Part1
I consider myself pretty well travelled, more than most but not as much as I'd like. But then again anyone who is a seasoned traveller or aspires to go away as much as possible and get off the beaten track will know where I'm coming from. Those of you who realise that there is more out there and that it's never too late to do 9-5 know how I feel. Its your inner yearning for travel, to meet new people, to try new foods and to experience something new everyday that makes us different to everybody else.
One thing that really bakes your noodle when you return home from some far flung country is the realisation that there is so much to see right on your door step (The very header of this blog is round the corner from my house). I believe this happens because your perspective of 'your door step' changes when you travel vast distances to one destination. I have travelled thousands of miles by bus, boat, plane, tuk tuk, train all in one journey to reach my destination before now. But now from where I live in North London I consider the westcountry or even Scotland as on my door step.
One thing that really bakes your noodle when you return home from some far flung country is the realisation that there is so much to see right on your door step (The very header of this blog is round the corner from my house). I believe this happens because your perspective of 'your door step' changes when you travel vast distances to one destination. I have travelled thousands of miles by bus, boat, plane, tuk tuk, train all in one journey to reach my destination before now. But now from where I live in North London I consider the westcountry or even Scotland as on my door step.
Istanbul - Expectations
For most travellers there is usually a long list of places that they want to visit. If I'm being honest Istanbul was not high on my list. The reasons for this were numerous but were largely due to my lack of knowledge of the country and its culture, the political unrest at times. I could go on.
However remembering my first time in Thailand and having similar feelings towards the country soon put any of my doubts to rest. I love Thailand, it's my of my most favourite places on the planet, the people, the food the climate are just amazing. You just need to do your research on the do's and don'ts and get to know the place you are planning to travel to a little better before setting off. Luckily for me I have a talented bilingual, well travelled partner who is not only also a photographer but is the type of person who is obsessed with travel guides, blogs and tripadviser.com! All I have to worry about is what photography equipment to take! (well almost)
However remembering my first time in Thailand and having similar feelings towards the country soon put any of my doubts to rest. I love Thailand, it's my of my most favourite places on the planet, the people, the food the climate are just amazing. You just need to do your research on the do's and don'ts and get to know the place you are planning to travel to a little better before setting off. Luckily for me I have a talented bilingual, well travelled partner who is not only also a photographer but is the type of person who is obsessed with travel guides, blogs and tripadviser.com! All I have to worry about is what photography equipment to take! (well almost)
Getting there
3 x exposure HDR - Canon 50d - 17mm
We decided to fly to Sabiha Gokcen International Airport which is the is smaller of two airports ln Istanbul. Located in the Pendik- Kurtkoy district on the Asian side. It is 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of the European city centre. The city is divided by The Bosphorus (Istanbul strait) one side is considered the Asian side and the other the European side .
Knowing that we were staying on the European side I thought it would be a great idea to travel through the Asian side to see what it had to offer. Picking up a local bus transfer enabled us to see some of what was on offer however it was getting dark and was raining. Luckily once we were over the Bosphorus bridge the rain stopped and it cleared up somewhat. We were deposited near Taksim Square and needed to make our way to our hostel located in the historical old city of Istanbul just a few minutes from the Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, Topkapý Palace.
Knowing that we were staying on the European side I thought it would be a great idea to travel through the Asian side to see what it had to offer. Picking up a local bus transfer enabled us to see some of what was on offer however it was getting dark and was raining. Luckily once we were over the Bosphorus bridge the rain stopped and it cleared up somewhat. We were deposited near Taksim Square and needed to make our way to our hostel located in the historical old city of Istanbul just a few minutes from the Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, Topkapý Palace.
Public Transport was....wait for it...amazing! Trams every five minutes, an underground metro system, buses, taxis, boat taxis you name it they've got it!
We were a little tired and lost but met some friendly locals who offered to show us the way. We found our first station Taxsim Square that would take us to Kabatas. The short journey was an interesting one on the 'funicular railway' which is 600 meters long and climbs approximately 60 meters in 110 seconds. A really interesting experience!
From there we took various overground trams to the old city by the two most famous mosques, the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia. Although it was evening time it was still lovely and warm and there was still a fair amount of people around in the restaurants and park in front of the Blue Mosque.
We were a little tired and lost but met some friendly locals who offered to show us the way. We found our first station Taxsim Square that would take us to Kabatas. The short journey was an interesting one on the 'funicular railway' which is 600 meters long and climbs approximately 60 meters in 110 seconds. A really interesting experience!
From there we took various overground trams to the old city by the two most famous mosques, the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia. Although it was evening time it was still lovely and warm and there was still a fair amount of people around in the restaurants and park in front of the Blue Mosque.
