Istanbul

Hi all ... I'm just back from 6 days in Istanbul which really is the most amazing place - it has suddenly jumped to my second favourite city of all time, apart from my own. I have (as you might imagine) hundreds of images to sort through, but here is a sampler.

The first is a carpet merchant in the Grand Bazaar. The second is a detail in the Topkapi Palace, which was the palace of the Ottoman Sultans until 1853. The last is the fabulous Blue Mosque at night (named after the colour of the interior tiling) - our hotel was about a 10 minute walk away.

As always, any comments are welcome and appreciated.

There is a whole pile more pictures at: http://album2591.fotopic.net/c1270435.html

Cheers
Mike

Mike - Nice shots overall. This city has a long history to it and I bet you could even find a layer back to when the Greeks were there.

The top shot, I find it nice in some respects. The hanging carpets depict the area it was taken in. The floor is a twister.. its diagonal angle throws me a bit. The fellow there is good, I like human interaction, but he is somewhat plainly clothed -- too bad he isnt wearing something a bit more ethnic or something.

The second shot has potential, but I find that it is leading you into a room but there is nothing in the room :( It needed a person leading you in there, I think. The door design is decent, but there is just too much void.

The bottom shot is awesome. Could be sharper, but the orange and blue are complementary colors and really jump out. I like the branches on the righ, but wish there was something comparable on the left. Perhaps a bit more foreground too.

Good job and post some more.
GB

I really like the third shot. This is excellent exposure. You used the perfect F/stop. Not blowing out the lights on the poles at the bottom or creating the star effect is top notch. Looking at the sky it must have been a fairly long exposure? Well Done....
Greg

Thanks for your comments guys. I always appreciate it. As I said, these were just a few of a lot of images.

Greg - I think the exposure for the night shot wasn't really all that long - about a tenth of a sec. There was still quite a lot of light in the sky. The camera was balanced on a hedge :p

GB - that first picture had me scratching my head for a while - as you say, the angles are all over the place and no matter how you rotate it, it looks like it's leaning. In the end I opted for it straight. It's the chaaotic nature of the many of the shops and stalls in the bazaar. Re the second shot, it's actually looking out of the room into a courtyard. However, you are right and perhaps I should have tried it looking in.

Cheers
Mike