1. Şirin, 11 years old. I wanted to create a double exposure of my sister Diljin and the view of Mardin.
2. Şirin, 11 years old. I planned with my sister that she would throw the volleyball into the air, and I would capture the moment.
3. Sara 13 years old. My friend.
4. Photo by Zehra, 10 years old. I want to take photos like @sarahvanrij and #vivianmaier . I’m inspired by their work.
5. Photo by Semet, 14 years old. Before I captured this photo, I was inspired by the way the bird was staring. I wanted to show in this photo that birds and other creatures have feelings.
6. Photo by Sara, 13 years old. She wanted to make a connection related to humanity, saying, “In a group without identity, love and friendship take over discrimination.”. In this photo, I wanted to show love and friendship.
7. Photo by Hana, 17 years old. I wanted to use natural light and flash to take this photo.
8. Photo by Hana, 17 years old. I wanted to use natural light and flash to take this photo.
9. Photo by Ciwan, 13 years old. I’m very happy that I took this photo—it looks very artistic to me and feels like time has stopped.
10. Photo by Ali, 11 years old. There was a very old camera that everyone told me not to use, but I wanted to take the risk. I’m very happy with this photo—it’s very artistic.
11. Photo by Ali, 11 years old. There was a very old camera that everyone told me not to use, but I wanted to take the risk. I’m very happy with this photo—it’s very artistic.
12. Omer 9 years old selfie.
13. Meryem, 6 years old. This is a photo of my sister.
14. Meryem, 6 years old. This is a photo of my brother Ali.
15. Meryem, 6 years old. Mardin from my home.
16. Ithaque workshops.
17. Ines, 14 years old. The view of Mardin through my eyes.
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20. Helin, 14 years old. While hanging out with my friend Ines and taking photos, I took this selfie of us.
21. Helin, 14 years old. When I was taking these photos, I was listening to music in my imagination, and the view felt very magical to me. It inspired me and filled me with many questions.
22. Helin, 14 years old. These are photos of my friends inside my home. I wanted to capture them spontaneously, without planning.
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27. Helin, 14 years old. Old side of mardin.
28. Helin 14 years old.
29. Hana, 17 years old. The light and the field were a perfect scene for me, so I wanted to include them in my 36 photos.
30. Fatma, 10 years old. I wanted to capture photos of my sister Meryem and the view of Mardin.
31. Barin, 12 years old. This is a selfie with my sister. I love that the photo has a blur, and it feels very artistic.
32. Barin 12 years old I wanted to capture a photo of my younger sister at her level because I believe you should always try to see things from other people  perspectives. That’s why I was inspired to take the photo. She was happy, and I captured the moment.
33. Aye a 12-year-old. I wanted to capture photos of my friend in the neighborhood.

In the rugged borderlands of southeast Turkey, where displacement and resilience collide, Fotohane Darkroom is carving out something quietly revolutionary. Co-founded by Serbest Salih and Amar Kılıç, this initiative offers free analog photography workshops to kids from Syrian, Iraqi, and Turkish Kurdish communities, giving them the tools to tell their stories in a way that words often can’t.

Through the raw, hands-on practice of analog photography, these workshops become a canvas for young voices—voices often drowned out by the noise of larger narratives. It’s not just about teaching photography; it’s about crafting and amplifying self-expression and ensuring visibility for stories that too often go untold.

The photos that emerge from Fotohane’s workshops are anything but ordinary. They’re unfiltered, tender, and deeply human, capturing the tangled realities of childhood in the margins. These images are a testament to the resilience and complexity of young lives shaped by hardship but not defined by it.

“Fotohane” translates to “house of photo” in Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, and Persian—a name chosen by the very children the project serves. At its heart, Fotohane is all about empowerment. Kids are given the reins to shape their own narratives: they decide how their images are created, printed, and shared. Their input isn’t just welcomed—it’s woven into the very fabric of the program.