THE PORT OF EPHESUS Photo

Photographer’s Note

KUSADASI — BIRDS' ISLAND

Kusadasi, “Birds’ Island,” is a resort city on the Aegean Coast of Turkey, and a port that serves the magical ruins of Ephesus. Two thousand years ago Ephesus, used to be a port city itself, but silting from the Meander River led to the city’s isolation from the sea. It is now several kilometers from the sea. Natural catastrophes — the silting of its harbor, earthquakes, and epidemics — all took their toll, and the city was eventually abandoned. Thousands of tourists flock each year to see Ephesus, some from land, and far more from the sea.

Ephesus, Didyma, Miletus, Prienne, Halicarnesus (modern Bodrum), and the Greek Islands of Samos and Cos — all Greco-Roman towns nearby — left extraordinary legacies for Western Culture. The Ephesus that one sees now is one of the most beautiful of all the ruins in the world. It was founded by Alexander the Great, an earlier Ephesus, a few kilometers away, had been badly damaged by an arsonist on the day of Alexander’s birth. The earlier Ephesus had been the city of the great philosopher Heraclitus (for whom Raphael, in his Vatican mural, ‘School of Athens,’ used the iconic artist, Michelangelo). It was also most likely the city of the blind poet, Homer, author of the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey' (ca. 750 BC). Having said that, I must add a small disclaimer: there is some uncertainty about whether Homer existed, whether indeed the epic poems credited to him were the works of one man. In the 19th century an English poet famously wrote, “Seven cities claimed him dear/ When in life they watched him beg!”

The latter (i.e. Alexander's) Ephesus had its own distinguished history. In the 1st century AD, St. John is believed to have brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus, where she lived out her days. It is also known that St. Paul, the greatest spreader of Christianity, visited the city and addressed the throngs gathered in the great amphitheater. It was not a very hospitable reception he found that day, with a master silversmith leading the protest against Paul’s preaching. Indeed, he was barely able to escape with his life, setting sail for his next stop Corinth, in the Peloponnese.

Of all of the Aegean Greco-Roman cities, my favorite happens to be Miletus, less than two hours south of Ephesus by car. This is the city of Thales, the first great natural philosopher. Beginning in the late 7th century BC, Thales started teaching that natural phenomena could be explained by understanding natural laws, and not by attributing such processes to the whims and vagaries of the Gods. For this, Thales can be regarded as the man who invented science. We now know such natural laws as the ‘Laws of Physics.’ Thales founded an academy where aspiring philosophers would receive training. Anaximander, a student and later colleagues of Thales in the academy, hypothesized that our distant ancestors came from the sea, to be proposed again 2500 years later by Darwin. The famous mathematician Pythagoras, who hailed from the nearby Island of Samos, was trained in the Academy at Miletus.

Another favorite son of Samos who received his training in Miletus was, Aristarchus, 2300 years ago demonstrated that the earth was a sphere, and that it was a planet. Aristarchus proposed that the earth revolved around the sun, just like "the other planets." This theory is known as the “heliocentric picture” in distinction to the “geocentric,” in which all the heavenly bodies orbit the earth. Aristarchus is sometimes called the “Copernicus of Antiquity,” although perhaps Copernicus should be called the “Aristarchus of the Renaissance.”

The Greek Island of Cos was the home of Hippocrates (of the “Hippocratic Oath” fame). In 1992 my son, Michael, who was then in medical school at Johns Hopkins, accompanied me on a cruise. When we visited Kos, Michael was asked to read the Hippocratic Oath aloud for all of us, and at the very site that legend has Hippocrates handing down his ‘Oath.’ This has to be an overwhelming source of pride for any father.

On August 1, the cruise ship, Crystal Symphony, on which I had been serving as a special topics lecturer paid a visit to Kusadasi. At the end of the day the Symphony was just getting ready to sail west toward the Ionian Sea and Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, when the cruise ship docked right next to Symphony, pulled out of its berth. I never learned the name of the ship, nor its land of origin… nor its destination. But I did snap its photograph while it was still eclipsing the setting sun. Almost an hour later when we were sailing, I could still see the mysterious ship’s lights, we were heading in the same direction. I guess, we were literally ‘ships passing in the night.’

