At Bünyamin Aydın's From Earth to Sky presentation in Cappadocia, photographer Altamash Javed captured fashion, landscapes and unexpected moments using iPhone 18 Pro Max. We spoke to him about creative instinct, spontaneous photography and why good taste still matters more than technology.

There are fashion shows, and then there are experiences that seem almost impossible to recreate. For the presentation of From Earth to Sky, Turkish designer Bünyamin Aydın transformed the dramatic landscape of Cappadocia into an open-air runway, where extraordinary rock formations, colourful hot-air balloons and pieces inspired by Anatolian heritage came together in one visual story.

Among those capturing the experience was Altamash Javed, a photographer and content creator known for his approach to visual storytelling. Working with iPhone 18 Pro Max, he documented the presentation through a combination of carefully considered compositions and unexpected moments. Rather than attempting to control every frame, Javed allowed the landscape, the moving balloons and the models themselves to shape his photographs.

We spoke to him about finding new perspectives in familiar places, photographing fashion without forcing the perfect shot, and why technology can make the creative process easier, but can never replace taste.

— Bünyamin Aydın's From Earth to Sky brings together Anatolian heritage, futuristic elements and the extraordinary landscape of Cappadocia. What first caught your attention about this project, and what made it visually interesting to you as a photographer and storyteller?

— Walking up to the site and getting the first glimpses of the balloons! Honestly, when they said we were going to Cappadocia, I expected something with balloons, but I had no idea what was waiting for us. As soon as I saw them, I couldn't stop capturing them against the backdrop of Cappadocia.

— Cappadocia is already one of the most recognisable landscapes in the world. How do you approach photographing a location that has been captured thousands of times while finding a perspective that feels genuinely your own?

— Well, in this case, we had these massive, super unusual, super vibrant balloons. Using my understanding of shooting with a long lens, I was framing them with Cappadocia's unique rock formations wherever I could.

— The collection draws inspiration from Turkish cultural heritage, natural forms and contemporary design. How do you translate those different influences into a visual narrative without allowing the spectacular setting to overshadow the clothes?

— Have you seen the clothes? I guess you have! Yes, there were some contemporary designs, which I would buy, but the collection featured so many extraordinary pieces that even without the landscape, they would scream.

I loved placing models around the valley to photograph them, but most of the time they would just be doing their thing naturally, and I would capture moments that seemed framed but were actually completely spontaneous.

— Fashion photography often involves a tension between carefully planned compositions and spontaneous moments. How do you balance those two approaches, particularly when capturing a live presentation?

— To be very honest, I didn't feel any tension. I told the team, and they reassured me to just do my thing, whatever came naturally. And that is how it worked out.

During the live presentation, we obviously couldn't move around. I focused on the show and just enjoyed it. I don't like to force shots. When a shot does come, I simply have my phone in my hand all the time.

I remember the lady next to me suddenly asking me to take her phone and capture her watching the show, while I was taking a photograph at that very moment. She ended up looking at it, then looking at me and asking, "Are you a photographer?"

It was the shot where a model was passing by me, and I framed the balloon right behind him. That model ended up texting me for the shot!

— Colour plays an important role in From Earth to Sky, from the natural tones of Cappadocia to the striking colours of the collection and hot-air balloons. How does colour influence your visual storytelling, and what do you look for when creating a cohesive series of images?

— The colours were striking. Each balloon had its own runway location, so it was fun to capture them individually at first, along with the rock formations, and then with the models wearing corresponding colours.

For example, I would place a model wearing pink with the matching balloon. But I would say that when the balloons came together at the end, that was also fun.

And because balloons keep moving, it is almost as though the subject keeps giving you more and more photographs to make in a dynamic way.

— The presentation was filmed using iPhone 18 Pro Max. From your perspective as a photographer and content creator, how has working with iPhone changed the way you approach creative projects? Are there particular photographic or video capabilities that have become important to your process?

— The thing about shooting with an iPhone is that it is so much about freedom and versatility now.

Freedom in the sense that I am not carrying around a big camera and three or four different lenses. Versatility because the system itself has all the lenses and focal lengths I need to be my full creative self.

From a video perspective, especially during the live show, active tracking of subjects was a huge plus. We are also getting excellent performance in photography, videography and editing afterwards with the new A20 Pro chip.

— We often hear that professional photography is defined by equipment, but storytelling ultimately comes down to the person behind the camera. What makes an image memorable to you, and how much of that comes from technical precision versus instinct and emotion?

— For me, it is always about the moment. So that is all about instinct, emotion and what makes you stop in your tracks.

It is obviously good to know the technical side of things, but even when I started photography, for me it was always about capturing that moment that caught your eye in a split second.

So yes, I agree with you. It is all about the person behind the camera, no matter what camera that is.

— Looking at the relationship between fashion, photography and technology today, do you think new creative tools are changing the visual language of fashion? What possibilities excite you most about where this intersection is heading?

— They are. Let's take editing, for example. We have all these looks at our disposal right on the phone.

I was finding the right filter, adjusting a few settings and getting super high-quality looks coming straight out of the phone. This speeds up the workflow so much, and you don't need hours behind huge editing software.

It is going to get easier and more fun, but you have to have taste. That is the most important thing when applying all these creative tools.