Casual Bio

I was born in 1963 in Paris, France, and began snorkeling at the age of seven. As a child, my first “exhibitions” involved catching the marvelous prawns of the Marmara Sea using plastic yogurt cups. By the age of fifteen, I was collecting seashells along the Turkish coastline and bringing them back to my hometown of Ankara—more than 300 miles inland. These shells became cherished reminders of my summer diving adventures, where I first encountered the astonishing diversity of marine life.

In my mid-twenties, while studying medicine and working long, exhausting hours, diving became a much-needed source of relief. It helped me stay physically fit and enabled me to free dive to depths of 30 meters.

A turning point came in 1990 when I began scuba diving. Although “hands-free” diving was liberating, I soon felt the urge to create something from that experience. I picked up a simple point-and-shoot analog camera to capture the incredible underwater scenes I was witnessing. Before long, I discovered that photography was the perfect way to express my vision of the marine world.

Since 1996, my articles and underwater photographs have been published in popular diving magazines. To date, I’ve completed over 2,500 dives across the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific, opened four exhibitions, and presented more than 200 shows.

I am currently a university professor of Molecular Cell Biology and Human Embryology at Ankara University in Turkey. I’ve always been fascinated by life in all its forms, and through photography, I aim to share my appreciation for marine biodiversity and the extraordinary ways organisms adapt to their environments. While I strive to convey the magnetic beauty of life underwater, I also emphasize the urgent reality that many of these species are at risk of extinction.

My twin passions—medical research and underwater photography—have always been supported by my wife of over 38 years, Dr. Ufuk Can. Our daughter, Selin (36), and son, Barış (28), have always been my greatest supporters—and diving companions.