A study on society and city symbols that provide significance in Ara Güler's İstanbul photographs

Photographs, by virtue of their documentary nature, serve as important visual resources in providing evidence of social transformations and revealing the sociological changes experienced by the society from which they originate. Although he defined himself as a photojournalist, Ara Güler, who was also a documentary photographer, documented the social changes and transformations that Istanbul, where he lived, underwent especially from the 1950s onward, thanks to his attentive photographic perspective. In this respect, he is also known as a photographer of Istanbul. In this study, which focuses on black-and-white photographs taken by Ara Güler in Istanbul, the selected photographs are examined according to their location and subject, while the period-specific characteristics of Istanbul have been researched through the document analysis method, thereby examining the contributions of these photographs to meaning-making. Analyzing the photographs in terms of interpretation under the light of the historical texture of the period stands out as the essential element underlying the importance of this thesis. In determining the thematic categories, the social characteristics reflecting the Istanbul of that era were decisive. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on the hypothesis: "The contribution of elements with the characteristics of social and urban symbols to the interpretation of photographs is significant." Accordingly, it is assumed that the elements present in Ara Güler's Istanbul photographs were consciously brought together to form a specific composition, providing meaning in the process. In the introduction of the study, the aim, importance, and method of the research are discussed, along with a literature review. In the first chapter, which uses the document analysis method, a conceptual framework is formed by addressing the topics of "composition in photography" and "the layered narrative language in Ara Güler's photographs" through selected samples of his work. In the second chapter, the elements specific to Istanbul in that era, which have the characteristics of social and urban symbols, are examined under certain categories through the document analysis method in terms of interpretation, which is the main focus of the research. At this stage, where the characteristics of the period were also determined, randomly sampled Ara Güler photographs were analyzed descriptively in terms of their content and composition under the established social and urban symbol categories. In the third chapter, five Ara Güler photographs selected by purposive sampling were analyzed interpretively using the semiotic analysis method. As a result, it was observed that Ara Güler established a layered narrative language while photographing that period, and that he utilized both compositional and technical methods in doing so. While creating a layered narrative through composition, he particularly made use of graphic elements and achieved a multi-layered narrative by creating a "frame within a frame." Technically, it was observed that he formed different stories in the foreground and background by creating contrast through tonal balance. Another technical method frequently used was producing motion blur through long exposure times, which also contributed to meaning-making. In Ara Güler's black-and-white photographs taken in Istanbul during the 1950s and subsequent years, it is seen that, due to the historical structure of the period, the effects of migration on daily occupations, lifestyles, and family structures are prominently reflected. At the same time, it is also evident that Ara Güler's Istanbul photographs inevitably include elements that have become symbols of the city. Keywords: Ara Güler, Istanbul, City Symbols, Meaning, Social Structure