One of the highlights of my trip was the cruise down the Bosphorus to the mouth of the Black Sea. As the ferry heads down the narrow strait, you get to see all the poshest bits of the city – the shore is littered with exclusive suburbs, Ottoman Palaces, beautiful villages backed by forested hills, and castles. It’s a fantastically relaxing way to spend a day, and we ended it up with a walk uphill to a ruined Byzantine castle overlooking the Black Sea.
As usual, I ended up taking hundreds of photos (I’m a rubbish photographer, so figure by the the law of averages I should get at least one or two decent snaps if I take loads), and one of the things I was most pleased with was the way the camera caught the real intensity of the blues, both of the sky and the sea.
Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul
Mouth of the Bosphorus looking towards the Black Sea
9 responses so far ↓
nomadicmatt // July 23, 2008 at 10:07 pm |
Those photos of lovely. I’ve been so MIA I didn’t even realize you were in Turkey…..traveling is taking away from my blogging!!!
Rachel // July 24, 2008 at 10:53 am |
You are definitely not a rubbish photographer! I especially like the one of the palace, the amazing intricacy, and the awesome scale, with lovely blue sky….perfect!
Geoff // July 24, 2008 at 11:35 am |
Matt – I’m back now. Did I miss you in London?
Rachel – Thank you!
christinegilbert // July 24, 2008 at 4:05 pm |
I’m the same way, I play the numbers with my camera. Sometimes I get really really lucky. But I still have so much to learn. These are gorgeous pics! I’m thinking of heading over that way… did it feel safe?
Geoff // July 24, 2008 at 4:13 pm |
Christine – I agree totally, I still play the numbers game, and I’m so happy when they come out well. But I still have so much to learn, and I spend a lot of time looking at other people’s travel photos trying to work out what makes them so good.
You should definitely head that way – it feels entirely safe, in fact safer than any western European or North American city I’ve been to. I would recommend Istanbul to anyone.
Jenny // July 25, 2008 at 3:29 am |
Ditto here, you think you got a good shot, but when you upload it, you’d see blurs. But hey! Just click away and you’d get the perfect one!
Mark H // July 27, 2008 at 1:01 am |
I also rely on the numbers game – one of the beauties of digital cameras. Great photos – don’t be so hard on yourself. And the blues are stunning.
Cuckoo // July 28, 2008 at 2:37 am |
Oh My!! If this is rubbish photography then what would be a classic one !! I wonder.
Geoff // July 28, 2008 at 8:33 pm |
Thanks everyone, I’m quite proud of these (oh, and being hard on myself goes with the territory – surely everyone knows the English are experts when it comes to making self-deprecating statements!)