Mustafa Dedeoğlu | Istanbul

Photo © Mustafa Dedeoğlu-All Rights Reserved

In 1807, Napoleon would exclaim "Constantinople, Constantinople! C'est I'empire du monde!"

When I started photography in earnest some 12 years ago,  my first solo destination was Istanbul. I was attracted to its traditional architecture, its people, its food, its culture and above all its history. After all, my country of birth was part of the Ottoman Empire and there are many similarities between them.

Since that first trip, I went back twice...and the latest was during the 2010 Foundry Photojournalism Workshop where I taught a class on Multimedia. It was like seeing an old friend after a few years of absence. I ate hamsi (whenever I could find them), sardines, kunefe, then drank Efes, rode the ferry and the tram, and dropped by the Grand Bazaar. I could go on and on....

With the memories of Istanbul in mind, I feature the photographic work of Mustafa Dedeoğlu, who photographed his wonderful city, mostly in monochrome.

I also liked Mustafa's work on Anatolia, with many strong portraits, also in monochrome.

Mustafa started taking photos a few years ago ago, and is largely self-taught.  He uses the Nikons d700 and d800 cameras, and prefers wide angle lenses such as the Nikon 14-24 mm. He also used Nix Software's Silver Efex for black and white conversions. In common with many street photographers, Henri Cartier-Bresson is his insipiration.

Istanbul-City of Millions | The Film Artist

"Constantinople! Constantinople!...C'est l'empire du monde!." - Napoleon I, 1807

Here's a very well filmed and produced 12 minutes documentary on one of the most interesting, historically and culturally, cities (or megalopolises) of the world...Istanbul. 

Perhaps superfluous, but here's Istanbul's description from Wikipeida: It's Turkey's economic, cultural, and historical heart, and has a population of 13.5 million.  It's a transcontinental city, straddling the Bosphorus between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies in Europe, while a third of its population lives in Asia.

The Film Artist is another of the Vimeo featured talented and passionate videographers, who's neither a professional or commercial film maker.

This documentary reminded me of my start as a part-time travel photographer in 1998 or so. My very first solo trip with only travel photography in mind was to Istanbul. A city I had never visited, and had no knowledge of except for what I had read in guidebooks. I marveled at the incredibly beautiful majestic mosques such as Sultan Ahmet's answer to the Hagia Sophia, the Suleymaniye, the Yeni mosque,  the Eyup mosque and my favorite, Rüstem Pasa. I had become an "expert" in Ottoman architecture, and was utterly discomfited when no one in Istanbul understood me when asking directions, I'd pronounce "Camii", the Turkish word for mosque, as Kami instead of 'jami'.

And my best culinary experiences were its adana kepap, grilled hamsi, doner, lokum, Turkish coffee (I acquired a taste for this delightful sweet, as well as its bitter coffee in my native Egypt), and of course anything having pistachios in them.

Aga Luczakowska I Female Islambul

Photo © Aga Luczakowska-All Rights Reserved

It was said that in the early 1930s Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (the first president of Turkey) thought of a Machiavellian way to persuade Turkish women to discard their yashmak ( diaphanous Turkish veils) as he regarded this Islamic tradition regressive and primitive. He simply issued a presidential decree that all prostitutes had to wear a veil.

Overnight, all the women in Turkey discarded theirs.

I thought this apocryphal story is a great introduction to Aga Luczakowska's Female Islambul, a collection of monochrome street photographs which depict the current resurgence of veils in Turkish society. She also features Istanbul Girls, a gallery of color photographs of modern unveiled young women in Istanbul night clubs.

Aga Luczakowska started her career as a staff photographer for the Polish daily newspaper "Dziennik Zachodni Polska The Times". In 2007, she traveled to Istanbul where she photographed for two years.Subsequently, she studied in Italy with NOOR Agency founder Stanley Greene, then continued to Romania to pursue various photographic projects in Romania.

Her work appeared in various newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, The Moscow Times, Dziennik Zachodni, National Geographic Magazine (International) and more Polish newspapers and magazines.

David Hagerman: The Ferry Boats of Istanbul

Photo © David Hagerman-All Rights Reserved

David Hagerman attended The Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Istanbul and produced an evocative audio slideshow titled The Ferry Boats of Istanbul, which he just published on his blog.

Yes, Istanbul is the city of Sultanahmet Camii, the Aya Sofya, the Kapalı Çarşı, but it's also the Bosphorus ferries that characterize it. These ferries provide vital links between different areas of that magnificent city, connecting the European and the Asian coastline. The first steam ferries appeared on the Bosphorus in 1837, were operated by private sector companies and currently carry approximately 61 million passengers yearly.

It is these that Dave decided to document. The audio slideshow with its glowing images and ambient sound will transport you in such ferries...the sound of the turnstiles, the sirens, the voices of the passengers, and even the clink of the spoon in tea glasses that are served on ferries...all ambient sound intelligently selected to provide a complete visual and aural experience of these Istanbuli fixtures.

David Hagerman is a photographer based in Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, whose work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal Asia, Saveur, Budget Travel, Travel & Leisure SEA, The Chicago Tribune, South China Morning Post, Time Out KL, and Lonely Planet guidebooks. His work is also featured on the very popular Eating Asia blog.