This book is about a boy called Ali.

He loves to take photos but he doesn’t have money to buy a

camera; so he takes photos with his head.

Ali lives in Istanbul. It is a big city in Turkey. There are houses near the water. Some houses are
very old. There are bridges, boats and there is a sea! There is an old market near Ali’s school.
There are small shops in the market. People buy and sell food there.

Ali is a very good young boy. He is tall and thin. He is wearing a jacket and jeans. He lives in
Istanbul, Turkey. He lives with his parents in a building near the famous Blue Mosque. They
work in a market. Ali likes walking in the old city. His dream is to have a camera and he wants
to be a famous photographer.

After school, Ali looks at the boats and the sea. He likes taking photos of it. He takes photos in
his head. Then, he goes to work at the market. He carries bags for people. He also meets many
people because of his work. These people are:

 Mrs Yildiz. She is an old woman. She lives in a very big flat, full of pictures. Her house is
near the statue of Atatürk (a very important man for Turkey). She gives Ali her son’s
first camera. She is wearing glasses. She has a son called Yusuf.

 Yusuf. He is a tall man and he likes coffee. He works for a newspaper. He cannot teach
Ali to take photos.

 Selim is a kind old man. He lives in a flat, in the old city. He works in a photography
shop. He gives photo lessons to Ali.

Every day after school Ali works in a market and he carries bag for people. One day when Ali is
carrying a bag for an old woman but suddenly, a thief takes the bag form Ali’s hands and starts
to run. Ali runs after him. The man hit Ali; Ali falls down and his money falls down of his
pocket, too. The man puts down the bag and takes Ali’s money and he runs away. Ali is very
sad. He has to start again.

The next day, Ali carries the bags for an old woman. She is Mrs. Yildiz. She gives Ali a camera in
return. He doesn’t accept it. She insists. Ali is very happy. He runs home and tells his mother
about it. His mother gives some money to buy a film. He doesn’t accept it. He wants to buy
with his money. Ali works every day in the market after school. Every evening he comes home
late. It is very difficult for him.
One day, Ali has the money for some film. He buys it and goes to Mrs Yildiz’s flat. The woman
is in the house with her son, Yusuf. He is drinking coffee. Ali takes a photo of her with her son.
Her son works for a newspaper. Ali wants to learn to take photos but Yusuf can’t teach him.

Ali walks in the streets of Istanbul. Now, the city looks very beautiful. He takes photos of
bridges, boats and the old mosques. He takes photos of people in the streets and in shops.

One day, he goes to see Yusuf at the newspaper. Yusuf looks at the photos. Some of the
photos are good, but some of them aren’t. Ali is angry and goes home.

Later, he sees a small photography shop. He goes in. An old man is sitting at a table. He has a
happy face. His name is Selim. He has beautiful cameras. Ali wants to work there. The man
can’t give Ali money. Ali doesn’t want money. He wants to learn about photography. The man
says: “We all see with our eyes. But good photographers see things with the eye of the
camera”. Ali starts to learn. He takes photos of people. He takes photos of doors and windows.
Ali sees a lot of young children in the city. They work in shops, or they sell fruit, cold drinks and
newspapers in the streets. Ali takes photos of them, too. There are smiles on their faces, but
their eyes are not smiling. Ali is learning. Ali is building photos.

Ali works at the market after school. He always wants money for film. He takes photos of the
people at the market, too. Early one Saturday morning, he sees some young children on a
bridge. They have big, unhappy eyes and they are fishing. Ali takes a photo of them. He goes to
Selim’s flat, in the old city, and he shows him that photo. Selim looks at it for a long time. He is
happy because Ali is learning quickly!.

Ali is very happy. Mr Selim is his teacher and he likes teaching Ali. Ali is a like a son.

Finally, one day, Ali sees Mrs Yildiz again. She tells him that one of his photos is in the
newspaper! The photo where there are two children on a bridge. They’re catching a big fish.
Ali is very happy and he laughs happily. Ali runs to Selim’s shop. He tells him about the photo
in the newspaper!.

Selim showed that photo to Yusuf; and Selim tells Ali that tomorrow he starts working at the
newspaper. He starts to learn about photography.