Ahmed Zulkarnain, a 26-year-old Indonesian photographer born without arms and legs, has inspired art lovers at this year's Zeytinburnu International Photography Festival in Istanbul.

Since being abandoned by his parents as a child, Zulkarnain has learned to overcome challenges to create world-class art.

"I have my own way of doing things," Zulkarnian, who goes by the artist name DZOEL, told Al Jazeera.

"I don't have fingers, so I push my camera against my face while using it. Switching the camera on and off is done with my mouth, and I use the extra skin bits of skin on my arm to press the shutter."

Zulkarnain said he has enjoyed visiting Istanbul and taking part in the Zeytinburnu festival.

"I am very happy to be able to come to Turkey. I had a chance to meet artist from all around the world and learn from them," Zulkarnain said.

"I also saw that Turkish people were extremely curious about photography."

The young artist, who studied law in college and struggled to find employment, became interested in photography while working at an Internet cafe taking pictures for identity cards. He bought his first camera on credit.

After buying the camera, Zulkarnain started learning about photography and eventually become known for his artwork in the region.

Besides shooting and retouching, he teaches photography and inspires others not to give up on their passions and to stay positive.