One Fine November Day, a photo from Istanbul, Marmara

Photographer's Note

A colorful street in Kumkapi. On the right hand side leans the railroad and the city walls, and then the Sea of Marmara.

In Byzantine days its name was Kontoskalion, meaning small pier. In Turkish, Kumkapı means ’sand gate’. It was one of the gates in the old city walls. Up until recent times, the residential population of Kumkapı was mostly Armenian. They still have a community school and several churches there. It is also the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Today Kumkapı is famous for its various fish restaurants and taverns located in car free streets.

jhm, ikeharel, timecapturer, bona, dta, holmertz, TRB, saxo042, bukitgolfb301, delpeoples, annjackman, No_One, SnapRJW, lgir, dekanski, macjake, Angshu, jcpix, mcmtanyel, KristinsCamera, EstudioChispa, tatadalou trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

jhm (211736) 2013-11-20 3:40

Hello Deniz,

Exactly a fairy tale picture with these narrow street full of splendid facades.
Sharpness and clarity make these picture excellent, good depth and perspective picture.
Wonderful composition, great presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

emka (158204) 2013-11-20 4:01

hi malatesta,
it is similar streat as in Balat. I haven't seen this street in Kumkapi, still there are a lot of places not seen by my camera :). Here you cut the photo in such a way that we see only the lower part of these typical Turkish 'balconies'. Very nice pastel colours, it seems the houses were renovated not a long time earlier. The laundry is always attractive, here also interesting this vendor on the so narrow street. My photos from Istanbul don't have such a nice sharpness. I like the diagonal composition.
malgo

adidas5nb (5743) 2013-11-20 4:55

great street shot from istanbul.like the pov and the depth.and what varied colors they have in 1 given street amazing.
regards
dwaipayan

erhan1958 (15961) 2013-11-20 5:28

selam
lafı hiç uzatmayacağım hayran kaldım
tebrikler
erhan

timecapturer (49288) 2013-11-20 6:44

Hi Deniz
like this! You have captured the colour, character and magic of this place so wonderfully. So much detail and a glorious perspective that draws us in and looks so fascinating. Captivating work and a first class presentation.

Regards - B.

bona (15057) 2013-11-20 6:53

Hi Deniz,

nice photo of this small street close to this many colors haouse, it looks a rainbow. The man was selling pop corn?

well done.
Andre

eldancer1 (36343) 2013-11-20 7:45

Colorful narrow alley or is this a street? Good lighting and nice details. I'm glad you included the person for scale. Well done, tfs.

dta (98848) 2013-11-20 8:19

Hello Denisz ,
This is a beautiful paved street with attractive coloured houses . The man and the washing are fine bonus .
Regards

holmertz (102774) 2013-11-20 8:23

Hello Deniz,
A fine street-shot from one of the most colourful and picturesque parts of Istanbul. Judging from your description I probably walked this street last year but I didn't observe this fine view.The laundry and the man with his little stall are perfect inclusions. In this area I really thought I was far away from the crowds of tourists, so I was very surprised to reach the rows of fish restaurants packed with foreign groups.
Kind regards,
Gert

TRB (14138) 2013-11-20 9:50

selam,
tek kelime ile muhteşem, sıcacık harika bir sokak.
tebrikler, emeğinize sağlık.

Tülay

krzychu30 (15512) 2013-11-20 11:03

Hello Deniz,
from the atmosphere it reminds me a little bit Lisbon with its colorful narrow streets and laundry drying outside.
I like your POV(especially how you placed the houses on the left side).It provides us with really great perspective across the scene.

Best regards
Krzysztof

saxo042 (38078) 2013-11-20 11:18

Hi Deniz,
This is a very attractive street view, with all these colours of the houses here. Unfortunately, I do not think I will ever have the pleasure to walk here but I really appreciate the opportunity to enjoy this picture.
Kind regards
Gunnar

rbassin (27472) 2013-11-20 12:12

hello Deniz
une magnifique photo de cette rue colorée.
une scène intéressante avec des détails qui éveillent la curiosité.
Bonne soirée
Roland

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2013-11-20 13:43

Hi MERHABA dear DEniz

F6.3 makes so appropriate deep expsoure.
Great snap shot in town, so natural and casual astyle are so preferrable to see.
Sharp and clear contrast is so vivid.

All the best and have agood day! Takero from Tokyo

jjcordier (79299) 2013-11-20 23:17

Deniz
Très bonne photo de cette ruelle pavée aux belles façades colorées.
Amicalement
JJ

delpeoples (60342) 2013-11-21 0:51

Merhaba dear Deniz

Wow, I could have sworn this was somewhere in Southern Italy or Spain. Especially given the washing hanging from window to window across the lane. And the beautiful cobblestones and rich colours. This is wonderful and makes me want to return to your enchanting city post haste.

Thanks for sharing, have a lovely day
Lisa

annjackman (23019) 2013-11-21 1:24

Hello Deniz,
This is a very good view of the backstreet showing life there. The colours of the buildings, although now a little shabby, are still eye-catching and charming. I like the line of washing. A very well produced image - I like this a lot.
Kind Regards, Ann

tober (8797) 2013-11-21 1:43

Valla buna þapka çýkarýlýr. Genelde Trekearth'e eskisi kadar vakit ayýramýyorum. Ama, sýrf bu güzel, cývýl cývýl, iç ýsýtan fotoðrafa yorum yapmak için siteye giriþ yaptým. Tam benim seveceðim tarz bir çalýþma. Tebrikler :)

lousat (139332) 2013-11-21 4:11

HI Deniz,what a great capture,it seems to be in Cuba whit these colorful facades in this old street! I like a lot your perspective and the great quality of details and colors despite the cloudy day,very well done! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

mesutilgim (0) 2013-11-21 4:27

Selam sevgili Deniz,
Kumkapı ve genel de suriçi sokaklar hala bu "dokunulmamış" güzelliklerin koruyorlar !
Çok güzel bir kare olmuş.
Tebrikler
Selam ve sevgiler
MESUT ILGIM

