Wide angle: a photo walk through Istanbul, Turkey

Apr 24—2012

I am feeling inspired by the rich cityscape of Istanbul: the kaleidoscope of colours, the exotic scents that hang on humid air, the lovely clash and clamour on the streets. Some of my favourite days here have been spent wandering the labyrinth of possibilities, taking time to notice and capture the quirks that collectively create this unique city.

I’ve been particularly drawn to the textures; I’m loving how corrugated iron, dusty concrete and chipboard façades abut, forming varying surfaces in this shape-shifting city. And the palette, oh so vibrant, jumping from tiles and carpets and walls to dance in a dizzying blur around me. I’ve also developed a fondness for the way disrepair flirts with the delightful; the streets graciously host these derelict characters as if they understand that they need a gritty edge to hold their own.

Here are some of the images from my recent walks.

Art, City snapshot, Culture, Photography, Travel

20 responses

Sarah Garvey

April 24, 2012

Was the tree painted or strung with some kind of knitting? It looks lovely.

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1. Nic Freeman
  
  April 24, 2012
  
  It was covered in a custom-knitted tree sweater. Each patch had been individually knitted and, I imagine, knitted together around the tree. It was lovely. And people were hugging it!
  
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  1. Ruth Hubbard
    
    May 24, 2012
    
    Guerilla knitting!!
  2. Nic Freeman
    
    May 26, 2012
    
    Isn’t it wonderful! Thought of you and Bristol as soon as I saw it.
2. Justyna
  
  September 23, 2012
  
  Sarah: That looks like a tree sweater to me. We have them all over Austin, TX. Now that I think about it…why do we have them here? It never gets cold! 🙂
  
  Reply
Gunta

April 24, 2012

Graffiti just like back home 😉

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1. Nic Freeman
  
  April 24, 2012
  
  I love finding inspiring street art all over the world. Makes me feel like we are all one people, despite our many languages.
  
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I HAVE A VOICE

April 24, 2012

Unbelievably and beautiful ~Ye wonderful !

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andreasherrodd

April 24, 2012

Love the detail shots–beautiful!

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1. Nic Freeman
  
  April 24, 2012
  
  Thanks Andrea, glad you like them. Taking them kept me very happily occupied.
  
  Reply
Karen @ Folk Haven

April 24, 2012

Gorgeous photos!

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1. Nic Freeman
  
  April 24, 2012
  
  Thanks Karen.
  
  Reply
lostdododesigns

April 25, 2012

Absolutely beautiful images! Thanks for sharing:) I especially loved the image of statue of the lady in pink.

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1. Nic Freeman
  
  April 25, 2012
  
  Thanks! Yes she was quite intriguing. Found her in a street in Beyoglu district commonly known as ‘French Street’ as it was apparently designed by a French architect to look like a typical French street. Although it’s narrow with balconies and ornate facades, it’s also quite techno-coloured, I think the actual name of the street is Algeria Street…
  
  Reply
samson davis

April 28, 2012

I wish there was a ‘love’ button to click…I mentioned your site to “theperpetualvagabond.com”. You might like her work, too.

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1. Nic Freeman
  
  April 28, 2012
  
  Oh thanks Samson! I love blogging – so glad it translates. thepepetualvagabond.com is a great site, cheers for the recommendation. Her photos have the same quirky, colourful focus that I enjoy
  
  Reply
Reflections: A 2012 Travel Photo Essay | NicFreeman

May 28, 2012

[…] the halls of Uppsala Cathedral, Sweden, the passages of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey and the edges of the Roman baths in Bath, […]

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ottsworld

September 9, 2012

Just gorgeous work and a great eye for texture and patterns. I love how you displayed these in the post…is this s plug in or did you just do this via html? Lovely!

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1. Nic Freeman
  
  September 9, 2012
  
  Thanks Sherry. I love texture and patterns, and Istanbul was just too accommodating! Such an exciting city to photograph.
  
  No tricks with the display, just manual re-sizing and posting with Windows Live Writer. I get such satisfaction from the process, although it’s a little time consuming.
  
  Reply
Gratitude for a Wonderful Year of 2012 Travel Adventures « Nic Freeman

December 31, 2012

[…] living the inner city apartment life, from where I spent weeks weaving through ancient streets, photographing delightful details, taking day trips and working on freelance contracts. My articles about Molla-Celebi Mosque and […]

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