Blue moon rising Day 12

"Blue" moon rising over Asian side of Istanbul. Blue moon is the name for second full moon in a calendar month which apparently happens only every 19 years. Nothing to do with feeling blue ;-D

Have a ball ;-)

Happy, healthy and fun 2010!

Close up (not cropped from the picture on top but from another portrait format shot, my lens of 300mm was not close-up-y enough...) - I like how this "balloon" is rolling down the hill :-D

"Dobro je. Hvala." Day 11

Shopping streets behing the Spice Market and below the Grand Bazaar are great fun and a land of Ali Baba caves. They are also full of interesting characters, not to mention a fab slimming diet for my valet.

Walking around, I saw this guy sitting in his tiny shop (therefore he was practically almost sitting on a pavement) and I liked his face and the contrast that this setting provided. I was on the other side of the street, made eye contact and lifted my camera to signal if it's OK to take a pic. He nodded. I shot. As I normally do, I showed him the result and he said, very clearly, in a language I understand: "Dobro je. Hvala." Translation would be: "It's good/nice. Thank you." My mouth fell open. My jaw dropped with a clank. Then my shocked brain started to work again. He must be a Bosniac Turk or maybe studied in my region or worked there... and he surely overheard our group talking in Slovenian. It's similar enough to pinpoint where we're coming from and... therefore the (ups, my) surprise.

Actually, especially in the Bazaar, many salesmen seem to speak an infinite number of languages. They love to greet you in your own language and are often fluent enough to sell you something (sizes, colours, prices...). It's rather amazing to watch. Of course, it's also a great way to further the sale. After the obligatory apple tea, naturally ;-D

Apple tea break Day 10

Enjoying the late afternoon sun (on a quite cold day compared to the last few) with some good music, long rest and a hot cup of Turkish apple tea. We manage to get most visitors addicted to this delicious beverage - as to how much we drink it mmmmmmm maybe I should not admit that. Love it, all three of us.

Fishy rainy day Day 9

It rained today so we ended up in Turkuazoo aquarium in Forum. Great place for kids of all ages, horrible to shoot, which means I have to go back and practice. I need to find a day when not exactly all Istanbuli schools decide to visit... Otherwise I recommend it - they have aglass tunnel through / underneath the biggest tank + several other fish tanks showing the habitats from around the world. Teenager was obviously and "appropriately" interested in piranhas, eels and sharks. Oh, yes, and lobster - he fondly remembers astakomakaronada (Greek pasta with lobster). 

High ISO, low light conditions in the tunnel, fast sharks and capricious autofocus means I didn't get many decent shots. One of the ones I did, ends up here :-D

I slightly prefer the other one (bottom) but friend and hubby chose this one because you can actually see it's a fish ;-D

Abstract tonight Day 8

Had a fun non photo day today - caught the last remnants of light in Arnavutkoy on old yalis i.e. old waterfront houses/palaces which are mainly wooden, full of ornaments and other monochromatic decorations. I loved how the lit windows formed an abstract pattern, so the title is Abstract tonight.

Childhood games of the times past Day 7

I get nostalgic thinking of the times when children played on the streets, enjoyed their afternoons with friends and still managed to do their duties. I loved it when I was little! Nowadays we drive them everywhere, organize (!) play-dates, drag them to every possible afternoon activity as soon as they've spoken appreciatively about a sport/art/music...

Istanbul's neighbourhood of Fethiye, being poor, still sees free roaming children playing with whatever they find and whomever is around. There a little boy is happily playing with a smug little girl, not worrying about tomorrow or his credit running out on the online game he got hooked on lately. Yap, these two indeed play some Childhood games of the times past.

Street food ambiance can sometimes beat any restaurant Day 6

Ah, the kumpir in Ortakoy! Smelly (the thing is a big potato with many extras from sauces to veggies to... well almost anything), loud (the vendors of course, a chance of beating the competition seems to become more and more tangible to them when decibels soar) and funny (ups, for me. In my language potato is called krompir and the Turkish name for the thingy sounds like a toddler trying to speak with mouth full of sticky toffee) yet enjoyed as delicacy by appreciative locals.

3 young, modestly dressed girls enjoyed their portions today in Ortakoy. With the view of the beautiful Ortakoy mosque, Bosporus bridge, Asian side palaces across, passing ships and the flowing waters of Bosporus itself, this setting is hard to beat. There comes today's title Street food ambiance can sometimes beat any restaurant.

Bon Appetit! Don't worry if you haven't eaten just now, Turks say it all the time - before and after the meal :-D

Merry Christmas from Istanbul Day 5

Seeing today is the day of Christmas eve (most important for my Roman Catholic roots) I could not avoid this subject, could I? ;-D

Oh, yes, if I would have to name the most impressive church I ever saw, it would definitely be the Holy Wisdom (that's what Ἁγία Σοφία means!). Well, hmmm, slight hiccup - I can say that only after digging deep into my imagination. Yap, the structure seen today is very impressive and to imagine that it's from 530s, was build in just few years, designed by mathematician and physicist and ended up (after a minor mishap of collapsed dome due to an earthquake) having the interior height of 55.6m - wow!! 

