Caves Over Anatolian Plains
Another view of the plains from the balloon ride.
More Balloons
A view of more balloons over a different part of the plains.
Balloons over Homes
The diversity of the views in Kapadokya was one of my favorite parts of the balloon rides. I wondered how the locals felt about all the hot air balloons over their homes all the time.
Balloon Over the Plains
A beautiful shot of the plains with a lone hot air balloon over it while others are still getting inflated. The plains were so beautiful and serene.
Inside the Hot Air Balloon
A shot I thought was interesting of the inside of the hot air balloon.
Grand Bazaar Interior
As a follow-up to my previous post about the Grand Bazaar, here’s a shot of the interior. Fans of Assassins’s Creed may recognize this from the Grand Bazaar mission. Their attention to details on the little things like windows and rafters is mind blowing to me.
Dome in the Sultan’s Harem
A shot of the dome inside the Harem. This one shows off more of the blue tile work in a brighter light, along with the gold accents around the dome.
Sultan’s Harem
A photo of the inside of the Sultan’s Harem at the Topkapi Palace. I intentionally kept it dark to show off the light and how stunning the blue tile work was. I also learned quite a bit about what the actual function of the Sultan’s Harem actually was. I had a misconception that they were full of beautiful women who lazed around to tend to the Sultan’s whims and desires when in reality the...
Slums in Turkey
Our tour guide pointed out some slums in Turkey to give us a perspective on how we often take the things we have in life for granted. He mentioned how most were not safe for living and the police would often harass the people living there even though most had no other choice.
Lunch Time
I caught this photo near the Sultan’s Harem in Istanbul. I thought it was a nice shot of reality.
Turkish Lights
Turkish Lights in the Grand Bazaar. These lights were beautiful, but our tour guide warned us that the Grand Bazaar was a tourist trap, and most stuff inside was either junk or major ripoffs, so I didn’t end up buying anything but snagged some cool photos as a souvenir.
Cat at Anatolian Plains
I’m starting the month of June with another cat photo. This one was taken at the Anatolian Plains in Cappadocia. Cappadocia, Turkey, is the historic area of central Anatolia bounded by the towns of Hacıbektaş, Aksaray, Niğde, and Kayseri (map). It was known as Cappadocia in ancient times and is still called Kapadokya informally today. Cappadocia is Turkey’s most visually striking...
Ruined Tree
I reached my goal and posted one new picture every weekday for the entire month of May. I’m ending the month of May with a picture that is one of my favorites. It is an HDR photo of a dead tree I saw amongst the ruins in Turkey. A dead tree amongst the ruins of an area full of such history felt poetic to me.
Light Through the Window
Taken in the Sultan’s Harem at Topkapı Palace. The light coming in was so beautiful against the blue tile.
Sleepy Kitty
This cat was sitting out in the sun but didn’t really enjoy the attention. I only took three pics because he looked me, closed his eyes, and put his head own. and then left it alone.
Psittacula Parakeets
Commonly referred to as ring-necked parakeets, brightly colored Psittacula and the Alexandrine parakeets, named after Alexander the Great, fly over Turkey’s different regions each year, with their population on the rise. These outgoing and independent Afro-Asian parakeets adorn trees in parks and recreational areas, mainly in Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. Yet, it is possible to see them...
Medieval Architecture Oil Drops
I can’t remember which building this was, but it’s definitely from a building in Istanbul. From what I remember from the tour guide’s explanation, back in the day, soldiers would drop hot oil on invading enemies using the drops on either side of the wall and then set their enemies on fire. I tried searching for more information on the building and how it was used but I...
Hot Air Balloons
Another shot of Hot Air Balloons in Kapadokya. As the morning progressed, the skies and fog cleared up and the shots got brighter and brighter.
Seagull over the Bosphorus River
As part of the tour, we boarded a cruise ship to tour Istanbul on the Bosphorus river. Most of the photos didn’t turn out great as the boat was moving too fast and the weather was drab, but I did manage to snag this picture of a seagull. I thought it was interesting because of how translucent the features look at the edges of the wings.
Hot Air Balloons in Turkey
This photo was taken from the air over Kapadokya. Kapadokya and the balloon ride was the highlight of the trip, and I still cannot believe how beautiful everything was. We missed the sunrise launch due to a faulty balloon, but I still managed to get some pictures that made me happy. The weather was also foggy and hazy, but I was able to salvage many photos using Lightroom’s dehaze...
Genuine Fake Watches
This stall’s sign made me laugh when I saw it so naturally, I had to take a picture. At least they were honest!
Giant Wheel of Schwarma
As I was walking through the streets of Istanbul with the tour group and noticed many vendors had set up Shawarma wheels and grabbed a few pictures of them in action as I walked through, but this was the largest wheel I saw by far. The food smelled delicious, but sadly we didn’t get to try any of it as we didn’t have enough time to stop. I always wondered if the vendors were...
Ruins From Turkey in HDR
A photo I took of some ruins and used the in-camera HDR on my Canon 5D Mark III to capture, handheld. I believe this was taken at Ephesus but I can’t be sure.
Tabby Cat
Another one of the many cats that I found during my travels in Turkey. This one didn’t seem to mind the closeup. Most of the other cats would either close their eyes or look away if I tried to take their picture.
Squirrel
I find it fascinating how the Squirrel coats are different colors in different parts of the world. Taken somewhere in Turkey.
Mountains and Sun
Taken while wandering through Turkey as part of the tour. I have no idea where this was.
Sleeping Puppy in the Ruins
I found a adorable sleeping puppy while wandering the ruins.
Temple of Artemis – Archway
Just an archway that framed a doorway which I thought was interesting.
Temple of Artemis – Ruins
Another shot from the Temple of Artemis.
I Wish Upon a Leaf
I don’t remember where in Turkey I took this picture but the leaf stood out and the message made me smile. I hope Rachel had her wishes come true.
Temple of Artemis
I had a tough time remembering where this photo was taken and had to do a lot of location searching to find it. It turns out that the tour stopped at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. I’m embarrassed to admit I don’t remember anything the tour guide said because I was too busy trying to get photos of the mostly empty ruins before the place filled up with other tour groups. I...
Interior of the Hagia Sophia
One of the things I loved most about my trip to Turkey was the fact that I was able to connect two things I love – video games and history. I am a huge Assassin’s Creed fan, especially the Ezio series. Assassin’s Creed Revelations takes place in Constantinople, which later became present-day Istanbul, and I had learned so much about the region from the game. Having played it...
Ice Cream Vendor in Turkey
The kind gentleman, one of the famed Maraş Dondurma ice cream cart vendors, was willing to let me take his photo. He was one of the famed ice cream vendors in Turkey who performs sleight of hand with the ice cream while serving you. It’s a fun act to watch, and the ice cream is delicious. Traditional Turkish ice cream is chewy, thick, and has an elastic texture. This result stems...
Purrfection – Cat on a Wall
I found this gem when going through old pics from my trip to Turkey. I quite love how this picture turned out and find it incredibly soothing and peaceful. Even though it’s not my cat, I might get this one printed to hang on my wall. Surprisingly, this was taken in Winter, but I cannot remember which part of Turkey. I have to assume it was taken near Gallipoli as it’s near the...
Lightroom CC Dehaze Filter in Action
When I went to Turkey in 2013, I took some shots early in the morning during the hot air balloon launches. Unfortunately, a fog had rolled in and a lot of the early shots I took were hazy and foggy. I never got around to deleting the photos even though I didn’t consider them usable. I was looking through the old photos I never processed grumbling about how the fog ruined them and then...