Peddlers

Exhibition: 2014, Istanbul/Turkey.

The rhythm of Istanbul is not in its monuments, but in its streets. Peddlers documents the men who are the city’s daily pulse. In this series, Burak Bulut Yıldırım turns his lens on the street vendors whose work and presence define the urban landscape.

Yıldırım moves beyond simple observation. He establishes a connection. His subjects are not captured unaware; they meet his camera with a direct gaze, a smile, or a gesture of welcome. This is a series built on moments of exchange—not just of goods for money, but of recognition between the photographer and the subject. The photographs show the dignity in the daily routine.

The choice of black and white strips these scenes to their essentials: gesture, expression, and the texture of the city. Without the distraction of color, we see the person first. Peddlers is a portrait of a city through its people, presenting these vendors not as anonymous figures, but as vital characters in the story of Istanbul.

Smiling vendor juggling an apple beside a cart filled with fruit, in a sunlit, narrow Berlin street, captured in black and white.
A street vendor in a illuminated cart, surrounded by blurred figures walking in a dark, bustling urban setting at dusk.
A smiling vendor in a black puffer jacket operates a fruit press, surrounded by various fruits, in a bustling street scene.
A vendor in a black jacket smiles and waves, surrounded by a table of various merchandise, in a dimly lit street scene.
A young vendor smiles beside a cart filled with corn, under a striped canopy, set in a bustling street scene captured in black and white.
A man in a black coat and cap sits behind a table filled with various items, including sunglasses and clothing, in a monochrome setting.
Chestnut vendor in black and white, smiling at the camera, with a sign displaying prices and a lit bulb above. Busy street in background.
A man in a black coat and knitted beanie smiles while grilling fish near a bustling waterfront, captured in monochrome tones.
A man leans against a vending cart displaying signs for cold water and tea, surrounded by pastries, in a black-and-white scene.

All Projects / Exhibitions

UnNude

Silhouette of a crouching figure on a light background, emphasizing muscular limbs and dynamic pose, creating a sense of movement.

Not nude, but reimagined. In UnNude, flesh becomes form, and desire fades into geometry.

Niche

A nude figure sits gracefully on a vintage red velvet sofa, illuminated by natural light from a nearby window against a deep blue wall.

Niche is a space of tender withdrawal—where silence echoes in fabric, corners, and breath.

Ecotone

Naked figure partially obscured by foliage, posed against a tranquil lake, surrounded by lush greenery under soft sunlight.

Body becomes part of a living landscape—blurring the lines between skin, soil, and sunlight. 

Elsewhere

A nude model poses gracefully in a vibrant alley, adorned with pastel-colored walls and hanging laundry above.

Elsewhere follows the body through city shadows—unnoticed, unstilled, unreal.

Antemortem

A nude figure stands in a dimly lit barn, holding a ram's skull, framed by wooden slats and a window, in black and white.

A body caught between memory and erasure. Antemortem traces the soft residue of life before it slips into silence.

Crave

Silhouetted figures of a couple embrace closely, shrouded in smoke, highlighting their intimate connection against a soft, light backdrop.

Desire speaks in color. Crave paints the body with longing, each image trembling between heat and hunger.

Motus

A blurred figure with red hair poses against a dark background, arms raised, conveying a dynamic and expressive moment in nude art.

Not frozen moments, but echoes in motion. Motus captures the body in flux—between gesture, memory, and breath.

Lucida

Portrait of a figure with luminous, multicolored body paint against a dark background, delicately touching their chin, exuding ethereal beauty.

Under blacklight, the body becomes flare—a glow, an echo, a mirage. Lucida seeks the threshold where form dissolves.

Chimera

Monochrome image of a distorted human form submerged in water, with fluid reflections creating soft, wavy contours and shadows.

Mirrored, fractured, reformed. Chimera turns the body into illusion, where flesh bends under the gaze.

Melancholia

A nude figure leans on a wooden piano, surrounded by soft, warm lighting and draped fabric, conveying an intimate, melancholic mood.

Melancholia doesn’t shout—it lingers. These images carry silence, like a breath held too long.