One of the first assignments of the year sent me to Brazil to shoot a factory for one of my favorite clients. That being a very long trip from here in Vietnam, I thought it would be good to break it up a bit and spend a few days shooting somewhere along the way. While I could have gone a few routes through Dubai or Paris, after a bit of research, via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines seem liked a better way, so that’s just what I did. The wifey was able to join as well (a big thanks to babysitter Grandma and sorry Kela, we’ll take you on the next trip!) So with my ever-present Fujifilm X100F at my side, we were all set to check out the city and have a few days of adult time!
With our red-eye flight landing at 6am, we got an early start on the first of our 3 days and quickly made our way from the airport to our flat, dropped the bags and headed out for breakfast. A steaming cup of Turkish tea & coffee, with a tray full of good things to eat were surely in order, and enjoying it all on the street, in the beautiful morning light no less. Perfect start so far!
With full bellies, we wandered the streets a bit, chatting with a few cats on our way to do a bit of sightseeing.
Come along on a little journey through Istanbul and see what we saw!
First up was to check the big sights off our list, so we started with the Blue Mosque and the nearby Hagia Sofia, then on to the Galata Tower and Suleymaniye Mosque. Even though some construction intruded a bit on the images I had wanted to capture, I was able to snap a few scenes I liked. In places like this, I’m rarely looking for the obvious, but rather something more creative, or fleeting perhaps.
In preparing for the trip a bit, I was interested in hiring a tour guide to take us out one day to help find the best spots to shoot. Running photo tours in Vietnam myself, and typically being on the other side of this equation, I know the value of having an insider’s knowledge. After a bit of interneting, I came across Istanbul Tour Studio and and sent them a message. Pleasantly surprised with a rapid reply and their ideas, we set things for our last full day in the city, and I was excited to get on the local track.
First thing in the morning, Sinan, the company’s director and one I had been chatting to, came to meet us at our flat and we headed out to explore!
Taking us to great spots I likely wouldn’t have found on my own, and giving us plenty of local knowledge, history and amazing food along the way, we had an amazing day out and I was able to capture a number of images I really like. Wanna see what we found? Scroll down and let’s go!
Part of our tour was a brief ride on a ferry across the Bosphorus from one side of the city to the other. I definitely wanted to get on the water at some point (even though it was freezing out!) but I wasn’t that interested in the touristy boats. This one surely wasn’t that. Boarding from a tiny station, I already had a good feeling about it, and when the sun came out for just about the duration of our 3o minute ride, we were in perfect luck!
I was too excited to sit down for long, so I went exploring the decks inside and out and watching the riders whose faces intrigued me.
Though it was brief, it was one of my favorite times and places to shoot on the trip.
An old Turkish proverb that I just made up says never let a fisherman with a great face go without being photographed.
Near the end of our day, our last stop was Balat, a very cool neighborhood. Unfortunately, it also coincided with some rain starting, so we had to head inside. Fortunately however, Sinan found a very old and cool tea shop that allowed us in (some of them are members only clubs), and we even convinced them to let me take a few shots.
Not something they normally do it sounded like. So with one last cup of hot tea in hand, I snapped a few frames and that was nearly the end of our day and our time in Istanbul. So until next time I’m ready to board a long flight back, this is goodbye for now, but the city will be in my mind and images for the foreseeable future…
So, Istanbul, so long for now, but I have a feeling I’ll be back again. Perhaps in warmer climes, but certainly back again.
