Pooria is a Seattle based photographer.
I was born and raised in Tehran/Iran and studied computer engineering. My father had his own photo printing business bought me a small film camera when I was 8 years old and thought me how to load film in to the camera. When I became a teenager I started using his Pentax camera. In 2007 after my trip to Europe and taking pictures with my Canon point and shoot camera I felt that I need better camera so bought my first DSLR camera and everything started from there.
Photography for me is time, time to meditate, to focus, to observe, to lose myself and live in the moment. It is a tool that lets me see differently and allows my self-expression and curiosity to take hold simultaneously in trying to find or create a story from what I see. And, in those moments, I am somehow drawn to my subject; the moment I click the shutter, if I capture that emotional connection within my photo, then the result is something that I desire to share. After I capture a moment, I feel it belongs to me, it becomes a part of my experience and my being, the energy from which must continue be shared. I want to share with the viewer my experience, joy, and the emotional connection felt during the moment my camera shutter clicked.
Street photography for me is like walking on a giant, never-ending stage. The streets unfold scene after scene with people and objects unveiling their true characters as they act out life in front of me. There are an unlimited number of plots and stories for which I only need to wait, take a different look at, and be present in the moment to capture the story. The story that if I miss, is gone forever. Photography gives me self-satisfaction, it is a tool to express myself, to connect to what I like and get disconnected from things I don’t like.
Awards:
2015 International Photography Awards
Honorable Mention in People - Other for the winning entry Drama of light.
Honorable Mention in Fine Art - Other for the winning entry Drama of light.
Honorable Mention in Architecture - Bridges for the winning entry Steel and Snow.
Honorable Mention in Nature - Other for the winning entry Steel and Snow.
2014 International Photography Awards
2nd place in a Advertising-Other Category in the 2014 International Photography Awards (IPA) Competition for the winning entry "Shadow of you".
Honorable Mention in a People - Other Category for the winning entry "Giuseppe The pigeon man".
Honorable Mention in a Fine Art - Other Category for the winning entry "Shadow of you".
Honorable Mention in a Advertising - Other Category for the winning entry "Shadow of you".
Honorable Mention in a People - Portrait Category for the winning entry "Shadow of you".
Honorable Mention in a Event - Other Category for the winning entry "Dope".
Honorable Mention in a Advertising - Music Category for the winning entry "Dope".
2013 International Photography Awards
Honorable Mention in Advertising - Other category for the winning entry "Shawn and Rx1."
2012 International Photography Awards
Second place in Editorial - Sports category for the winning entry "BOWL-A-RAMA"
Honorable Mention in Architecture - Other category for the winning entry"St. Louis Arch."
Honorable Mention in Editorial - Political category for the winning entry"Occupy Chicago."
Honorable Mention in Advertising - Music category for the winning entry"Live Music."
Honorable Mention in People - Portrait category for the winning entry"Aboriginal man."
If you are interested in hiring Pooria, please feel free to contact him to discuss potential opportunities.
Email: p.koleyni@gmail.com
500px: http://500px.com/Pooriapix
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/pooria
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pooriapix