Whilst the guests are dancing away, and the shop vendors in Istanbul are selling kilos of ripe green apples to the native Turk, Noah Alireza is somewhere in the backdrop, snapping away the moment. His undying passion for photography was discovered early on – strengthened each time he froze a moment in time. “Passion,” he states, “is not a constant, rather an ever-developing emotion.”
Alireza’s fascination with cameras developed at the time of the early Polaroid, “the idea, that with a simple click, a picture of what you had just seen was magically revealed, simply amazed me.” Ever since, he has fine tuned his skills by advancing with technology while also gaining formal training. “I realised that the idea of freezing a moment can be profoundly precious – because the past is merely a frozen moment retold, whether in text or a photograph.”
However, as with all passions, they tend to waver. That was the case with Alireza. However his seminal moment came one day during a visit to an old Turkish souk. “I took a picture in the Kapali Çarsi [the Grand Bazaar], with light cutting through the covered market’s ceiling window,” he explains. That photo now titled ‘In the Market for Salvation’ illustrated to the photographer just how, “A moment that existed, [and] then ceased to exist, was captured,” so that the story can be relayed, packed with all the emotions he felt at first click.
But Alireza’s photography was not always his clear calling. He began, as he likes to call, “with the path most travelled,” and for him, that was a degree in economics at Brown University. Unfortunately it quickly became clear that he was not suited to what he described as, “a number-driven life that lacked the human element”. So he changed course and completed a degree in 2004 in ‘pubic private sector organization’.
So what exactly drives Alireza to capture a shot? There’s a hierarchy he states: scenery, people and then raw shots from the streets. “I am not particularly tied to any, but complete randomness and unexpected chaos has an electric charm,” he explains.
As for the Photoshop phenomenon of our time, Noah sees it as an inspirational tool. “Traditionalists will probably disagree with the idea of digital ‘manipulation’ and I can completely empathise with that point of view.” So does he use it? “Yes,” he responds, “but I never let it compromise the integrity of the moment.” Photoshop for Alireza is merely a means to enhance a shot, not to alter it.
Contextually, nothing moves Noah more than the innocence of humanity, something that can easily erode with age. “The young in general all hold similar expressions that to me reveal not only innocence, but the innate spiritual connection that we are born with. Islam reveals to us that we are born ‘pure’ and we have to maintain that purity throughout life.” Noah further explains how such a belief is tied to photography. “Taking pictures of children and then adults not only reinstates that belief, but turns it from the metaphysical to the physical.” This deep insight into the purity of life can be seen in his series of shots that begin with a shot of a virtuous child and end with an angered elder. The sequence ends with ‘In the Market for Salvation,’ which “symbolises an opportunity to rekindle our spiritual being. There are people who see it [the light] and walk towards it, while there are those who see it and ignore it, and others that are completely oblivious to it.”
Clearly Noah Alireza strives to offer a far deeper message in his photography than the casual observer may find upon first glance. “My intention was not to necessarily commercialise my work, but spread it to those that appreciate it,” he explains. He relates the series of shots to his favourite song, ‘Put your lights on’ by Santana - “Hey now, all you sinners, put your lights on.”
What can we expect to see in his photography portfolio? “India!” he exclaims excitedly, “The city of Varanasi [the cultural capital of India].” Also, the Aurora Borealis [natural coloured light displays in the sky in either Polar zones], which passionately he states is “the closest you can get to experiencing heaven on earth.”
But life for Noah Alireza is far very multi dimensional and he has often pursued differing aims in order to attain the ends. Recently he decided to quit his mundane banking job, to open a restaurant, “I just quit to follow another dream of mine – [and] that is to ask a customer “were you satisfied with your food?” But if there is one reliable escape it is in the fields of green. Manicured greens, for golf is his favourite pastime. Luxury in his eyes is a membership at the Cypress Point Country Club in the States – “Bill Clinton couldn’t even get in,” he says, adding that he did sneak in once with glow in the dark golf balls. No doubt that would have been an image to save for all eternity.
HYPERLINK www.nalireza.com www.nalireza.com
Alireza’s work is also exhibited in the XVA gallery in Dubai.
