Istanbul

I didn't really know what to expect from my week in Istanbul - I like to travel and add to my photography portfolio and picked Istanbul on a whim. On arrival in the city you quickly realise you are in a very different place to most cities I go to...it is raw, noisy, beautiful and suprisingly cheap. I had a nice hotel in the old town that did the job very nicely and uber's to my photographic destinations did the job (until Uber was banned 2 days before I left!)

               View from the Seven Hills Hotel right next to the Blue Mosque:                                           Hagia Sophia at sunset:

          The Blue Mosque at Sundown  

Prints and framed images can be purchased here: https://www.mattcooperphotography.com/p1022288793?customize=3

I was in Istanbul during Ramadan and although that makes for an interesting cultural experience from a photographic point of view it ain't all that as you can see from the above picture of The Blue Mosque has a neon signs draped over it. You could say this adds to the picture and you might be right...I'm kind of on the fence about it but think i would prefer the neons not to be there.

watch out at the moment if you're planning to go (June 2018) as there is a lot of scaffolding and restorations going on at the moment, obviously these are necessary but try telling that to a photographer!

Whinging about the scaffolding aside Istanbul is amazing for photography...there are so many high view points and hotels (who are suprisingly happy for you to take pictures from their terrace (well most of them).

I do a lot of research when taking pictures, before and during my visit which is time consuming but well worth it..I use every resource I have and talk to a lot of people to try to find a hidden gem but Google is always your best friend and you can find pretty much everything you need there if you know where and how to look.

                                                       Istanbul from The Marmara Hotel:                                         

                                   Istanbul from                 

Istanbul is Mosque heavy for sure but they are so beautiful why wouldn't you want to take pictures of them?

                                                                                    Sunset in Istanbul:                                                                         

          Istanbul at Sunset  

                       Managed to find a Mosqueless shot...! Taksim Tram:                                     

          The Taksim Tram     

    The Galata Tower was my favourite view of the city and I tried them all! Every rooftop bar and hotel terrace and the pictures from Galata were the

                                                                                           best so put it on your list!

                                                                                               Sunset from The Galata Tower:

       Istanbul from The Galata Tower       

                                          all photos taken by Matt Cooper with a Nikon D850.