(Above : Nusretiye Mosque, Istanbul February, 2012)
Assignment along the Aegean coast and a stop in Sivas and Tokat. Returning to Penang April 23. Stay tuned to this page for updates on the trip and follow the food adventures over here. See ya!
I was on assignment in Sri Lanka last week and although it is very different in many ways I did find a few similarities from my brief experience in Delhi in 2009. I can't show you the Sri Lanka images yet but here are some from my 36hr wander through Delhi's old quarter.
I'm very excited to be teaming up this summer with the amazing people at Balyolu to offer an 8 night / 7 day photography workshop and expedition of Kars Province in Turkey. Check out tour detailshere.
I consider myself fairly well traveled and able to get 'off the beaten trail' but my experiences are nothing like the access we'll have with Balyolu. Think small villages tucked into lush green valleys, Turkish cowboys tending cattle on high plateaus, wildflowers and that light. We'll take you to places you've only dreamed about and I'll work with you to get the best images possible.
Drop me line if you would like hear more. We will only be taking 6 people so places are limited. See you in June!
Day 6 in Sinop and I've seen the sun for 2 maybe 3 hours. The sky is just grey, grey. I was working around the ports, shooting fishermen as they repaired nets and details on boats. I'm starting to get that panicky feeling when you're shooting a travel story and the weather isn't helping. Give me a storm, or sun - but not this pea soup. I'm about to head back and a fisherman calls me to join he and his friend on his boat. The boat's owner tells me his family came to Sinop from Crimea some 300 years ago. He shows me a Russian book from the 70's with pictures from the village where his family came from. He makes tea, the friend reads the paper and asks a few questions. We watch the dolpins as they surface around the harbour. He offers me more tea and I accept. We're just hanging out. Something I had forgotten how to do.
I met a fishing crew from Trabzon at the Sinop port. They ranged in age from a 'fresh hire' of 22 to a 'veteran' of 25. The youngest guy (left) said he wouldn't be returning next season 'it's cold and wet and the only good thing is that you eat a lot of fish - which is good for you".
We arrived on Monday to a cold, grey rainy Istanbul which in itself is not a bad thing unless you're trying to get over jet lag. On Tuesday we were greeted by perfectly clear skies..in fact I'm not sure if I've seen the city that clear before. We spent the day walking, strolling favorite neighborhoods, stopping to drink tea at our favorite spots..nothing special. As evening approached we took the ferry from Karakoy to Kadakoy staying on the ferry and returning again..because..well..that's how you end a perfect day in Istanbul.
We're returning to the Black Sea for another series of assignments. When we were there in November, 2012 for this story the anchovies / hamsi (hey, why else go) were a little thin on the ground. These photos are from October, 2011 when we were ankle deep in hamsi. The ports were bustling and fishermen and crew welcomed me onto boats and into their galleys.
With any luck the hamsi will be running and I'll get my lens into the middle of it.
(Above : The captain of a commercial fishing vessel checks conditions on the deck in preparation for a night of fishing. Sinop, Turkey)
(Above : A deck worker pauses for a quick smoke. Hamsi were ankle deep. His job is to funnel them into the ships hold.)
(During hamsi season the work goes on day and night)
(Above : A man admires his 'catch'. The two bags of fresh hamsi given to him by the crew of a commercial fishing boat.)