My finalist photo...

 This photo I took last May at the Bozburun junction on the way to Marmaris selected as one of the 13 finalists on a photo contest organized by ECA& National Geographic..

Geçen Mayıs ayında Marmaris yolu, Bozburun kavşağında çektiğim bu fotoğraf ECA & National Geographic'in düzenlediği fotoğraf yarışmasında finale kalan 13 fotoğraftan biri oldu.

The winner is going to have a Safari in Tanzania. Well, my sweet poppies are not going to see a safari but these sweets goats are...Congrats to the winner - Erkan Bilgin

Yarışmanın büyük ödülü olan Tanzaya'da safariyi benim tatlı gelinciklerim göremeyecek ama bu güzelim keçiler orada olacaklar...Kazanan Erkan Bilgin'i buradan tebrik ederim..

You could see the other finalist from the link below....
Finale kalan diğer fotoğraflara aşağıdaki linkden ulaşabilirsiniz..

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.512441765457264.121610.370787802955995&type=1

Soutwest Wind

 Southwest wind which is called lodos in Turkish is always a big deal in the life of İstanbul. Well, first of all it delays  all the sea traffic, brings warm weathers but most importantly it has been blamed for insomnia and headache..So whenever you complain about a sleepless night or a slight headache during the windy days, everybody immediadely becomes a doctor and tell you that its because of the wind...

These amazing photograps are taken by a chilhood friend of mine, Şebnem Pilgir Aykol. She is a very talented architect and a photographer. She photographed the southwest wind in one of our favorite walking places near the Marmara Sea.
Şebnem dear, thank you very much for allowing me to post these photos on Turquoise Diaries and please visit the much neglected photo blog of Şebnem here..

Dreaming..

Almost all my travels start with a single image. Mostly a photo and sometimes a scene quickly passing from the TV screen. Then that image stays with me until THE day. I dream about it, search about it, journal about it. I could only describe it as a kind of a hunger. Then the time comes and I will go and see it with my own eyes, experince it with all my senses and then the hunger satisfies....

This process sometimes takes couple months sometimes years. When I saw a pale photo of Tibetian monks at a magazine around my junior high years, I remember being vaguly aware of a country named Tibet,and that image found its special place in my mind and stayed with me for nearly 24 years. Needed lots of growing up and saving..

 

When I was looking the photograps of a long time friend, I found one of those images. It was a breath taking view of the town of Amasra, and luckily this time it is only around 400 km away from İstanbul at the Black Sea coast of Turkey..

For these beautiful images and the dreams I would like to thank Serdar Sualp who let me to post these photos on Turquoise Diaries. I am sure that Serdar's hobbies of flying and motorcycling will bring lots of photographs to dream..

Thru the lenses of Oytun Orgul

Today I want to introduce you another Turkish photographer, Oytun Orgul. Well, he is not actually a photographer but a lighting cameraman and he is in the family. He is my husband's cousin... He loves to travel, mountaineer and document his adventures.

Rize -Ayder Plateau

Kars - Ani ruins

Batman - Hasankeyf

Nigde - Aladag Mountains

Rize - Kackar Mountains

Gaziantep Tahmis Coffee House

Oytun is also highly experienced in documentaries and TV programs and shoot some documentaries in some underdeveloped countries like Cambodia & Tajikistan. Above I gave you some examples from his photos from Turkey, for countries like Tajikistan, Cambodia, Malaysia and Kyrgyztan please visit his site at http://www.oytunorgul.com/ and while you are there dont forget to check his magnificent aerial films, especially the one about İshakpasa Palace, a jewel in the eastern part of the country...
and last but not the least,thank you very much Oytun to let Turquoise Diaries to post some of your work..

İstanbul Photos..

Like some people, some cities are more photogenic than others and I believe İstanbul is one of them. It continuously offers you the colors of the present and the past. It's always a joy to hang around with a camera. You may never now what it will reveal to you. Maybe a forgotton story from the past or a glimpse of the day to day struggle...

Today I am posting some magnificent photos from this beautiful city. My friend Guven İlter kindly accepted to share his photos in Turquoise Diaries.. I have been aware of his musical talents but to find out his photographs on his facebook page was a delightful surprise. His web page will soon be ready and I will post the adress from here..

Thank You, Guven.....