Yet I'm hard pressed to really, really picture it as it was - with its 15m high silver iconostasis, the golden dome seemingly rendered weightless by unbroken arcade of 40 arched windows under it and the golden mosaics on the walls and vaults... Just a few remain today and a part of one is today's photo Merry Christmas from Istanbul!

The sad story is that the Latin Crusades vandalized it (as well as the rest of the city, where do you think the horses from San Marco in Venice come from?!) in 1204 - oh yes, including the golden mosaics depicting the saints, Holy Mary, Jesus... Then it ended up converted into a mosque, grew 4 minarets, acquired a mihrab and minbar not to mention the huuuuuuge circular wooden plates bearing the names of prophets in Arabic.

Now I close my eyes and its former glory is not glowing fully even then. I cannot imagine its magnificence. Judging by the mosaics it was out of this world.

These are still the songs unsung Day 4

Ended up in one of the biggest Ottoman era graveyards today. Far from being creepy these places resemble more an open air museum than the last resting place. The gravestones are fascinating works of art and are sometimes breathtakingly beautiful. Surprisingly they're scattered all over - following absolutely no pattern - some of them askew, some of them fallen, some others pilled up... I've been told that this is the result of a firm belief that the soul has moved on after 7 years, which leaves room for another body to be buried in that place, discarding the previous stone somewhere near by.

Some of the gravestones resemble human shape and "wear" hats, fes, turbans. Some are decorated with flower patterns, very often incredibly intricate ones. Some just bear inscriptions in Arabic which to me resemble songs. Therefore today's title is These are still the songs unsung - a melancholic melody for the spirit free.

30 TRillion or 30 million lira Day 3

Day 3 was tough!!! I just did not expect to experience a setback so early in the project. I barely managed to find a shot OK enough to post! Not much interesting stuff and lots of ruined photos due to people jumping in front of my lens *sigh*

Finally I decided on this guy. He's one of the lottery ticket sellers that Istanbul is full of these days. The title of this photo 30 TRillion or 30 million lira is a marketing gimmick many of them use. They try to stand out in any possible way attracting attention to themselves with noise, flashing lights, weird costumes, seriously: anything. It's such a laugh!

Happy little shopper from the Bazaar alias The freedom of the little girls Day 2

A sweety pie for today.. a Happy little shopper from the Bazaar. Enjoying the outing with her parents, she looked so content. This is just after she got a little present. Her mother and older sister were completely covered and very modest but she is still allowed the flamboyant freedom of a little darling doll. Dressed mainly in pink, with the jewelry and flower details on her fur-like coat plus the bokeh in the back ground she reminds me of the joy of Xmas shopping.

Intense start Day 1

Enjoyed chasing the unsuspecting subjects around Galata bridge today. Being Sunday meant that there were many ;-D

One of the most interesting aspects of Turkish culture are the headscarves. Nope, I'm not going to go into political ideas concerning pro and contra. I meant interesting as in versatility and decorative imagination of the women forced or choosing to don them.

I love her headscarf. I also love the intensity of her facial expression and have (you might say predictably) titled it The intensity of motherhood.

Tomorrow, tomorrow... Day 0

Hmm, I'm starting tomorrow. Slightly panicked or should I say terrified ;-D

Well to tell you a bit about the project... I'm supposed to photograph daily then post the best shot, preferably a fantastic photograph and - well, enjoy the thing, learn in the process and hope that my creativity can keep me going for long enough to finish this project. Oh, did I mention I have to have a life as well??

Today I'm posting the most successful photograph from the recent PCIIW (Photo club of international women in Istanbul) exhibition. Sold out, as it is. I prefer limited editions to poster printing.
[more shots from the exhibition can be found following this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/mojcaandrojna/]

I've given it the title Life is... taking a break when opportunity arises. It was taken on a little jetty on the European side of the Bosporus straits with a view of the Black Sea. I love the texture the wooden planks offered as well as the prevailing feeling of relaxation. If you look closely you'll see ships sailing along the Asian shore (right hand side). This image was stuck in my head for a while and I was just waiting impatiently to be able to finally make it. I love it!

Before it all began, day -1

Istanbul, my 5th home.

I fell for this city, hard. Fell for its beauty, changeability, remnants of the past scattered all over, sometimes accommodated in the most surprising manner, hidden or proudly displayed, derelict or lovingly restored. There's one saying that has proven true with each and every visitor I had: whatever you think of this city, it will surprise you. It still surprises me, sometimes - and that holds my attention - and that makes me want to drag around my heavy Canon -- daily!! -- insane as this sounds.

Curiosity defines me lately, and it seems that it defines her as well. I titled this one There was once a sad little princess... Oooh it didn't take her long to lose the unhappy look, but this shot is just so much more powerful and real than anything posed could ever be.