peace and resignation in Sulukule Photo

Photographer’s Note

Returning last Thursday to Sulukule, that area of Istanbul populated by Gypsy people that is reputed unsafe for outsiders, I was very much on my guards, the little money that I had on me was safely hidden but (to my surprise) I was welcomed by everybody, they only wanted to see the prints of the photos that I had taken and to pose for me.

Only young hooligans insisted to pose doing obscene (but amusing and not really insulting) gestures while rap dancing ; unfortunately not so photogenic IMO because too much staged.

I'll post some other photos later on, this one I guess won't have much success but is informative IMO ; a view typical of the neighbourhood... Although a few seconds before the street was deserted apart from the man on the left (most people told me "gitme !" (don't go) about that street, but this only excited my curiosity : it was not about danger but because at the end of it, all the houses have been totally abandonned, some already bulldozed away - a very sad sight over there, maybe haunted at night...), this side of the street is still mostly habited, sometimes in houses that no-one could believe livable inside.

(More infos about that very special place - the oldest Roma settlement ın the world that was almost reachıng 1000 years of age : Sulukule (Wiki) and here too).

yedirenk, Vasa, mursaloglu, Prometheus, Pentti, BennyV, faubry has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

faubry (32281) 2008-11-02 11:24

Bonsoir Cath, nous avons toujours la crainte d'entrer dans les territoires tziganes, mais souvent ils sont vraiment sympas, et si tu as, en prime, les photos sur papier, ils sont ravis, tristes masures,une vie difficile sans aucun doute, mais aussi de la musique;; tu nous montres un aperçu de ce quartier; fais attention à toi tout de même;
bises et bonne soirée
francine

wolf38 (12745) 2008-11-02 11:43

Hello Catherine. Title, photo, text, - everything fits here in the best way. Outstanding. Best regards, Wolfgang.

Polonaise (5636) 2008-11-02 11:45

Where the devil himself can't...!!!

Send our Cathy, there !

I know, I'm boringly repetitive but...Katarzyna...
It's priceless... The trip you took us with you to those magic places...

It's life itself in its purest, most sublime form.
Those are not silly fotkas with the mosques or boring beyond description - fotkas with the yellow trees and the blue waters in between and some grass...
It's the delightfully dirty, smelly - blood and saliva - photographs of our neighbors...

The people...

99.9% of the 'photographers' on our site - will draw back in fear...99.9% 'photographers' will find million of excuses NOT to go there and face the people... Face their faces... Smell their breath...

You go in there, dear and you make this beloved site of ours worth staying...

Glory for Cathy...
The one and only..

g
.............

[2]

BennyV (4681) 2008-11-02 12:20

Thanks, Catherine, for straying off the beaten path! That's something I really do appreciate here...there...everywhere, actually.

Funny to see you struggling with those categories: Is this daily life? Yes, for some... Architecture? Well, yes, but... Ruins, then? Anyway, I always found it a bit bizarre that there is no category here that just says 'people'.

I'm looking forward to more.

One love.

Benny

mursaloglu (5152) 2008-11-02 13:23

Dear Catherine
Great street scene and interesting POV from very colorful part of istanbul. The people in the picture are the elements of the dinamism. Best regards ihsan

Vasa (5500) 2008-11-02 14:51

Bonsoir catherine,

j'ai suivi ta photo tout en lisant la note. C'est comme dans un film. Ils sont tels qu'ils sont, mais toi tu es courageuse. La photo valable et intriguante, donc documentaire, ce qui est tres a mon gout. De l'autre cote le cadre exagere ne contribue beaucoup, meme a la situation delicate dans le sujet. La facade a gauche, je la rectifie facilement en prenant:
SELECT - All
EDIT - Transform - Sqew

C'est tres interessant de te suivre partout dans le monde. Felicitations et merci, merci.

Branko

yedirenk (7345) 2008-11-02 15:49

Merhaba Catherine,
Türkiyede roman vatandaşlarıyla ünlü sulukuleden ilginç bir görüntü.ortam biraz gergin gibi,sanki bir şey olmuş.diğer karelerinizde olduğu gibi burada da günlük yaşamı tüm çıplaklığıyla çok güzel yansıtmışsınız.netlik,detaylar ve ışık enfes.doğallığı çok çarpıcı bir kare.elinize sağlık.selamlar,saygılar

Cevdet

MarcT (21097) 2008-11-02 16:43

Salut Cath,
Ce qui est extraordinaire, c'est que tu puisses écrire un livre sur chacune de tes images!
Amitiés
Marc

jasmis (50330) 2008-11-02 22:24

True street life. I really like it.
Regards my dear friend.

azizbilgili (1714) 2008-11-03 0:16

::)))

Hi Catherine,
Really True street life. That placa is an another world, another people...

TFS

toto (18709) 2008-11-03 0:45

Bonjour,
belle photo de ces gens dans la rue, scène de la vie quotidienne qui est de toute beauté.
Cette prise montre bien l' état général de cet endroit, arrière pays, pas le côté des grans hotel, et cela est bon de voir l' envers du décor général.

Amitiés Thomas

abdulkadir (2324) 2008-11-03 13:47

Sevgili Catherine merhabalar;

öncelikle cesaretiniz için sizi kutlarım..sulukulede fotoğraf çekmek hem riskli hem de çok keyiflidir.sulukuleye has sokaklar ve gençleri çok hoş yakalamışsınız..

ellerinize sağlık..

aadilj (17950) 2008-11-03 22:05

Sorry cath, I have tried to be you but have failed!!! Every time a person appears in the frame my hand shakes!!!!!! I love your documentary though. this one ahs superb street life