31 Striking Shots Of Children Captured By This…

31 Striking Shots Of Children Captured By This Photographer In Completely Unscripted Moments

Children can be wonderfully difficult to read one moment and completely transparent the next. A suspicious glance, a burst of laughter, a curious stare, or an exaggerated grimace can appear without warning, making childhood an especially expressive subject for street photography. Turkish photographer Murat Harmanlikli has spent years noticing those brief, unguarded moments.

Based in Istanbul and involved with photography since 1996, he wanders through streets and crowds looking for spontaneous encounters and expressions that reveal something about the people in front of his camera. For this collection, we focused specifically on the children who have become some of the most striking subjects in his work.

Scroll down to see Harmanlikli’s powerful portraits, and let us know which images stayed with you the longest.

More info: Instagram

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Shot predominantly in dramatic black and white, the photographs bring the children’s faces and gestures to the foreground. Some stare straight into the lens with remarkable intensity, while others laugh, hide, play, make faces, or react to the photographer with open curiosity. Rather than polished childhood portraits, these images preserve expressions that feel immediate, imperfect, and entirely spontaneous.

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That sense of observation is central to Harmanlikli’s broader approach to street photography. Inspired by literature and the inner lives of fictional characters, he describes himself as moving through crowds much like a modern-day flâneur, paying attention to the countless small stories unfolding around him. Istanbul plays an important role in that practice and is also at the heart of his long-term project, “Istanbul, in the Flux of an All-Embracing Moment.”

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Harmanlikli’s photography has received international recognition through organizations and publications including LensCulture, Life Framer, the International Photography Awards, All About Photo, and Eyeshot Magazine. Yet in this selection, the simplest element often commands attention: a child looking back. Whether playful, wary, excited, shy, or completely absorbed in the moment, those expressions give each photograph its own small and unscripted story.

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