The photo was shot with an 18-70 mm zoom lens mounted on a Nikon D-70, no filter, no tripod. I steadied the camera on one of the large dock cleats used for tying down a ship when it is moored.

AROBN54, leo61, maltese, isabela_sor, thea0211, gbeli, jhm, Photo65Net, jrj, carper, meltemi, JCG, puzzle, dokadak, stego, kdialyna, salvator, feather, papagolf21, sunilshukla, Sekhmet73, ahmetgedikli, wilkinsonsg, jwmunro, Ertan, adores, henrytf, kermit350, cimcim, nisko, captainsgirl, MLINES, angeliki has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

leo61 (44112) 2007-04-21 3:04

Hi Bulent!
Good composition with the sun hidden behind this huge ship.Excellent POV and nice sunsetcolors and reflections.The person on top of the ship gives an idea how big it is.
Regards,Leo

isabela_sor (42757) 2007-04-21 3:07 [Comment]

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thea0211 (1355) 2007-04-21 3:17

good morning bulent (my time :),
i miss sea (and it's the 3rd time i'm writing this today so it must mean i miss it a lot :)
beautifully crafted sunset and lovely texture of the warmly lit waves - gorgeous site ... one can almost feel the breeze in the pleasant evening.
well done and have a great weekend,
dora

amazon (10931) 2007-04-21 3:24

insan figürünün bulunması geminin devasa büyüklüğünü daha çok ortaya çıkarmış,ayrıca fotoğrafik yerleşimi de çok beğendim,
tebrikler,
iffet

maltese (21539) 2007-04-21 3:27

Hi Bulent
Une rencontre étonnante et très bien saisie. La position du bateau dans la photo lui donne beaucoup de force, de très belles couleurs et une présence humaine pour donner l'échelle.
Très bien vu, amicalememt
Hervé

anducina (8151) 2007-04-21 3:33

Beautiful compo, colors and light, I like the black silhouette of the boat on the BG of this colorful sunset, with its red and golden, sea-reflected light.

TFS,

Andreea

UnTrained (0) 2007-04-21 5:27

Hi Bulent,
the sunset moment with the silhouette of the ship catches the eye. The format helps to realise the height of the ship and we have at least one of the crew for scale.
The total result is a warm evening scene, very pleasant with the sun reflected in the water.
And as usual a long informative note about the place of the capture. Thanks for both.
As I detect a bit too much noise for my taste, I made one session of Neat Image for a workshop.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

[workshop] [compare]

hatti52 (12654) 2007-04-21 6:37

Merhaba Bulent Bey
Enfes kompozisyon.
Geminin ve denizcinin silutleri,gunesi kesmeniz,denizdeki yansımalar harika
Elinize saglik

pablominto (41690) 2007-04-21 7:55

Hello Bulent,
This point of view on the ship's bow does good for the composition, so does inclusion of the guy on the boat!
Original sunset capture, with wonderful reflections off the water...
Have a great spring weekend,
Pablo -

gbeli (2026) 2007-04-21 9:14

Hello Bulent
I like your photo very much. Althought personaly i would had cut the top of the picture.
take a look at my last photo on TE, is dedicated to you.
Regards

molla (6935) 2007-04-21 9:22

Hej Bulent!
its a massiv wall of steal that shadows the sun. Impressiv!
I have a story for you by one of my favorite novelists.
Joseph Conrad; An Outcast Of The Islands

THE sea, perhaps because of its saltness, roughens the outside but keeps sweet the kernel of its servants' soul. The old sea; the sea of many years ago, whose servants were devoted slaves and went from youth to age or to a sudden grave without needing to open the book of life, because they could look at eternity reflected on the element that gave the life and dealt the death. Like a beautiful and unscrupulous woman, the sea of the past was glorious in its smiles, irresistible in its anger, capricious, enticing, illogical, irresponsible; a thing to love, a thing to fear. It cast a spell, it gave joy, it lulled gently into boundless faith; then with quick and causeless anger it killed. But its cruelty was redeemed by the charm of its inscrutable mystery, by the immensity of its promise, by the supreme witchery of its possible favour. Strong men with childlike hearts were faithful to it, were content to live by its grace -- to die by its will.

