SkyBlueSky

Penang for Feast Magazine

I love traveling and I love travel photography but there is always something nice when you can do travel photography with leaving home which is what I did for a feature on Penang street food in this month's SBS Feast Magazine.

 (Above : Asam laksa from two lovely sisters on Erskine Road, Tanjung Tokong, Penang). 

(Above : Diners wanted. Chilies to be served along side koay teow th'ng (noodle soup)).

(Above : Poh Lay Koay Teow Th'ng. Conveniently located half a block from my house. Nice folks, too!).

(Above : The Legend - Mdm Soon Suan Choo and her char koay teow. I went to her shop the first time I came to Penang in 2006. At that time people warned me that she was a tough character along the lines of Sienfeld's 'Soup Nazi' but I behaved myself, got served and paid the 'outrageous' sum of RM8 (about U$2.50 - most versions are about a dollar) for a plate. Today, looking back it is still a great version (I'm not one to say best..it's all subjective) and frankly she may have mellowed a bit letting me hang over her wok for 30 minutes or so to get the shot above. Something I wouldn't have imagined happening when I first visited her in 2006).

(Above : My favorite vendor in Chow Rasta Market convinces a tough customer that his greens are the freshest by snapping the stem). 

(Above :  Butchers in Chow Rasta Market work in the early evening to break down hog carcasses for local restaurants.) 

(Above : The action goes well into the night. In Penang many vendors still use charcoal for cooking).

(Above : the 'ol red, white and blue - Penang style.)

Want more Penang? Join me this July 18-21 for a fun filled food and travel photography workshop. Still a few places left! Check here for details. See you there!

Want to live the photographer life vicariously? Follow me on Instagram : http://instagram.com/davehagerman (@Davehagerman) or click on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DavidHagermanPhotography 

Tamil Nadu for Feast

One of the frustrating aspects of this job is that assignments are always too short. That certainly was the case when I was asked to shoot location stills in Tamil Nadu for Feast Magazine's April issue (sorry, print only for now). Traveling to a new place I feel like I'm just getting in the groove when it's time to pack up and head home. 8 days in Chennai, Kariakudi and Madurai just wasn't enough. Still I have plenty of visual souvenirs until that time I'm lucky enough to get a call back.

(Above : A worshipper at a temple outside Madurai)

(Banana dealers in Madurai's morning market. This market was the highlight of the trip (in a trip with many highlights)).

 (Lunch choices at a 'mess' in Karaikudi)

(flower dealers in Chennai's Koyambedu Wholesale Market)

( a seller of curry leaves, Koyambedu Market)

(proud owner of a vintage Ambassador. Wish I could have brought one of those back).

(above / below - dosa - I ate very well).

 

(The original cubicle - a goldsmith in Chennai).

(street fashion in Chennai)

(Coffee and tea stall, Karaikudi).

(observing Karthigi - the Festival of Lights - Karaikudi).

(Deco style building in Karaikudi). 

For more work for Feast click over here and here.

Editors - if you like what you see, please send me back. There are a lot more pictures to be taken.  

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We're back! Turkey Cooking and Photography Workshop, May 26 - 31, 2014

We had such a great time in September, 2013 that we said 'hey, we''ve got to do this again'. And so we are.

Mark your calendar for May 26-31 (Memorial Day weekend if you're coming from the states) and join us in the fun. For more details checkout our website here. 

Late May is a perfect time to be in Sapanca - think fresh produce in the markets, mild temperatures and great light. We will be adding additional photography instruction sessions as well as plenty of one on one instruction and review. (read what last year's participants had to say ).

(Above : 'the lodge', Zeliş Çifliği, overlooking Lake Sapanca where the workshop is held).

(the light, the LIGHT..!).

Drop me a line at [email protected] if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!

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Road Trip!

In the last two years I've spent a lot of time criss crossing Turkey by car. This last trip, the longest at 4 weeks was possibly the most 'epic'. Part assignment work, part research for future assignments and part just fun. I've said it before but I am constantly amazed at the diversity of the Turkish landscape and the generosity of its' people. A few highlights : 

In the northern Anatolian city of Çorum I spent a morning wandering the old market area where I stopped and chatted (and drank tea) with a knife maker (above) and third generation leather craftsman. Later that morning I stopped off for a simit - probably one of the best I've ever had. One thing lead to another and crack of dawn the next morning I found myself in the bakers' shop watching he and his crew crank out batch after batch. 

I love random encounters. This guy ran up to me in Çorum and asked me to take his picture. After I did I went to show him the pic in the LCD and he walked off without looking. No idea what was going on there.

In Kahramanmaraş a group of kids wanted me to take their photos. As I was shooting them this little girl broke from the pack and ran over to this door. Obviously, she had more esthetic sense than I did. That door is right out of a Hollywood prop room. Wonderful.

