Bengin Ahmad
Bengin Ahmad (Arabic: بنكين أحمد ; Kurdish: Bengîn Ehmed; born June 10, 1986) is a Syrian Kurdish photographer and creative director, known for his candid photographs of Horse & Equine, Architecture and also Portrait. He is the first Syrian and the first Kurdish who obtains a Crown Distinction at the Global Photographic Union (GPU).[1][2][3]
Bengin Ahmad | |
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بنکین أحمد | |
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Born | Aleppo, Syria | June 10, 1986
Nationality | Syrian |
Occupation(s) | Artist, photographer and creative director |
Years active | 2007–present |
Website | benginahmad |
Biography
Bengin Ahmad was born on June 10, 1986, in Aleppo city in a Kurdish family, where he had the opportunity to explore the arts of diverse ethnicities and cultures of Aleppo people and Syrians. These aesthetic inspirations created his passion for digital art, graphic design, animation and filmmaking in addition to photography. He studied Geological Sciences at The University of Aleppo before moving to Dubai, United Arab Emirates where he worked as a creative director and continued his studies in Business Management. Since 2011 he has lived and worked both in Germany and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Photography
In 2007, Bengin has started his journey in photography. Aleppo's old streets, the city's citadel and people's portraits from different Syrian ethnicities were his first photography subjects.
In 2009, he held his first solo photography exhibition in Aleppo.[4][5] Since then he has participated in many international photography exhibitions and contests where he achieved various awards and became an international award-winning photographer, and obtained the Crown 1 distinction from the Global Photographic Union – GPU.[1][2][6][7][8]
His works have also been published in many international art magazines, newspapers and online media, such as ABC News,[9] The London Magazine,[10] HuffPost,[11][12] United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNIRC),[13] BBC,[14] Reason,[15] Samsung C&T Corporation,[16] ArchDaily[17] and more.
Art philosophy
Bengin considers that art and knowledge completing each other and this is the foundation of his designs and artworks including photography. He believes that innate knowledge can explain stories, that can't be told with words nor with human collective experiences, however, the acquired knowledge can enrich the interpretation of the artworks and share deeper stories.[2]
![](../I/Bengin_Ahmad_-_Faded_Path.jpg.webp)
He believes that photographic rules & themes are a great starting point, but he always aims to break those rules with creativity.[18] He uses the example of someone trying to learn writing with a pen on a paper, but by patience and experience, the creativity can lead to calligraphy that breaks many rules and introduces wonderful artworks.[2]
As Bengin's passion about composing music,[19] he assumes photography themes as different music genres, like someone who knows how to play different kinds, but some of those genres are close to his heart.
Equine photography
One of the most potent topics in Bengin's photography is equine photography. He travels to countries and places where horses are breaded and taken care of, such as UAE, Germany, Kurdistan of Iraq, Luxembourg, France to capture his desired shots.[18]
![](../I/Bengin_Ahmad_-_Equine_Photography.jpg.webp)
He also delivers lectures and workshops on equine and horse photography, focusing on horses' characteristics, tips and tricks within the technicalities of photographing them and creating a story around the artwork.[2]
He mostly captures horses without tack, halters, saddle or any accessory, as he believes that "freedom" is one of the most prominent characteristics of horses, hence, he releases them to capture them in their fullest freedom.
People, portraits and street photography
Bengin sees portraits in two directions. The first one is about the general and common characteristics of ethnic groups or a lifestyle or certain Ideology believers. There is a single link that connects every group; either through psychology, philosophy or lifestyle. The long hair and beard of Sikh men, Yazidi men's extra-long mustaches, the intense gaze of Arab Bedouins, or the female followers of a certain fashion trend are all among this group.
![](../I/Bengin_Ahmad_-_Syrian_Refugee.jpg.webp)
The second direction digs deeper by focusing on individuals' unique features that distinguish them from the rest. To create his desired artworks in this realm, he uses various framing, cropping and editing techniques to emphasize certain individualities in the photo. He finds hope and peace in the eyes of ordinary people, or within the wrinkles of the old ones. He believes these qualities create the most beautiful portraits.[2]
"A Syrian Refugee" is one of the most prominent portraits by Bengin, and widely published by many magazines and websites such as UNIRC,[13] which is United Nations entity, ABC News,[9] The London Magazine,[10] HuffPost,[11][20] Humanium[21] and many more.
