A hazy camera flash in the darkness of the clubbing scene, Burak Yaşar is the photographer behind the lens capturing what it feels to be immersed into modern nightlife in his series ‘Low and High’. As the UK nightclubbing scene faces a steady decline with the all-discouraging factors of rising costs, lifestyle habits, and cultural shifts, Burak Yaşar artistically explores the hidden nightlife that, though it doesn’t seem it, still occurs. A project laced with pure passion, personal experiences and euphoria in self-discovery, Yaşar talks us through the influences behind his artistry.
If you could distil your approach to photography and your Low and High series into a single sentence, what would it say?
I embrace my passions fully, allowing them to enrich and define the way I live.
When you began this three-year journey, what was the first spark that made you want to explore nightlife in this way?
I strive to answer with honesty, unrestrained by hesitation. London has been both my challenge and my stage. When I first arrived, survival meant working tirelessly, and it still does. The one thing I knew deeply was the feeling of pressing the shutter. That instinct led me to nightclub photography, where Low and High reveals the awakening of a man finding his place in a new city, quietly witnessing his own growth.
Was there a single frame that felt like the heartbeat of the entire project?
There is one photograph I hold closest to my heart, yet I cannot share it. It is a private dialogue, a quiet, almost platonic affection between me and the image.
How much of your role is observation versus becoming part of the scene you photograph?
As the lights grow dim, everything becomes equal. In that fine line of darkness and glow, the moment I look through the viewfinder, I feel the world settle into my control. What I see becomes a stage, and for an instant, I am both observer and director. Action.
Is there a recurring archetype or character that seems to appear across these three years?
London constantly reminds me of itself – a city that celebrates individuality and freedom. The glances, the fashion, the attitude all create a distinct aura. I see characters who wear their style like a story, and I feel privileged to witness them.
Which photographers, filmmakers, or artists shaped how you see the interplay of shadow and light?
Josef Koudelka has always been an inspiration – his philosophy, his way of living, his art. He exists within life itself, at its very core, in its rawest form. I seek to capture that same truth in my frames, to show how deeply I stand inside the world of photography. And speaking of Koudelka, I must end with Tony Gatlif, whose multidisciplinary approach and fearless embrace of belonging continue to guide my own path.
How do you use artificial light—strobes, neon, stage lighting—not just as illumination but as a character in your images?
Light defines the soul of my work. I believe it can carry the entire narrative, shaping mood and meaning. I trust that I have learned to follow it faithfully.
Are there particular nightlife memories from your own life that quietly anchor and drive this work?
The conversations that unfold in the early hours of the night, on a club’s open-air terrace, surprise me with their depth. Fuelled by drinks and cigarettes, people speak their most radical truths. A man with a camera nearby catches their attention, and suddenly I find myself surrounded by stories – each one sparking new characters within me, each one renewing my excitement.
Which non-photographic art forms influence the way you shoot—literature, painting, dance, cinema?
I live intensely with my emotions. Photography is my strongest, most intimate outlet for expressing them. A song, a texture on a wall, the last light of sunset, the style or perspective of someone I encounter, a film – they all feed my craft. My profession is my passion, and I carry that passion into everything I see and everywhere I go.
What patterns and emotions did you notice that only emerged after years of documenting?
I am in love with passion itself.
Have you revisited early images and discovered new meaning in them?
I often revisit my work, playing with it, adding sketches and collages, reshaping and rediscovering. My images evolve alongside me, always becoming something new.
Follow Burak Yaşar on Instagram
burakyasar.co.uk
Words: Libby Matthews