bostankorkulugu (34198) 2007-04-21 10:05

her zamanki karelerinizden çok farklı bir fotoğraf bu sefer ama çok yaratıcı bence... özellikle gemideki "insan faktörü"nün katkısı büyük... elinize sağlık...

selamlar

korkut:)

jhm (83786) 2007-04-21 11:15

Hello Dear Bulent,

I find this a art picture, through the dark part of the ship, and the fantastic contrast through the red sun low behind the dark ship, together with the sunbeam in the sea. Very well done Dear Bulent, nice picture.

Have a nice day,
John.

Photo65Net (43106) 2007-04-21 11:43

Bulent,
A great compo !
It's very original, and eye catcher.
Colors are superb,
Nice job,
Regards,
JB.

jrj (34779) 2007-04-21 12:41

Good use of the bow here Bulent. Fine silhouetted effect against the low sun. Good inclusion of the crew up there. Well disposed within the square format.

levocan (2253) 2007-04-21 13:05

Bülent Bey;
Zamanlama çok güzel,
Kadraj güzel,
Güvertedeki insan kompozisyonu zenginleştirmiş bence
ELinize sağlık
Saygılarımla

Levent

carper (66132) 2007-04-21 13:34

Yes,
you choose the right moment to made the shot, good pov and a fine quality, the contours on the ship are nice and your note is so complete, very good photo job here. Have a nice day.
gr. jaap

meltemi (9746) 2007-04-21 13:36

Hi Bulent,
simply a lovely photo of a fantastic scene. I love the shadow of the boat and the great contrasting colours. As always your note is very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Kindest regards.
Stella

JCG (25875) 2007-04-21 13:44

Hi Bülent,

Always accompanied by an extremely interesting note, here is a beautiful photograph where I like much this massive prow in back-light. The effect of light interesting and is well managed. Very pretty composition and beautiful glance, cheer Bülent.

With my all friendships and a good sunday,

Jean-Charles

PS : Thank you very much for the mail, now I will pass to the reading.

puzzle (700) 2007-04-21 15:35

hocam merhaba,

cok guzel bir fotograf.sıradan gun batımı fotograflarından cok farklı bir bakıs acısı.

elinize saglık,

leyla

sothy81 (8540) 2007-04-21 20:10

Hi Bulent, this is a very nice picture. I love the colors of and light in the picture. Excellent point of view. You have steady hands. Well done. Sothy

stego (22500) 2007-04-22 1:22

Hi Bülent,
The relation of the photo with the beautiful History lesson you offer in your note may not be very straightforward, but that hasn't any importance. It is a great photo with the silhouette of the huge ship dividing the setting sun on the place that offers the most impressive sunsets I ever viewed. Very pleasant and clever compo, not only for the dark shape of the ship, but also for the man, that gives a sense of scale and a touch of life.
FS, Cheers, José.

kdialyna (3106) 2007-04-22 3:23

Good morning Bulent.
For another one time I am impressed from your knowledge about Greek History.
Except your Leonardo,I suppose, you also like very much the Greek philosophy and history.
This photo from you, I don't know why, but it gave me the impression that it is somewhere in Greece, I suppose because of the sea color or the sun.
Very impressive picture with very nice and vivid sunset colors.
Very good idea the huge ship in front of the sun.
I wish you nice Sunday.
Regards
Kostas

salvator (18995) 2007-04-22 3:42

Hello Bulent Bey,
Superb pov to shpw the setting sun. The colors are absolutely wonderful. The clarity and sharpness just in taste. Superb. I wish you a great Sunday, best regards. Salvator.