Memberships
- International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP)
- Global Photographic Union (GPU)
- The Photographic Society of America (PSA)
- Union of Arab Photographers (UAP)
- Gulf Photographic Center (GPC)
Awards and distinctions
- GPU Crown 1 Distinction (Global Photographic Union)[1]
- Gold Medal of Photographic Society of America (Indian Continental Circuit, 2018)[22]
- Gold Medal of Photographic Society of America (Indian Royal International Digital Circuit, 2018)[23]
- Silver Medal of IRC (Indian Royal International Digital Circuit, 2018)[23]
- Bronze medal Gradac PGI (9th International Salon of Photography Cacak, 2019)[24]
- Honorable Mention of Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique – FIAP (Vintage Circuit, 2018)[25]
- Honorable Mention of the Association of Slovak Photographers – ZSF (33-th photosalon STROM 2018)[26]
- Honorable Mention of Gradac PGI (3rd International Circular of Photography Grand M.S.M. 2018)[27]
- Honorable Mention – Salon Kolasin (4th Circular Exhibition of Photography "TOUR CIRCUIT 2018")[28]
- Honorable mention of PC Perasto (9th International Salon of Photography Cacak 2019)[24]
Gallery
Bengin Ahmad's other photography works are as follows:
- Bengin Ahmad during an equine photo shoot
- Wrinkles' Stories portrait photograph by Bengin Ahmad
- The Philosopher portrait by Bengin Ahmad
References
- "Members with 'Crown' Distinction". G.P.U., Global Photographic Union. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- أركيلة, يسرى (April 1, 2020). "بنكين أحمد.. الكتابة بالكاميرا | يسرى أركيلة". مجلة الجديد (in Arabic). Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- العرب, Al Arab (April 1, 2012). "بنكين أحمد: الكاميرا قلم والمصور كاتب والصورة زمن هارب | يسرى أركيلة". صحيفة العرب (in Arabic). Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "موقع حلب – صرخة "ضوئية" في معرض شاب". esyria.sy. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "معرض المصور الشاب بنكين أحمد – عالم نوح". www.nouhworld.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "أول سوري يحقق لقب "التاج الأول" في الاتحاد العالمي للتصوير.. ما رسالته؟ (صور)". عنب بلدي (in Arabic). February 2, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "بنكين أحمد.. أول سوري يحقق لقب التاج في الاتحاد العالمي للتصوير". بروكار برس (in Arabic). February 2, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "للمرة الأولى.. الاتحاد الدولي للتصوير يمنح لقب "التاج" لسوري". npasyria.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Preventing Genocide". ABC Radio National. August 1, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Refugees by Manash Bhattacharjee". The London Magazine. September 3, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- Smith, Trudy; ContributorWriter; yogi; feminist; follower, Jesus; Lover, Chocolate (September 1, 2015). "Welcoming Jesus Home: A Christian Response to the Refugee Crisis". HuffPost. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
{{cite web}}
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has generic name (help) - "Why the Refugee Crisis Is My Favourite Crisis of All". consent.yahoo.com. September 23, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- "Antallet af flygtninge slår alle rekorder – igen". Forenede Nationers (in Danish). June 1, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Two cups of tea a day cut chances of ovarian cancer – Protection now – AXA – BBC". November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Trump's New Travel Ban, Just as Mean and Useless as the Old One". Reason.com. March 6, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- C, Samsung; Manager, T. Global PR (December 2, 2017). "Finding the Perfect New Year's Eve Countdown". Samsung C&T Newsroom. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Flickr CC user Bengin Ahmad | Photographer | ArchDaily". www.archdaily.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "دبي هذا الصباح | تصوير الخيول مع المصور الفوتوغرافي بنكين أحمد". YouTube. January 2, 2019.
- "Bengîn Ahmad". SoundCloud. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Why the Refugee Crisis Is My Favourite Crisis of All". consent.yahoo.com. September 23, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "La guerre civile syrienne". Humanium (in French). Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- (PDF). September 2, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180920155405/http://www.icccircuit.in/Downloads/180827100850.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - "Indian Royal International Digital Circuit" (PDF).
- "Gradac Photo". gradacfoto.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Vintage Circuit 2018" (PDF).
- "33-th photosalon STROM 2018 – Thema: OPEN". www.fotostrom.eu. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "Exhibitions Photo". www.exhibitions.photo. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- "4th Circular Exhibition of Photography "TOUR CIRCUIT 2018"" (PDF).
External links
- Official website
- Bengin Ahmad – G.P.U. Page
- Bengin Ahmad on Instagram