March 3, 2020

Allen, again


You know this feeling, seeing someone in his element; Like a fish in the sky or a bird in the deep ocean?Ha! This is how I felt, when I saw Allen for the first time singing. Wow. When I meet him by chance (!) in Mexico city again, some more chats and shots follow. I asked Allen to write some lines, which I usually do when I portray people. Not only for an upcoming book project of mine,or this blog, but also to elevate my ‘muses’ to subjects, to give them a voice and empower them even a bit more. Anyhow I get these very kind words, that make me blush a bit and seem to also empower me…Thank you Allen… soon again more Allen, please! x Esra

Text by Allen Hulsey: I first met Esra on the southern coast of turkey at Bonjuk Bay. We hit it off immediately and ended up having a wonderful weekend full of music, art and photoshoots. What impressed me most about Esra was her defined objective and the almost absolute certainty in which she approaches life which can specifically be seen in her photography. She loves to do whatever is necessary to realize the vision in her mind. This vision is always a co-creation however because she drags you into a whirlwind of excitement and focus. I immediately loved working with her as a director because the moments seem to flow in the natural direction they were always meant to. I have seen her work with a number of friends now both as a photographer and as a painter and I can say that she always captures the truest essence both of the subject as well as turning beautiful moments of laughter and friendship into tangible perminate art.

This meeting took place in Tepoztlán. I had literally thought of her two days prior and remember thinking to myself…. ‘I should go visit Esra in Berlin’ then I literally ran into her the following night in Mexico City. I couldn’t believe it and was so happy to see my dear friend again. I’m looking forward to more collaborations in the future including some musical ones.