From Instagram to Print: The Story Behind My Newest Printed Work 最近 // LATELY Vol. 1
I've been on Instagram since 2011—before I ever owned a camera and before photography was anything more than a hobby for me. Somewhere along the way, on journey to becoming a photographer it became my portfolio, my gallery, my marketing platform, and for better or worse, the place where almost all of my work would live.
Over the years, though, something changed. Social media went from being a place to casually share photographs with friends to becoming the primary gallery for photographers around the world. Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped asking, "Is this the photograph I want to make?" and started asking, "Will this perform well?"
I fell into that trap too.
Without even realizing it, I began thinking about my work through the lens of an algorithm. Cropping images to fit a feed. Choosing photographs that might receive more engagement. Posting consistently because that's what we were told successful photographers should do. It became surprisingly easy to confuse creating photographs with creating “content” (oh how I have come to despise that word).
The problem is that photographs deserve more than a few seconds of attention before disappearing beneath tomorrow's posts.
That's what eventually led me to print my work.
Printing isn't reserved for famous photographers or people with huge audiences. You don't need tens of thousands of followers or an enormous budget to create something physical that you're proud of. In fact, it's never been easier to make books, magazines, and zines that preserve your work in a way social media simply can't.
The moment I stopped creating for a screen and started creating for a printed page, something shifted. I found myself thinking differently about sequencing images, telling stories, and making photographs that would still mean something years from now—not just until the next post appeared in someone's feed.
Those thoughts ultimately became the foundation for 最近 // LATELY Vol. 1—a 132-page photozine/book collecting the last six months of my photography into something tangible. Something you can hold, revisit, lend to a friend, and leave on a bookshelf long after the algorithm has forgotten it ever existed.
The idea for 最近 // LATELY Vol. 1 started with a simple realization: I was creating far more work than anyone was ever seeing. So much of what I photographed throughout the year would briefly appear online before disappearing into the endless scroll, while entire projects never made it there at all. Most people know me for one side of my photography, whether that's street, portraits, or boudoir, but over the years I've explored so many different genres. I’ve collaborated with amazing people, taking on exciting client projects, and created work that deserved a longer life than a social media post all while retaining my own unique visual style. I wanted to bring it all together in one place—a physical collection that could be picked up, revisited, and shared years from now. And in an almost selfish way, I wanted to immortalize my work for myself… to have something tangible that I can look back on years from now.
Inside these 132 pages you'll find a collection of street photography, portraits, editorials, studio experiments, and personal projects created during the first half of 2026.
Printed in Japan on premium paper and designed by photographer Deniz Demir, 最近 // LATELY Vol. 1 is both a snapshot of a moment in time and the beginning of an evolving series documenting the work, ideas, and experiments that continue to shape my photography.
• 132 pages of Double Sided Color in Matte Coat Finish (a beautiful subdued gloss)
• Cover: Coated 225kg
• Text: Coat 110kg
• B5 Format
• Perfect Bound
• Printed in Japan
• First Edition
• Publish Date June 2026
Finally, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported my publications since the beginning of the year. It's honestly been surreal. Before I had even received the first shipment from the printer, copies had already been ordered from all over the world—from Japan to the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and beyond.
Knowing that people I've never met are spending their hard-earned money on something I've created is an incredible feeling. It means more than I can put into words, and it's given me the motivation to keep making books and sharing my work in this way.
More than anything, I hope my own experience encourages some of you to do the same. You don't need a huge audience, a publishing deal, or an enormous budget to put your work into print. If you've been thinking about making a zine or a photobook, consider this your sign to start.
If you'd like to pick up a copy of 最近 // LATELY Vol. 1 or one of my Impressions publications, they're all available through my online shop. I ship worldwide.
And to everyone who has already bought a copy—thank you. Your support makes projects like this possible.
d.
最近 // LATELY Vol. 1
Recently, I found myself thinking about how many creative projects I work on throughout the year that only ever live on Instagram, social media, or tucked away somewhere on my website. Images that I'm incredibly proud of often get reduced to a quick scroll, a fleeting story, or disappear into an ever-growing archive.
It made me wonder if there was a better way to share the work that means the most to me.
Photography has always been more than individual images. It's about bodies of work, experiments, ideas, successes, failures, and the creative journey that connects them all. So rather than letting these projects exist only in the digital world, I wanted to create something tangible—something you could hold, revisit, and experience at your own pace.
That's how 最近 // LATELY Vol. 1 was born.
最近 // LATELY Vol. 1is a new twice-yearly photography publication featuring a curated selection of work created during the first half of 2026.
For many years, I primarily identified as a street photographer. While the streets continue to influence the way I see and photograph the world, the past several years have taken my work in new directions. Alongside street photography, I found myself creating portraits, experimenting in the studio, exploring light and colour, collaborating with incredible people, and stepping outside the boundaries of what once felt familiar.
Inside these 132 pages you'll find a collection of street photography, portraits, editorials, studio experiments, and personal projects created during the first half of 2026.
Printed in Japan on premium paper and designed by photographer Deniz Demir, 最近 // LATELY Vol. 1 is both a snapshot of a moment in time and the beginning of an evolving series documenting the work, ideas, and experiments that continue to shape my photography.
• 132 pages of Double Sided Color in Matte Coat Finish (a beautiful subdued gloss)
• Cover: Coated 225kg
• Text: Coat 110kg
• B5 Format
• Perfect Bound
• Printed in Japan
• First Edition
• Publish Date June 2026
Shipping
Shipping is done in protective bubble mailers with double sided cardboard to make sure your zine will arrive in great condition!
Tracking will be provided once shipped and shipping will be confirmed before 10 days from order date.
All duties and taxes to the receiving country are the responsibility of the purchaser.