Enis Yücel

Who he is and where he works

Enis Yücel is an Istanbul-based freelance editorial photographer who runs his own private photo tours and small-group photography workshops, mostly in Istanbul. He describes himself as a photographer "documenting stories which reflect the human condition," with "nearly 15 years of experience," and lists assignments for Conde Naste, Bayer Chemicals Magazine, Singapore Airlines, Silverkris Inflight Magazine and the Goethe Institute. His portfolio includes humanitarian projects such as The Rohingyas: Stateless & Identityless, Souls of Oaxaca, Learning To Walk Again and 1914/2014: The Battlefield of Memory. Beyond Istanbul, the tours FAQ says he organizes custom multi-day trips across Turkey, naming Cappadocia, Mesopotamia and the Black Sea region, and the menu lists a 7 Days Mesopotamia Photography Tour in Turkey. Workshop prices are shown in euros. Alongside the tours, the menu offers private photography lessons, portfolio reviews and project reviews, all held online, and his commissions include Opera Dolmus for the Komische Oper Berlin.

Private Istanbul photo tours

The private tours page describes each outing as "an instructive, personalized workshop," tailored to the guest's level, with hands-on teaching on composition, exposure, storytelling and on-the-spot critiques. The options are the half-day Unveiling Zeyrek, Balat and Fener's Imperial Heritage ("5 hours of immersive street photography tour in three historical districts"); the Full-Day Street Photo Tour, Historical Peninsula in Depth (8 hours, combining routes through several districts); a sunrise tour in Karaköy and Eminönü around the Galata Bridge and Sirkeci; a Sunset and Blue Hour tour; a storytelling and documentary tour on traditional casting and molding for "the serious photographer"; and a 12-hour Istanbul Sunrise Photography Tour "from dawn until dusk." The FAQ says routes are fully customized and can take in Zeyrek, Fener, Balat, the Grand Bazaar and Galata. The page lists the themes a tour can cover: camera basics if needed, street and human interest photography, low light and long exposures, architecture across Byzantine walls and Ottoman mosques, documentary series on vanishing crafts and artisans, and working with shadows and reflections in narrow alleys and courtyards.

Every private tour includes a personalized PDF itinerary before the day, gear recommendations, and a 1-hour private online photo review within 30 days of the tour. No prices for the private tours appear on the page; the FAQ says fees are emailed once the itinerary is finalized.

The 5-day Istanbul workshop

The group workshop runs for 5 days with 4 nights at a 3 or 4 star hotel in the Old City (Hampton by Hilton or similar), for a maximum of 8 participants of all levels, in English. The day-by-day plan starts with a welcome dinner; covers Karaköy, the Galata Bridge and the Egyptian Bazaar; includes a private photo session with a local casting and molding craftsman and a morning in the old hans, or caravanserais; explores the Golden Horn neighborhoods and blue hour on the Asian side of the Bosphorus; and ends with a final review. The syllabus runs from street photography, environmental portraits and approaching subjects without being intrusive to natural light, low-light and blue hour work, exposure bracketing, group image critiques and editing for storytelling. The page notes activities can be swapped between days, and guests who want to stay on can get a quote for extra nights at the same hotel.

Included are the instructor, accommodation, the craftsman session, an English-speaking tour guide, all breakfasts, snacks and water, and a farewell dinner. Flights, insurance, tips, museum entry, and other lunches and dinners are extra. The May 2026 page shows €1040 per person based on double occupancy, with a single room supplement of €550, and a leftover early-booking note to "save €200" by March 1st, 2025. The May and September 2026 workshops are marked fully booked; the September page gives the dates as 18-22 September in one place and September 18-24 in another. The menu lists May 2027 and September 2027 editions.

Booking and terms

Booking starts with an inquiry form; the FAQ says Enis reviews each request and confirms the details within 24 to 48 hours, and a WhatsApp chat button is on the site. Payment is by deposit, with the balance due later. For private day tours, the FAQ says the deposit is non-refundable if the client cancels and fully refunded if he cancels.

The workshop terms are specific. A 30% deposit secures a place and is non-refundable, with the balance due 91 days before departure (the FAQ says 90). Cancelling 181 days or more ahead brings a full refund; 180 to 121 days ahead, the deposit is kept; 120 to 61 days ahead, the deposit plus 50% of other payments are kept, or everything can be credited to a workshop within 365 days; 60 days or less, nothing is refunded. If he cancels for too few participants, all payments are refunded. Travel insurance is recommended.

Practical details, gaps and who it suits

The workshop page calls the trip "not particularly physically demanding" but warns of hills and a few hours of walking, and the FAQ says tours need moderate fitness, that participants must be at least 18, and that vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets can be arranged. Tours run in English, and Enis says he also speaks conversational French. The workshop pages give climate notes for packing, 20-23 °C for May and 19-22 °C for September, and say that some nationalities can enter Türkiye with a national ID and that in most cases a visa can be obtained on arrival at the airport. Testimonials on the site include a traveler with a seven hour stopover who took a taxi at 5:10 in the morning to meet him in Karaköy, and a couple who started before sunrise and praise his knowledge of the city's history and street graffiti.

What stays open: prices for the private day tours, and dates, price and itinerary for the Mesopotamia tour, which the booking form on the tours page subtitles "Sprit of the Stone, vibrant traditions, human stories" and which asks applicants about their experience as travelers and why they want to join. Enis Yücel suits travelers who want to learn street and documentary photography from a working photographer, either on a private walk tailored to their level or on a small, fully organized 5-day Istanbul workshop.