Born in 1977 in Erzincan, Türkiye, Cem Özdel fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a journalist with the newspaper Milliyet in 1999, after completing his university studies. After working for two years as a reporter for Milliyet's Mediterranean supplement, Özdel joined Anadolu Agency in 2001 and worked as a reporter at the agency's Antalya regional headquarters until 2008.
In 2008, Cem Özdel was appointed photojournalist at Anadolu's head office in Ankara and worked in Turkey and abroad until 2012. Through his photos he brought the human tragedy of Darfur, Sudan, to the world's attention, and inaugurated an exhibition in aid of the Turkish Red Crescent.
In 2012, the photos he took in Zonguldak, a mining town on the Black Sea, 650 meters underground, reflecting the miners' harsh working conditions, earned him a place among Turkey's "Press Photos of the Year" and the "Photo of the Year" award from Spain's largest trade union. Working in all areas of photojournalism, Mr. Özdel was in Aleppo during the hottest days of the Syrian war, and the photographs he took there have been widely distributed in national and international media, as well as in books.
In 2012, Cem Özdel was assigned to Anadolu Agency's New York office, where he worked for almost four years.
The photos he has taken in various states of the USA have been published in the world's leading media, such as TIME, New York Times, Guardian, Washington Post and Huffington Post.
In 2014, Özdel followed the World Cup games in Brazil and had the chance to photograph NBA games, ALL Star tournaments and the Final Series, one of America's favorite sporting events.
In 2016, Cem Özdel returned to Ankara and worked as the official photographer of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, for around 7 years.
Özdel, who has photographed in over 100 countries, has received 28 national and 2 international awards. He holds a permanent press card, a CMAS 2-star diver's badge, a P4 paraglider pilot's license and an Iha 2 drone license.
