World famous Istanbul-Armenian photographer Ara Güler died today in an Istanbul hospital at the age of 90.

Press reports appearing earlier this evening stated the photographer, nicknamed the “Eye of Istanbul”, had been revived after suffering from a heart attack.  Soon afterwards, it was reported that Güler had indeed died.

Güler, the first citizen of Turkey to become a member of the American Society of Magazine Photographers, was born in Beyoğlu, Istanbul.

Güler once said that he is a photojournalist, not a photographer.

“Ara's philosophy on photography is that he attaches great importance to the presence of humans in photography and considers himself as a visual historian. According to him, photography should provide people with memory of their suffering and their life. He feels that art can lie but photography only reflects the reality. He does not value art in photography, so he prefers photojournalism.” (Ara Güler’s website)

He won several awards for his work, including Turkey's Photographer of the Century, 1999; Master of Leica, 1962; France's Légion d'honneur; Lifetime Achievement Lucie Award, 2009; and Turkey's Grand Prize of Culture and Arts, 2005. In 2004, he was given an honorary fellowship by Istanbul's Yıldız Technical University.