I met the calligrapher Hattat Kamil Nazik in a small studio near the Little Aya Sofya mosque. He produces artwork and greeting cards in Arabic or Latin calligraphy. Took a photo and then headed off towards the Grand Bazaar.
Istanbul’s Aya Sofya (also known as Hagia Sophia) was an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, that would later become a mosque, and is now a museum. Its complex history as one of the world’s greatest cathedrals, and then later as a mosque makes it a fascinating place to visit.
Many many fantastic mustaches in Istanbul. But what would the world be like if everyone had a mustache…
I arrived in Istanbul late in the evening, but managed to do a quick reconnaissance around the Sultanahmet area before going to bed. The key thing I found was a suitable rooftop, and at 6.30AM the following morning I had the perfect position to get shots of the Blue Mosque.
This is where I spent my summers when I was a kid. At low tide you can walk out along a causeway to the lighthouse. When the seas rise, the causeway is submerged and St. Mary’s become and island once again. Not your traditional lighthouse photograph. Thinking about making a big print of this an putting it on my wall. This is a little surprising because normally I’m looking for clear blue skies and smiling faces. Sentimental value I guess. And just in case you were wondering where you’d heard the name Whitley Bay before… And now I’m searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades Searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades In any shooting gallery where promises are made To rockaway, rockaway, rockaway, rockaway From Cullercoats and Whitley Bay out to rockaway lyrics by Mark Knopfler, from Tunnel of Love by Dire Straits
I chose my route back from Japan so that I would fly into Manchester Airport. On previous occasions I have flown to Heathrow and then taken a plane, train or coach up to Manchester. The first two are surprisingly expensive and the last one just makes the long trip so much longer. British Railways may once have been the envy of the world, but if I have to pay vast amounts of money for a ticket I expect the train to come at least close to shinkansen in levels of speed, comfort and reliability.
Along with the other images from the shoot I thought I’d try and get a snorkeling stock image. The ocean isn’t normally so flat, but it was great to get such a clear reflection. If anyone’s interested, I think the best spots on Okinawa for snorkeling are Sunabe Seawall for the vast gardens of soft coral, Cape Maeda for the easy access and the Blue Cave, and Channel Crevices for its shallow tide pool and interesting rock formations. Just remember that when snorkeling don’t rely on an inflatable ring or an air mattress if you’re not a strong swimmer. There have been numerous cases of mainland Japanese drowning after they are pushed out to sea by the wind, or their floatation device is popped by sharps rocks or coral. Also be careful if you snorkel out past the reef edge and the breaking waves. If the winds change and large waves suddenly appear, you may find yourself unable to get back to shore without going through a gauntlet of churning surf.
Here are a few photographs from an early morning beach shoot with Amanda modeling some of Suzanne Somersall’s jewelry. Beautiful morning light, but in minutes it would transform into scorching summer sun. At that point we retreated to the shade. Amanda had her longboard in the car, so it seemed like to good an opportunity to capture some images with a surfer vibe. You can see more of Suzanne’s Jewelry on her homepage at kirakirajewelry.com
First image from a portfolio shoot with model Kelvin Mesmin. I found that to accentuate form when shooting the body, bring the lights further off center. This creates better play of light and shadow rather than a flat light. (In landscape terms this would be the difference between the soft long shadows of late afternoon light compared to the hard short shadows of midday.)
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 