Semiha Es was born into a modest family to Bekir and his wife Lütfiye at Vefa quarter of Fatih district in Istanbul in 1912.
During a beauty contest application, still underage, she met Hikmet Feridun Es, a well known Turkish journalist.
She eloped and married Hikmet Geridun Es after learning that her parents were prepared to give her away in marriage to someone she did not know.
[3] Her life story was told in a documentary film titled Nisvan- Tarihe Adını Yazdıran Kadınlar ("Nisvan-The Women, who Made Their Mark").
[1] During the event, the concert pianist Ayşe Tütüncü performed her musical work named "Second Eye: Women Photographers in Turkey".