East meets West, Istanbul

The title may suggest a cliché, however this image, for me, epitomises Istanbul. Many viewers of my work pass over this image which surprises me, but then they most likely have not experienced the Istanbul I have.  I keep reminding myself that photography is subjective and a good image should tell a story when one wants to read into it – then does this make the cut as a keeper?  I think it does, even if it is subjective.

Istanbul is one of my favourite cities with vibrant street life and markets, no matter what the weather – it is simply a street photographer’s paradise.  The cultural mix of Christians and Muslims continues with centuries old traditions, with an added modern day element – a love of cats.  If you’re a cat lover and a photographer, old Constantinople is the place to be.

I am putting the final touches on my third photographic book on Istanbul, which I’ve called ‘Stray Cats and Fish Sandwiches’. The streets abound with cats and the Turks adore them, as are they happy to publicly show affection toward them. As I am piecing the pages of the book together, so many contain cats and a few with hungry travellers and locals enjoying a fish sandwich or two, something anyone can enjoy on the banks of the Golden Horn – day or night.

To see more of my images on Istanbul you can find them here

You can also view the online preview of my first book ‘Seed of Life, Istanbul’ here