Alexander Berg takes aim at Istanbul. James Halliday

Named “coolest photo book of the year” for 2007 by the Swedish edition of Elle magazine, Alexander Berg’s One Shot Beijing is a stunning collection of passerby portraiture. As the second instalment of a trilogy, Berg’s photos from China, entitled “East,” followed on the coattails of the acclaim garnered by his initial work One Shot New York (“West”) taken in Times Square. The concept behind Berg’s project is to set up studio in a heavily trafficked part of town—for maximum exposure—and let the material come to him. Based in Istanbul, for the third and final piece called “Where the Two Meet,” Berg’s photo shop was located on the third floor (#42) of the Rumeli Han on Istiklal Caddesi. Between 25 December and 18 January, all were welcome to drop in. The lucky ones walked away with a complementary Polaroid; the really lucky ones will appear in the exhibition catalogue due out later this year.
After working in New York and Beijing, Berg says this about his Istanbul session: “It’s not gonna be a touched-up photo shoot,” like the kind he used to be involved with a decade ago when he interned for Annie Leibovitz. The appeal of One Shot, for photographer and subject alike, comes in large part from the spontaneity of having little control over casting. For the earlier projects, Berg depended on his friends in the art community and of course the accessible location of the shooting to draw in his subject matter. To drive interest for this session, Berg started a Facebook group, in collaboration with Contemporary Istanbul, and stood back as the powers of social networking attracted more than 1000 “friends” to the online group.
“I’m not trying to control who comes,” said the photographer, “rather, I want to reach out to the full spectrum.” The catalogues from the “West” and “East” speak to the diversity of material that walked through the doors, ranging across ages levels, social classes, and temperaments. The definition of “portrait” stretched beyond the literal one-person-one-shot to include group shots, props, and stagecraft. So you see, it’s not as easy as just walking in, click, and you’re gone.  To ensure high quality, Berg limited himself to 15-18 “shots” per day in his NYC sessions in 2004 and 2006.  But with his approach and techniques honed, and with the help of his wife, Erica, who managed the in-studio chaos (e.g., pesky journalists), Berg’s daily portrait total topped more than 40 for his month in Istanbul. From that creative output, we’re in store for an eye-catching exhibition later in 2009.    
In my conversation with Alex Berg, his emphasis on the interpersonal element between artist and subject struck a chord with me. With each One Shot session, he has gained a better understanding of this interaction; the passage of time also has served to instil continuity to some of the relationships that began as snapshots. What the viewer sees at an exhibition or in the accompanying catalogue are, ironically, only single shots in a series of longer stories shared between the photographer and those who have stood before his camera. Berg calls this enduring aspect of his work “photo therapy.” In working together to compose a shot, or introducing themes and emotions from the lives of the individuals captured on film, the photo session has, according to Berg, achieved cathartic effects.
Just as I thought our interview was winding down, Alex reached for his iPhone and started flashing through 116 photos from his work in Beijing in 2007. He recounted stories in intimate detail of people reeling from recent break-ups and lost jobs; of others coming down from the highs of great accomplishments; of aged people coming to terms with terminal diagnoses, and others who had already fought those battles and prevailed; of recovering addicts; of children and parents; of lovers; of loners.  Like some 21st century acolyte of E.M. Forster, Berg upholds the famous phrase “Only Connect!” in his efforts to stay in touch by email with his earlier subjects.  In this way, the people and their tales have not become the forgotten fodder of some photographer-poet let loose in the world.  
One of the “big” questions that I posed to Alex was, “Do you think your One Shot series reflect the cities in which they were taken?” I was referring to his own knowledge of the places, his ability to read people, as well as to the effectiveness of his methodology to take in passersby and “go with the flow,” as he says. While I was sympathetic to his efforts to pin down New York (he’s lived there for years), I was curious whether he could repeat in Istanbul the success and good luck he found in Beijing. He seemed coolly confident in our interview, and his graciousness and even temper left me re-assured that he’d hit his mark. But we’ll just have to wait till shots are in and the choices are made. One Shot Istanbul, “Where the Two Meet” coming soon.