DATE: May 23 – June 01, 2024
TOUR PRICE: 4800 Euro (must be completed before 60 days of tour departure)
ENROLLMENT DEPOSIT: 500 Euro (non-refundable after 60 day remaining to tour departure)
GROUP SIZE: 6-8 people
ACCOMODATION: Included (see below)
MEALS & BEVERAGES: Included (see below)
TRANSFER: Included (see below)
Istanbul has become a highly multinational touristic metropolitan. This creates both opportunities and challenges for street photography. Moreover, one can still find less-travelled spots to take authentic pictures particular to local touch.
Kars is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ani, which is located on a secluded plateau of northeast Turkey overlooking a ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia. This medieval city combines residential, religious and military structures, characteristic of a medieval urbanism built up over the centuries by Christian and then Muslim dynasties. The city flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries CE when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides.
Mount Ararat (Mount Ağrı) 5137m highest mountain peak in Turkey! Most people think of Noah’s Ark when they hear about Mount Ararat. According to the Bible, this is where Noah’s Ark came to rest when the floodwaters receded. The name of the mountain is mention in the old testament in Hebrew.
Lake Van (Van Gölü in Turkish) is the largest lake in Turkey, and the second largest in the Middle East. It’s also the biggest sodium water lake in the world. The lake lies on the high grounds of Eastern Anatolian region near the border with Iran. One of the Lake’s islands, Akdamar, is very popular because of a well preserved Armenian church, The Holy Cross from 10th century.
During this whole trip we will have to chance to experiment on street photography. Whenever a possibility arises, we will stop the car and try to interact with local. We will visit surrounding villages. For indoor or outdoor portrait photography, we will be working with models in authentic vestments, craftsmen’s ateliers. Landscape photography containing alternating subjects like people, historical structures. We will embark on a boat journey at Van Lake to get different angles of the surroundings.
Astro photography (whenever weather allows).
For landscape photography we will be leaving the hotel before the down and get back to hotel after the sunset.
DAY 1 | May 23: Istanbul
You will be picked up from the airport and transferred with a private car to your hotel which is located in the old city. You will be free for the first day.
DAY 2 | May 24: Istanbul
We will meet at the hotel lobby and hold a small meeting. You will meet with the rest of the group. After a short brief and equipment check we will start to wander the vibrant and colorful bazaars of Istanbul. Throughout of day we will be in outdoors, visiting predominantly landmarks of old city and spots where good pictures may happen. We may give small coffee brakes during the day. We will have our lunch in a local restaurant. We will be continue on the streets till sun sets.
Then we will have our dinner in a local restaurant, and turn back to our hotel.
DAY 3 | May 25: City of Kars
Early in the morning we will fly to the city of Kars. We will visit the city center and later we will go to a village where we will photograph javelin throwing game on horseback, which is traditional to this region. We will have the chance to experiment on continuous focusing and panning.
We will stay over in Kars.
DAY 4 | May 26: Ani Ruins
Ani, now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. was most notably the capital of the Armenian kingdom under the Bagratides during the 10th and 11th century. It prospered as a major city on a section of the Silk Road trade route until the invasion of the Mongols. It was then destroyed in a devastating earthquake in 1319. The Silk Road changed course and the fortified city was basically abandoned by the 18th century. You will be perplexed by the mightiness of 1000 years old of the Temple and the Cathedral.
We will have a dance team ready in traditional clothes to photograph on the foreground.
We will stay over in Kars.
DAY 5 | May 27: City of Iğdır and Surrounding Villages
We are leaving Kars and we move on along the Armenian Border. Mount Ararat will slowly disclose itself. We will visit the surrounding villages and interact with them. Ararat is a dormant volcano; the last eruption was on 2nd of June 1840. The summit of Mt. Ararat is 5,165 meters (16,945 feet) above sea level. Over the years various groups havee xplored Ararat in the hopes of finding remains of Noah’s Ark. Both Josephus in about 70 AD and Marco Polo about 1300 AD mention its existence on the mountain, but their reports are based on others’ accounts
We will try to interact with the locals, take pictures of the Mighty Ararat. We will stay over in Doğubeyazıt.
DAY 6 | May 28: The Mount Ararat and the Ishak Paşa Palace
Ishak Paşa Palace was built in 1784. It Combines Ottoman, Seljuk, Georgian, Persian and Armenian design elements., The Governor, İshak Paşa, governor of Çıldır and Ahıska, ended up being banished when the Ottoman authorities realized that he was scheming to set up his own domain.
It is an emblematic structure to be photographed with Mount Ararat on the background.
We will stay over in Doğubeyazıt.
DAY 7 | May 29: Muradiye, Erciş, Ahlat
Ahlat is literally an open-air museum. Historical tombstones and domes, ruins of a castle, old mosques, and cave houses await you here. A special place to visit is the Tombstones of Ahlat at the Uranian and Ottoman citadel, which are some of the most outstanding tombstones and mausoleums of the early Turkish period in Anatolia.
Erciş is located on the northern coast of Lake Van and the Urartian tombs, Erciş Castle, and Ardzvaber Monastery here are worth visiting. Muradiye Waterfalls, Seytan Bridge (Devil’s Bridge), built in the 19th century, and Saint Stephanos Church in Muradiye.
We will visit a cane atelier and photograph.
We will stay over in the city of Van.
DAY 8 | May 30: Boat trip in Van Lake, Isles of Akdamar and Çarpanak
Akdamar Island, is the the largest among the islands on the lake and is home to an old Armenian church called the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The church is tentatively on the list to become recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the future.
We will take a private boat to cross to Akdamar island. We will do some shooting with models in traditional cloths.
We will stay over in the city of Van.
DAY 9 | May 31: Back to Istanbul
We will transfer to the airport to fly back to Istanbul. We will have our dinner in a local restaurant.
We will spend the night in our hotel in Istanbul.
DAY 10 | June 01: Farewell
Private transfer to Istanbul airport.
ACCOMODATION:
MEALS:
TRANSPORTATION:
GROUP LEADERS:
GENERAL EXPENSES & MUSEUM ENTRY FEES::
Below, you can find a summary of the required photo equipment during the tour/workshop. If you do not have or do not want to carry a tripod we may arrange you a good quality rental tripod as we will receive your camera info.