No_One (4) 2013-11-21 5:02

Hi Deniz,
This is a very cool street view. Normally we see these colorful buildings in towns, but they look very fake, as if they are only painted this way to suit those looking at them, not living in them. The scene here portrays nicely that the place is lived in and all the signs of life around the houses make this both colorful and vibrant. Very cool!
Cheers
Noel

SnapRJW (31631) 2013-11-21 5:30

Hello Deniz - This is such an attractive little side street in Istanbul, I like the quiet community feel that is lacking in many large city neighborhoods. I get the feeling that this place has not changed much over the years. Lovely colours and a shot with an intimate feel. Warm regards Rosemary

Oceania (5202) 2013-11-21 7:47

Hi Deniz,

Red, yellow, green, pink...the buildings on this street is so colorful. It's more like somewhere in Italy not in Istanbul.

When I was in Istanbul, I only had enough time to visit main well-known attractions. I missed those interesting back streets. If I have chance to go to this vibrant city again, I will do it.

lgir (7363) 2013-11-21 8:42

Hello Deniz,

very nice perspective on this street actually very colorful either by its facades or by the different clothes that dry.
Good work
Regards
Laurent

dekanski (9365) 2013-11-21 10:53

Deniz,

Graet photo! Excellent perspective, fully transferred spirit of the street.
Bravo, well done!

Saša

resat1972 (7586) 2013-11-22 11:08

merhaba

2007 den güzel bir sokak çalışması
yerinde bir kadraj
elinize sağlık

Reşat

berek (50518) 2013-11-23 3:55

buraya zaman ayırma kararı aldım. özlemişim güzel fotograflara bakmayı . eline sağlık.

selam
Burak

macjake (98456) 2013-11-24 10:42

Hi Deniz
wickedly cool shot of perhaps the 'real' side of Istanbul? the more historic and grunge side? love this!!
Its exactly what I want to see.

good idea to leave out all the sky, focus in on just the architecture and the colors.
well done

PS
My girlfriend Tosca and I will be traveling to Istanbul in the middle of May 2014. We arrive May 11th or 12th. We'll be visiting Istanbul, Greece, and Venice. For a total of 1 month. We hope to see you there!!!

cheers
craig

Angshu (56760) 2013-11-25 4:09

Hi Deniz
We did see Kumkapi, but as you well know, not during the day:-)...maybe this was not this side of Kumkapi we saw...more the sqaure with all the fish restaurants, local music groups & 'mob' (?!!)

From this POV, looks pretty much like Balat, with the old facades, painted in their best colours & hanging clothelines...

Best,
Angshu

jcpix (14030) 2013-11-25 18:55

Hi Deniz,

I would have immediately assumed this to be Burano, and was pleasantly taken back to see 'Istanbul.' Not at all what I was expecting...and that's what makes me like it even more because of the surprise. :)

Love these kinds of street scenes, a la "off the beaten path," the bold colors and compressed perspective make it feel both alive and charming. On top of that, the textures are amazing, I can never get enough of the real, gritty type of appeal that comes from imagery such as this.

Good choice to include the gentleman too, adds that human presence and interest of local personality. The hanging laundry is also a bonus. Really neat, true life shot.

Friendly regards,

Jason

abmdsudi (95869) 2013-11-25 20:39

Hi Deniz
The appealing building in bright vibrant colors somehow drag the eyes in and the slow pace of life is reflected vividly here. The use of diagonals boost the perspective immensely while present of a person is a real bonus complementing really well and livens this charming street scene. Excellent moment registered when the light quality is at its premium and this shot makes for a very eyecatching image Great street scene, well captured. Congrats
Best regards

mcmtanyel (68623) 2013-11-25 21:29

Selamlar Deniz,
Pek sevimli bir sokak, renk renk bir örnek evler pek şirinler. İstanbul’daki çok bilinen turistik mirengi noktaları yerine böyle sevimli bir manzarayı sunduğunuz için çok teşekkürler.
Saygılarımla,
MT

KristinsCamera (2384) 2013-11-28 19:55

it's a very fine day indeed when you come across a charming little street like this :)
although the buildings show signs of wear and lack of affluence, i like to think these exuberant colors are a testimony to the spirits and personalities of the people living there. even the upside down blue jeans and the red tops on the clothesline show a sense of spunky attitude. i love this capture, love visiting here through your photograph. thank you ~

EstudioChispa (2182) 2013-12-19 7:16

Damn, Deniz, I've missed some great posts from you while I was gone! Let me start with this one, which (as is always the case) is perfect. The colorful houses are a fabulous subject (and perfectly exposed in very even light!), but you have added two horizontal compositional elements -- the clothes-line up high and the red carpet in the FG -- giving depth and balance to what would have otherwise been a nice postcard. Also as always, I am awestruck by your genius. And I am curious -- what is the purpose of the gentleman's cart? Food, I presume!

Which brings me to the personal draw -- car-free streets packed with fish restaurants and taverns! Sounds like heaven to me!

Best regards,

Russ
Austin, Texas

tatadalou (7459) 2014-01-19 10:36

Hello Deniz,
There are some really nice pictures in your gallery ! What I like in this one is the colourful perspective of this old neighborhood of Istanbul. It looks really authentic. The presence of this man is welcome.
regards,
Delphine