How a Mobile Photography Darkroom Empowers Vulnerable Children

Oct 05, 2025

Jeremy Gray

Two people in a field of tall grass at sunset, one in the foreground taking a photo with a camera and the other in the background looking down. The scene is bathed in warm, soft light.

The Sirkhane Darkroom a mobile photography darkroom, brings education, passion, and most importantly, hope, to overlooked communities in Turkey where children face limited access to education and safety, especially in the aftermath of devastating earthquakes that regularly rock the region.

An acclaimed documentary, First Frames, shares the story of Turkish photographer Serbest Salih, primarily through the perspectives of the children whose lives he has enriched through photography. The nearly 30-minute film, which is available to watch online as part of WeTransfer’s WePresent series, focuses on the children who have fallen in love with photography, not as subjects, but as storytellers themselves and growing artists and people who are not defined solely by what has happened to them.

A man films a group of children seated on the floor in a brightly lit room; another man sits facing the group, appearing to show something to the children. Shelves with books and toys are visible in the background.

“After the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and here in this region, we’re trying to bring different communities together,” says Salih.

The film’s Emmy-nominated director and cinematographer, Ilie Mitaru, became involved in the project after a friend sent him the Instagram account for the mobile photo darkroom, the Sirkhane Darkroom. The project was initially started by Turkish photographer Emel Ernalbant, and Salih developed it further and continued the initiative, although he has departed since “First Frames” was filmed. Sirkhane Darkroom continues under the stewardship of a team of dedicated volunteers.

A person with a camera films three children running through a lush green field at sunset, with mountains and power lines visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Several people are working in a dimly lit red room, with two individuals in the foreground holding video cameras, filming or preparing to film others further inside the room.

“I had an immediate reaction to how visceral and energetic the children’s images were,” Mitaru explains. “They were so sure of themselves, alive, and intimate — I was so taken aback that children who had just picked up cameras could capture images like this.”

Mitaru’s friend introduced him to Salih, and they hit it off immediately.

“He’s one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met and has oriented whole life into this work,” Mitaru says of Serbest Salih. After their first conversation, the project that became “First Frames” quickly materialized.

A man with sound equipment helps two boys sitting on a bench, showing them a camera. A large red and white flag hangs behind them. The group appears to be outdoors on a sunny day.

Three people, including two girls and an adult woman, closely look at the screen of a camera the woman is holding. They stand in front of a teal gate, appearing focused and curious.

A man with a video camera sits on grass next to a child holding a phone, while a donkey stands nearby, harnessed to a cart, in a rural setting with houses and trees under sunlight.

“I wanted to tell the story from the child’s perspective, to rely heavily on their photos and videos, to embrace the weird, quirky, magical nature of their thinking and portray them not as passive subjects of their often-difficult circumstances, but as playful, resilient and complex individuals,” the director says.

One child, Zümra, made a powerful impression on Mitaru during production. She is “an amazingly independent thinker,” Mitaru says. “I wish we could have had a week just with her and her family.”

A man closely examines a strip of film while two children watch attentively, with another child and a girl blurred in the background. The scene is warmly lit and focused on the man's careful inspection.

Two young girls stand outside on a dirt path, one holding a camera and taking a photo, the other holding a small object. Behind them is a collapsed house surrounded by rubble and trees, with green hills in the background.

Zümra’s family’s home was destroyed in the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, and when the filmmaking team met her, they were living in a container camp. Salih loaned Zümra a camera, which she took to a local marketplace. Although just seven years old at the time, she quickly realized that people viewed and treated her differently once she had a camera in her hand.

“It took me a long time to understand and comprehend completely [this dynamic],” Mitaru says. “It blew me away that this seven-year-old girl noticed it so acutely and was able to articulate it so well.”

Ultimately, Mitaru’s biggest goal for “First Frames” is to bring viewers into the children’s world as they discover new ways to express themselves and realize first-hand the power that photography can give them, whether it’s capturing their world as it is, or perhaps even experiencing it more positively.

A child holds up a strip of photographic negatives to the light, examining the images closely. The child's face is partially visible in profile, with soft lighting highlighting their features.

A black-and-white photograph develops in a tray under red darkroom lighting, showing three people posing outdoors.

Although the Sirkhane Darkroom is specific to vulnerable and refugee children living near the Turkish-Syrian border, how photography has touched their lives is something with universal relatability.

“While the context of our film is of course unique, my hope is that ‘First Frames’ fosters a deeper understanding of, and empathy for, vulnerable children around the world,” Mitaru says.

These children have all experienced something traumatic, but they are not their trauma. They are growing artists who, thanks to the selflessness of Emel Ernalbant, Serbest Salih, and many others, are learning to express themselves in new ways and forge new bonds with people they may never have met if not for a mobile photography darkroom. Photography has immense power, and “First Frames” showcases it in a very powerful way.

Credits: ‘First Frames’ is directed by Ilie Mitaru, who is also the film’s cinematographer. Luke Boelitz performs additional cinematography, while Zeynep Bilginsoy is the producer and Yalda Mostajeran is editor. The film is available to watch now on WeTransfer’s WePresent website.