feather (50560) 2007-04-22 3:56

What a wonderful opportunity presented itself. As the ship passed by the sun you chose just the right moment to press the shutter. The sunset colours are beautiful and the sea/sky proportions are appropriate. I like the detail of the crewman on the ship, perfect for scale.
Fascinating historical note, reminding me of several places I have visited. I remember Hippocrates' tree in Kos so maybe stood on the same spot as you :)
Kath

papagolf21 (57015) 2007-04-22 4:25

Bonjour, mon ami Bulent,
Très jolie création de ce navire en silhouette se découpant sur un fond mêlant avec adresse le disque d'or, le ciel et la mer. Une note fort bien rédigée qui apprend beaucoup.
Une réussite.
Amitiés.
Philippe

sunilshukla (844) 2007-04-22 6:10

The sun's a bit blown but it still looks good the way u hid it with the ship.
Sunil

Sekhmet73 (4133) 2007-04-22 8:04

Another amazing shot! The boat standing on the sunset and partially covering the sun is amazing!

ahmetgedikli (22245) 2007-04-22 8:35

Sayın Hocam,
Geminin yanından güneşin bir bölümünün görünmesi, ışığı, rengi ile nefis bir açı ile şık bir kompozisyon... Bu rada geçen gün Ulus tarafına yolum düşünce büyükbabanızın Köklü Hanını gördüm, hala yerinde duruyor ve köklü bir han... İçinde kuyumcular, kuaförler, fotoğrafçılar ve çayçılar yerleşmiş. Bir kısmı ile konuştum binann son yıllarda esnafları tarafından satın alındığını söylediler. Akşam vaktiydi uygun bir şekilde fotoğraflamaya çalıştım, isterseniz üniversite adresinize yollayabilim.
Selamlar, saygılar ve iyi pazarlar.
Ahmet

wilkinsonsg (8646) 2007-04-22 9:08

Very well placed sun - emphasises the silhouette of the ship and forms a very pleasing composition - TFS :)

jwmunro (6279) 2007-04-22 12:49

Good morning Bulent -

This is really is a capture the moment scene or "f/8 and be there" as the old timers used to say. I like the silhouetted ship in front of the sun. Capturing the deck hand was an added bonus as it adds scale to the image. Thanks for the history lesson. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

jaywalker (12415) 2007-04-22 14:02

Hi Bulent, A wonderful silhouette of the front of this massive ship, the sun is in prime position just pocking out from behind the large vessel, the man on top gives a great prospective of size, excellent composition & TFS, kind regards Wilson.

mesutilgim (37583) 2007-04-22 15:02

Sevgili Bülent kardeşim,
Çok güzel bir kare; çok farklı bir bakış açısı. Ayrıca bende başka anılar da uyandırdı. İki sene evvel ben de Crystal Symphony'nin ikizi ile, Samos, Kos, Rodos'dan başlayan bir tura katılmıştım; ve Kuşadasından itibaren gittiğimiz her yerde ne çok birlikteliğimiz ne çok kültür zenginliğimiz olduğunu yaşamıştım. Ege muhteşem bir kazan.
Bunları anımsattığın için teşekkürler
MESUT ILGIM

Ertan (2985) 2007-04-22 17:37

Merhaba Bülent Abi
Gün batımını çok güzel yakalamışsın.Hem yaratıcı hem nefis bir çalışma olmuş.Ellerine sağlık
Selamlar
Ertan

adores (15841) 2007-04-22 18:30

Hi Bulent!
What an original way to capture this amazing sunset. I like the silhouette of this huge ship and especially that man working.Greta composition with very nice colours.
Well done!
Regards, Anabela

henrytf (977) 2007-04-22 20:05

Hello Bulent,
What a picture and what a note.
Everything's in them. The sea, the sun, Homer and all the great scientists or artists having lived in all those Aegean Greco-Roman cities.
I sometimes wonder if you are not a kind of Odysseus on an neverending journey aboard your cruise ship in the disguise of a lecturer. In any case your are a good narrator and reading your note is a real pleasure.
Friendly greetings
Henry

nihan78 (310) 2007-04-23 13:46

merhabalar..
hem kompozisyona hem renklere hemde netliğe bayıldım...
tebrikler

mursaloglu (5284) 2007-04-23 17:25

Dear bulent bey
It's a very huge fantastic picture with enormous stunning silhouette of the ship. Hiding the sun behind the ship is a very good choice. This picture remainds me a little bit one sequence from the famous Fellini film ' Amarcord'. Really well done. My best regards ihsan

