Born in eastern Turkey, where light falls differently and silence carries weight, Hasan Akbas has spent over two decades following both across the world.

What began as a search for meaning in 2004 became something else entirely — a career that has taken him through 19 European countries, into the protocol halls of the Turkish Ministry of Justice, and eventually to the wilderness of Alaska, where he spent three years chasing the northern lights.

His work has appeared in BBC, The Guardian, TIME, Forbes, National Geographic and more. But the images that define him aren't from assignments. They're from the quiet moments in between — a glacier at 2am, fog settling over Prague, the split second before an aurora fills the sky.

Today, Hasan is based in Pennsylvania, working as an independent fine art photographer and photojournalist. He leads intimate aurora photography tours in Alaska each year — small groups, all-inclusive, every moment documented.

He travels with his wife and daughter. He still believes the best photograph he'll ever take hasn't happened yet.