These photography focused tours are well preplanned, yet still flexible enough to exploit any opportunities that will create exciting images. From the moment you arrive we take care of absolutely everything. No surprises. No hidden extras. Our tour leader Faruk Akbaş, who is not only indisputably the best travel photographer in Turkey, but also has subconsciously assumed the role of documenting the past of Anatolia.
Where cultures and continents collide, Turkey is a country of immense history and color. Istanbul has been associated with major political, religious, and artistic events for more than 2,000 years. Anatolia, or Asia Minor has long been the scene of numerous civilizations, such as the Hittites (1700 – 1180 BCE), Hellenistic cities (12th – 5th century BCE), Alexander The Great (334–333 BCE), the Roman Republic and Empire (1st century BCE), the Byzantine Empire (395 CE – 1453 CE), the Ottoman Empire…
In this historically multilayered country, the geography also takes many shapes. The Alps-like Kaçkar Mountains, Pamukkale travertine terraces, the mighty Mount Ararat, the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia are just a few trademarks of this alternating geography.
And above all, the intangible heritage, which encompasses this land which stems from the culture, the cuisine, the religion, the rituals, the art, the music that makes Turkey a heavenly country for the photography.
The most challenging thing about travel photography is that “Time” is always short. “The Decisive Moment”, as Henri Cartier-Bresson puts it, reveals itself seldomely. In landscape photography, for example, the wow effect usually kicks in during the golden hours of the day. Moreover, in portrait photography, even if you convince the local subject to be photographed, the photographer’s lingering too much will cause the subject’s gaze to shift, his or hers shoulders to drop, and in short, the subject will soon lose interest completely. Especially if there are 2-3 or more people in the frame, it suddenly becomes a real challenge to create harmony within the composition.
As tour organizers and photographers, we are well aware of the challenges mentioned above. Our ultimate focus is, to create exciting photo workshop experiences, enabling our guests to return home with unique and amazing images.
Therefore we prepare our itineraries accordingly: Best accommodation available with maximum mobility. We limit our group sizes to 6-8 people to allow participants to have a fair number of “decisive moments” and a fair share of one-on-one time with the tour leader.