AROBN54 (10799) 2007-04-23 18:10

Hello, Bulent. What a nice capture! I love the way you have caught just a hint of the sunset behind the ship's bow. The colors are beautiful reflected on the water and the guy on deck gives good perspective to the size of that huge ship. Very well done!! Kindest regards,
Shelly

saylan-cb (12726) 2007-04-23 18:45

Günbatımını gizleyen gemi ve insan silüeti ile yaratmış olduğunuz kare...Çok güzel bakış açısı ve harika bir atmosfer...
Ellerinize sağlık
Selamlar

kermit350 (8990) 2007-04-24 5:55

Merhaba Bulent, the prow of this steamer which advances cut the image and the sun into two, l`effet d`autant more is successful than the black is quite black, of the blow numbers details arises with force, particularly the shapes of the ship and the man of crew, one feels the idyllic conditions of catch of sight for given a result also splendid, splendid also in the magic of these colors, all is there in this image really this photograph is d'une great quality, these colors are rather unusual and c'est what m'a interested, and of this sun yellow color of?uf forming ellipses of a beautiful range, arkadasça .............................Merhaba Bulent, la proue de ce paquebot qui s’avance coupe l’image et le soleil en deux, l‘effet est d‘autant plus réussi que le noir est bien noir, du coup nombre de détaille ressorte avec force, particulièrement les formes du navire et l’homme d’équipage, l’on ressent les conditions idylliques de prise de vue pour donné un résultat aussi magnifiques, magnifique aussi dans la magie de ces couleurs, tout y est dans cette image vraiment cette photo est d'une grande qualité, ces couleurs sont assez inhabituelles et c'est ce qui m'a intéressé, et de ce soleil couleur jaune d’œuf formant des ellipses d’un beau dégradé
, arkadasça selamlar

cimcim (3706) 2007-04-24 6:10

Merhaba Hocam,
Yine çok güzel kare, günbatımı renkleri ve kompozisyon harika! Bir daha cruise seyahatine çıkacak olursam bende Crystal veya benzer sınıfta (butik gemi) yolculuğu istiyorum. Bir öncekinde Voyager of the Seas'de yaklaşık 3000 kişiydik :) Siz en doğru seçimi yapmışsınız :)
Güzel fotoğrafınız için sizi tekrar tebrik ederim.
ayçin

devimeuxbe (56532) 2007-04-25 7:05

Hi Bulent
There is beautifull colors in the sky and the shade of the boat give and interesting invitation for travelling.
Beautifull
Bertrand

sayan (2609) 2007-04-26 3:53

Hello Prof Atalay,

Nice post this one. Your framing is good. The partial sun behind the huge ship is nicely captured. The note is also very informative.

regards

Sayan

erel (11542) 2007-04-26 13:12

MERHABA
Gemiyle sanki güneş tutulması oluş güzelde olmuş denizdeki yansıma ve adamın yeri çok iyi tebrikler.
EREL

PJE (19575) 2007-04-27 0:47

Bulent I really like the effect of backlighting sun from the bow of this ship. The way the ship fills the frame and the evening colors have all come together very nicely in this fine composition. Thanks for sharing!

captainsgirl (3448) 2007-04-30 19:24

Hello Bulent,
From a person who knows just how very difficult to take a photo while on a moving ship. This is beautiful. Great color in the sky and I really like the bow of the ship in this one. Love it. TFS
Donna:o)

Thanks for your comments on my photo "Lake Erie evening (26)" :o)

paura (39608) 2007-05-03 19:28

Very nice photo here, Bulent.
Amazing colors, lighting and shadows.

very well done.

Paulo

MLINES (11064) 2007-05-22 19:01

Hi Bulent. An original and effective composition of the ship and sunset. Excellent notes. TFS. Murray.

utkue (3420) 2007-07-24 10:45