Food is often a gateway for me. In Antakya, two ladies sat in an alleyway cleaning beans. I stopped to take a detail of the beans inwhich they promptly invited us into their home (a turn of the century French villa no less) for coffee. As we drank coffee people would poke their heads in and ask about the beans. They showed us around the house and ask I was leaving I wondered to myself if I would invite perfect strangers into my house? 

In the Black Sea town of Sinop, fishing is not solely a male activity. 

On a warm afternoon in Istanbul this man strolled out and after lovingly dusting off his baby blue Vespa sat on the bike with a look of shear delite.

If anything Turkey has taught me how to 'hang'. Until I started going to Turkey I had little desire to sit and drink coffee or tea. Now it seems wrong if I don't spend a least some time each day doing just that. 

Ah, the road. Is there a better feeling than having a tank of gas and no itinerary?

For more from the road in Turkey, check out my galleries here, here, here and here.

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What a fantastic week! 8 participants and an action packed 5 days of shooting, cooking, eating and hanging out in beautiful Lake Sapanca, Turkey.

(Above : A stilted 'Ambar' or rice bar, located a short walk from Zeliş Çifliği where the workshop was located.)

By Wednesday I realized that I was so excited by participant work that I almost forgot to take any photos of my own. Of course, I slipped in a few shots at a couple of off site locations where we worked. 

(Above : A barber shop in Göynük. About 10 minutes after this shot was taken I manned the chair myself for a clean, close shave.)

A special thanks to Olga Irez for her fantastic cooking demonstrations and beautiful, delicious dishes and to the family and staff at Zeliş Çifliği for their warm, Turkish hospitality. So nice to have met so many interesting people and to make new friends. Watch this space for future workshops in 2014! 

(Above : (first photo) An SUV ride to a 'yayla' or high plain where we had tea and photographed a self described 'hermit. (second photo) Off road afficanado and overall cool dude. One of the drivers that took us up to the 'yayla'.)

For me one of the the beauties of photography is that everyone has a strength. In many cases participants stood side by side and all ended up with completely different photos that reflected those strengths and translated their visions. Everyone pushed themselves to learn new skills and develop their story telling ability. I could not have been more proud of the results. Check out their work here (note : open in full screen mode and turn on captions for credits and additional links):

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Turkish Grilling for Saveur Magazine

I had the good fortune to work with Ansel Mullins as we ate our way through Gaziantep meeting the Ustas behind that city's best kebabs. The results can be found in this month's Saveur. 

Given the depth of the grilling tradition in Turkey to say that an Usta is a mere masters of their trade is a great understatement. The men (all men) we met had nearly all started their kebab careers early in life. They slogged, carrying wood or fetching tea for those that they were apprenticing with. They learned butchery, developed precise techniques,honed their patience and ultimately learned how to run a successful business.  As Ansel put it 'a true Usta is a blend of celebrity chef, Zen master and humble servant". So true of everyone we met.

 

( Above: Usta Ali Gürbüz repurposed a baby carriage which he uses to transport his liver and lamb fat kebabs to his shop near the Gaziantep castle. His day typically starts at four o'clock in the morning where he serves workers and late night partiers). 

(Above : Usta Sirvan Payasli of Sirvan Baklava. He also makes a mean baklava (below) served with sheep milk kymak).

(Above : Ali nazik (kepab in yogurt) at Iman Cagcas).

(Above and below : Usta Halil began working as a youth, sleeping in a butcher's shop where he learned the trade. He passes out free lahmacun everyday to kids that drop by his shop). 

(Halil and his son, who is now part of the business).

(Above :  A young butcher). 

( Imam Cagcas is probably one of the most famous kebab restaurants in Turkey. Mr. Cagcas (above) the son of the shop's founder is unphased by the shop's notoriety). 

(Above : Usta Ali Gürbüz and his repurposed baby carriage).  



Whether from open air shops, street stalls or formal restaurants grilling in Gaziantep is king. At all times of day the air is fragranced with the aroma of the grill. 

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Probably the best time I have had on an assignment. 6 days cruising through the Aegean with little else on the agenda but food and markets. Check out the article here.

Although things are a little tense at the moment it is good to remember that Turkey is a beautiful country with warm friendly people and well, great food.  I am headed back later this week. Just can't seem to get enough of the place. 

Check out the journey with music from Mustafa Ozkent. 

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Siem Reap's Pasar Chas is dark with the occasional beam of light from skylights. You can probably guess where I hung out most of the time. 

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Love Photography? Love Food? Join me in Turkey this Fall!

I am teaming up with cook / writer Olga Tikhonova Irez for a 4 day 5 night cooking and photography workshop. The workshop is just hours outside of Istanbul set in the beautiful hills overlooking Sapanca Lake. We'll cook, hit markets, tour a historic town, take in the Turkish countryside and photograph every thing along the way. 

We'll work on visual story telling with food being the central theme. You'll have one on one time with me to review work and to develop specific photography skills. All skill levels are accepted - all you need to bring is the desire to improve your photography.

Go here for more details or email me directly. Places are on a first come first serve basis so make your plans now!