New Arrivals
Canon 17-40mm @40mm, f9, 8 sec, ISO100
Stepping off the tram at the nearest stop to our hostel at around 8pm we were greeted by the site of the Blue Mosque at night. As you can see from the image it wasn't an opportunity we were going to miss to get the cameras out (even with extra luggage in tow).
I captured this image using a handy wall as a makeshift tripod and a long exposure value. After a few attempts at getting the most affective water movements and colour combos it came out pretty well don't you think?
We headed to the hostel to find we could only pay in cash so had to head back to the mosques where we saw a cash point. Once that had been settled we realised we were staving as had travelled the best part of the day. Luckily there were loads of local restaurants and bars to choose from. We opted for the easy option which was the closest and also affiliated with our hostel. The food was amazing, but more on that later!
I captured this image using a handy wall as a makeshift tripod and a long exposure value. After a few attempts at getting the most affective water movements and colour combos it came out pretty well don't you think?
We headed to the hostel to find we could only pay in cash so had to head back to the mosques where we saw a cash point. Once that had been settled we realised we were staving as had travelled the best part of the day. Luckily there were loads of local restaurants and bars to choose from. We opted for the easy option which was the closest and also affiliated with our hostel. The food was amazing, but more on that later!
What to see and do?
We woke up early for breakfast on the hostel's roof terrace, we were not expecting the amazing views or food. We are seasoned travellers and prefer to spend our money on actually travelling and experiencing the places we visit to the full. We don't often stay in hotels. We have found hostels or 'guest houses' in many countries to be superb and not expensive. You also get to meet some interesting people.
Pictured right is Andrea (my better half) enjoying our fresh breakfast with views of the Bosphorus behind her. It was a great start to the day and I was already warming to this amazing City.
We had a small list of places we wanted to see which included The Grand Bazaar and spice market, the 3 most popular mosques, the royal palace and potentially the Princess Islands. However I have always found that on your first day it's a good idea just to go out and explore. Often you are still acclimatising and may still be tired from travelling so from a photo taking point of view its good to not have too many plans on the first day. Just go out and explore!
Pictured right is Andrea (my better half) enjoying our fresh breakfast with views of the Bosphorus behind her. It was a great start to the day and I was already warming to this amazing City.
We had a small list of places we wanted to see which included The Grand Bazaar and spice market, the 3 most popular mosques, the royal palace and potentially the Princess Islands. However I have always found that on your first day it's a good idea just to go out and explore. Often you are still acclimatising and may still be tired from travelling so from a photo taking point of view its good to not have too many plans on the first day. Just go out and explore!
Istanbul - Realisations
When travelling to a new country it is always a good idea to be observant early on and keep a few simple rules in mind. In our home countries and towns we all know where the good and bad areas are and that there are certain areas we would never wish to find ourselves at night.
Firstly with any country unless you can fluently speak the language and don't have a camera strapped to you (not an option I'm afraid) then you will look like a tourist. A few tips here that I always follow.
Firstly with any country unless you can fluently speak the language and don't have a camera strapped to you (not an option I'm afraid) then you will look like a tourist. A few tips here that I always follow.
- Keep cash in small denominations about your person (preferably between two people) as well as debit cards. Don't let one person carry everything.
- Keep a small amount of change / notes in a separate pocket. If you go to pay or 'pay off' someone if taking their photo or begging children for example, it's better to have a small bit of change than pulling out a wallet full of money!
- Keep your eyes open and work as a team keeping an eye on each other when taking photos, especially when setting down equipment.
- Talk to other tourists and locals get a feel of what the place is like.
Canon 17-40mm @17mm, f7.1, 1/100 ISO100
Luckily for us everyone we came across was very accommodating and friendly from the locals to the tourists. Usual rules apply, expect the locals to try and make a living and charge more. For anything you buy know the currency converstion and stick to your maximum price. In the case of Istanbul they are generally insulted unless you haggle!
As a photographer one of my primary concerns is for my equipment when travelling and biggest fears is having anything stolen. I have never been mugged or had any equipment stolen but I put this down to the fact that generally if I'm in a place or situation where I don't feel comfortable getting my camera out it stays hidden away (in my non obvious rucksack that doesn't have big 'steal me' Canon logos on it).
We quickly noticed that around the nearest Mosque to our hostel the Blue Mosque there were plenty of tourists with cameras. One of the benefits I guess to DSLRs being widely available and affordable these days.
So the image taking commenced :
As a photographer one of my primary concerns is for my equipment when travelling and biggest fears is having anything stolen. I have never been mugged or had any equipment stolen but I put this down to the fact that generally if I'm in a place or situation where I don't feel comfortable getting my camera out it stays hidden away (in my non obvious rucksack that doesn't have big 'steal me' Canon logos on it).
We quickly noticed that around the nearest Mosque to our hostel the Blue Mosque there were plenty of tourists with cameras. One of the benefits I guess to DSLRs being widely available and affordable these days.
So the image taking commenced :
Part 2 coming soon.........
