3 Days in Istanbul
With visions of bustling markets, narrow streets, and grand mosques, I recently took it upon myself to visit one of my most desired cities to photograph - Istanbul. The city once known as Constantinople certainly didn't disappoint either, providing plenty of opportunities to bust the camera out and take a variety of shots ranging from classic street scenes to wider cinematic shots across the river and beyond.
Arriving on a Tuesday and departing back for the UK on the Saturday, I had three full days to explore and capture as much as I could, with this blog post providing a chronological breakdown of what I got up to alongside the best images taken at that time. I won't be taking credit however for the itinerary, nor providing amazingly cultural insights into the trip, as I simply followed the suggestions from Roman Fox's video guide to Istanbul (minus a visit to the Princess Islands) that really worked well for my approach to any photography based trip. Personally, as mentioned in the video too, I'm quite a slow traveller who prefers to focus on just one or two areas per day rather than ticking off as many activities, spots, or landmarks as possible. The benefits of this are two-fold; firstly it combats the fear of regret one may have knowing they could have got a next-level photo if they'd just hung around somewhere that little bit longer, and in the long-term it simply keeps the flame alive in regard to wanting to return to a destination knowing there are still areas left to discover.
Anyway, here's what went down in Istanbul.
Day One
In all honesty the first day in the city was a bit of a write off - at least photography wise. The grey clouds seemingly affected the atmosphere of the streets in which I roamed, however if there's going to be any day that's slightly underwhelming it might as well be the first in which you acclimatise to new surroundings and get a rough feel for the types of shots that are possible.
I happened to be staying in the Karakoy neighbourhood of Istanbul which on one hand was great for its atmosphere and abundance of coffee shops, but also for the number of quiet side streets that allowed me to warm up my trigger finger with some gritty street shots that were almost aided by the moody conditions.
The day wouldn't be complete either without scouting down by the Bosphorus and the Galata Koprosu bridge. As expected the day's colour palette led to a collection of flat and uninspiring images, which ironically may have been enhanced by even worse but cinematic weather, however the pick of the bunch was this photo below of one of the many fishermen. My favoured tones seemed to compliment the frame well, with their subtlety matching the quiet mood of the environment.
With the sun coming down we were treated to some contrasting colours that made for more interesting photos than what had been made up to that point. Although not amazing nor anything I'd enthusiastically promote, they did provide a taste of what was to come over the next few days.
Day Two
Waking up to straight sunshine meant that my second day in Istanbul could really be the start of my photography journey in the city, in which I aptly headed to the Balat area noted for its bright, colourful, Mediterranean-esque buildings. It was this combination of design and architecture that set the basis for a few hours that were designated to creating some interesting street scenes that had an added sense of warmth and authenticity in comparison to those of the day before.
That being said, the calm of the river and the allure of the fishermen were too appealing to not whip the camera out before hopping on the tram.
My time in Balat was a strange one, but admittedly I think was perhaps just a result of the time and day on which I visited. Despite the fascinating streets, it was difficult to recreate my typical shots that include a distinct subject so as to give the composition a sense of life and motion, as often I'd turn a corner to find once again an empty scene that was rather creatively uninspiring. This was a shame given how the light was cutting through the tight streets, however I was happy with these two shots in the fortunate moment when distractions were few and these gents kindly stepped into frame.
The good thing about venturing into Balat is that you can simply walk in one direction, albeit with a few detours to explore, during which the streets will gradually get busier and busier. The drawback to this is that the crowds will most likely be made up of tourists rather than locals, however this did shift my perspective onto the smaller details around me while also allowing me to indulge in a photography style I don't normally share but nevertheless still enjoy. With the pressure of achieving those cinematic shots to upload to Instagram, it's refreshing once in a while to tell a story with the subtle elements of the world around us.
Just before returning to Eminonu (the area that served as my core for the trip as it's just over the aforementioned bridge) was a gritty yet captivating area that more represented the typical, no-frills life of those that called the area their home. Naturally again more cinematic photos weren't really an option here, but it did provide the opportunity to engage with the documentary style and capture scenes of an every-day nature.
That being said, a photography day in Istanbul wasn't complete without doing another circuit of the bridge and riverside. Although I typically now don't go into many locations with a preconceived idea of the shots I want to get, leading to a more general acceptance of what I do manage to take on the day, because these type of shots were so achievable as a part of the daily routine, I did take hundreds with the hope that one or two might make the pick of the bunch from the whole trip.
Day 3
The last full day spent in the city was centred around locations that arguably define the city the most, at least to tourists and non-locals that is. Although still kind of on track to what actually went down, the photos from the Friday will be presented more thematically than chronologically. The reason for this will be tackled firstly though, and that's to do with the several visits to different mosques that took place throughout the day from Hagia Sophia to the Blue Mosque, Yeni Cami, and eventually Sulemaniye.
The first two are obviously the most 'must-see', however with them actually being closed and surrounded by thousands of visitors, my creative urges were probably at an all time low compared to the days prior. Nevertheless a few standard tourist shots were taken, after all it would've been weird to walk around with a camera and not actually use it - although this post will probably be the only place they ever actually get shown.
The latter two however (Yeni Cami and Sulemaniye) were much more interesting to shoot given their daily use by the Muslim community both of the city and those visiting. That's not to say that they were quiet in comparison though, as it did take a good while at each to compose a photo that portrayed both the grandeur of these holy places with the calmness we'd attach to notions of spirituality. It was a good job I had the ultra-wide on me too, as they deserve to be presented in all their glory.
Contrasting with this sense of calm was the hustle and bustle of the city's main shopping district including the Grand Bazaar. Despite expectations, the indoor marketplace was actually a spot in which only a few photos were taken, mainly because (understandably) the majority of the wares on offer were more aimed at the typical tourist rather than of an authentic, craft-based nature.
Exploring the narrow streets surrounding the Bazaar was much more exciting though; with plenty of movement, old-school stores, and the tradespeople going about their day. This didn't only allow for those snapshots of life in this area, but also some emphatic wider photos that made use of the strong light cut by all the buildings that are both shops and homes. These probably reflect my favoured style the most, however I'd say my favourite is the one semi-undercover with the light conveniently shining on the subject at the far-end of the lane. What do you think?
With the legs thoroughly tired out and a contentedness with what had been captured so far, there was just one task left to tackle. The point has been made a hundred times now across my other blogs that I'm no longer a fan of taking 'set piece' photos that are thoroughly planned out and of particular landmarks, however there seemed to be this irresistible urge to take a cross-water shot that incorporated the signature elements of the bridge, fishermen, stalls, and mosque. A difficult challenge on paper, there was a vantage point on the bridge that allowed for just this and of course the time to strike was at sunset.
The jury is still out, at least in my mind, as to whether these pictures hit the mark or not, but funnily enough this time period produced one of my favourite shots of the whole trip - and it had nothing to do with the composition I'd been working on for at least half an hour. But hey, that's the beauty of photography.
