PHOTOGRAPHING ISTANBUL

Since I was a little child who lives in Anatolia and visits Istanbul almost every year, Istanbul was my dreams’ city. Before I was accepted to Robert College, I used to dream about Istanbul and my future life which I planned to live in Istanbul. Every time I visited Istanbul, I had new experiences and learnt new facts which amaze me. Then finally in 2005 I reached my aim and started to live in Istanbul. Besides the fact that I was a borderer student which was limited me with lots of rules, I experienced a lot of new facts. The city continued to amaze me. I felt the air of historical places, mosques, bridges, old buildings; the Bosporus; the wonderful view of the sea etc. I can easily tell Istanbul is still the capital city of my dreams’ life.

There are a lot of unique things about Istanbul. Firstly, the historical places are amazingly beautiful and different than anywhere else I have ever been. A combination of western and eastern cultures (Byzantium and Ottomans) can be seen all around the city. You can see both a mosque which was built in Ottomans time and a Byzantium church and even a synagogue which was built by the Jewish people who emigrated from Spain during 1700s in a single frame. Another unique thing is the people. There are a lot of kinds of people living in the city and a huge gap between the people can be seen. Even near the Bosporus Bridge, one of the most expensive parts of the city, both the high luxury houses and illegal gecekondu called houses can be seen together. I have never seen such a big gap anywhere else. For instance, Cairo was a poor city, I guess poorer than Istanbul. However, most of the houses I saw were very similar with one another. On the other hand, in Europe the poor people usually live in certain parts of the city usually in the uptown not in the downtown near Bosporus like they do in Istanbul. I guess the historical parts and the gap between the people can be used by photographers very effectively to express the city.

I think the people are the most disadvantages parts of Istanbul for a photographer. You can never guess how a person can react when you try to take a shot. As I state previously, there are a lot of different kind of people who may both smile you and beat you up as you take their photographs. The crowded population is also a disadvantages effect for the city, due to the fact that the historical places are damaged and a lot of buildings are built all around the city. On the other hand, the different layers of the city are big advantages which can be used very effectively by a photographer.

Uskudar cost and the view of Kızkulesi and the Galata Tower together is my favorite view of Istanbul. That reflects view reflects Bosporus, the beautiful shining of the sun and the history. However, I think to express the city in one frame, we ought to show the people and the huge gap between people. That’s why if I would take a photograph of Istanbul, I would try to see the gap between people’s life standards; the history, the sea and the sun in one frame. Maybe the Grand Bazaar is a good reflection of the history and the people; however the sea and the sun should be in the photograph.