street Portrait category
Tuna Angel is a photographer from Istanbul, capturing candid street moments using flash and snap focus to highlight raw emotions and gestures of people-not posed or staged. She uses flash to create a unique aesthetic with details otherwise lost in ambient light. She believes photography is about the freedom in expressing her unique perspective and the decision moment that reflects a transcendent aesthetic. She also believes in a photographer’s mission to pass the spirit of the times—the zeitgeist—to future generations.
The story behind the winning photo
I took this photograph in London during an exhibition I was attending. I was walking with my son and husband when it suddenly began to rain. We took shelter under a bus stop. There, I saw her—an elegant lady, quietly sitting, immersed in thought. Just across the window stood a man with a remarkable Dali mustache. The scene was poetic, and strangely cinematic. Seeing the contrast of emotion, the layers, the mood, I instinctively fired my flash toward the pole and clicked. That frame was born.
Aims & Goals for the future
For the past eight years, I’ve pursued a distinct voice in candid street photography, often using flash to highlight the absurd, the poetic, and the overlooked. The street turned out to be my stage where the gestures, glances and coincidences unfold powerful stories. Recognition through awards and international exhibitions has been deeply humbling, reinforcing how universally we connect through everyday stories.
Looking ahead, I aim to explore long-term projects that dive into the rhythms of urban life—how time, culture, and chaos shape our behaviors. I plan to publish a photo book that not only gathers my favorite images but also tells the emotional and creative journey behind them.
I’m also passionate to expand the dialogue with colleage photographers through walks, workshops, and collaborative platforms that invite new voices and fresh perspectives. Most of all, I hope to stay curious. I want my work to remain both a mirror and a window—for myself and others.
Advice for street photographers starting out
Be bold—street photography thrives on courage. Don’t be afraid to approach people; talk to them, the more you engage, the more confident you’ll become. Connect with other photographers, share your work, and ask for honest feedback. Walk the streets together, attend exhibitions, listen to inspiring talks, and study iconic photographs to understand their power. But above all, develop your own voice. Let your curiosity lead and craft a style that’s true to how you see the world.
