Beauty of Ugliness, a photo from Istanbul, Marmara

Photographer's Note

Seen from the top of Byzantine City Walls and taken some minutes after the previous one, this photo also enjoys the "spot-like" daylight coming from the sky, which makes everything look much more prettier than it really is.

The water at the bottom is Golden Horn, the colorful neighbourhood is Halıcıoğlu, the bridge is Haliç Bridge and the mosque at the top of the hill is the brand new (10 years old) "Bademlik Mosque". It is a poor imitation of the square plan architecture, originally and majestically used by Architect Sinan for the construction of Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in Edirnekapi, which actually is a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture. Its location, though, is so well selected that, it pops out from the crowd, and has been a subject of many "what mosque is that?" questions coming from my guests.

ikeharel, Subhogen, danos, dta, chrislo, SnapRJW, TRB, siudzi, delpeoples, snunney, No_One, krzychu30, timecapturer, cornejo, macjake, blueaquan, mcmtanyel, ourania, bona has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

photographer_sg (6059) 2013-12-23 10:15

Hello Deniz
Spectacular urban landscape with stunning view of the bridge and buildings in the BG. thanks for sharing.
Satya

Subhogen (4067) 2013-12-23 10:16

Hello Deniz,
Another beauty from you, i don't find anything ugly.
Great timing and observation to capture this unique light. Shot taken from excellent high POV allows us to see the city landscape in its entirety. The cars look like matchboxes and mosque minarets like missiles ready to launch.
You are candid to admit in your note that the light makes all the difference, but according to me the good sees it and seizes it where as the average lets it go.
Congratulations on a great capture once again.

Regards,
Subho

jabber (323) 2013-12-23 10:20

I saw an cubist paint so much time ago.it show a jazz club that it was foul of cluttered lines.
A club with a lots of women in warm colorful clothes that you know what happen to the humanity`s forms in cubism.
but painter(i forget his name)with this manner of painting could find a way to show the fragile atmosphere of that Jazz club that i could guess that Jazz music from that paint.
your photo i think is a good try to find the harmony and music for a neighbourhood that i can find three layers of different harmonic texture close together with a good control of light.

danos (110407) 2013-12-23 10:20

Geia sou Deniz,
excellent the panoramic view of this section of Istanbul,with the light as falling on the houses to makes the image even more effective.Love the clarity and the sharpness of the image.

Regards,Danos

batalay (41261) 2013-12-23 10:27

Merhaba Deniz,

It appears that you shot this beauty the same day that you shot "Urban Planning." Light like this is rare even in Istanbul. Many years ago there was a National Geographic photo captured with a 1000 mm lens that showed layer upon layer of architectural styles and layer upon layer of lighting conditions.

Well done,

Bulent

grigand (20290) 2013-12-23 10:43

Hi Deniz
This is a spectacular view of city, the light is really special - wonderful work, congratulation !
ciao
andrea

Didi (61589) 2013-12-23 11:00

Salam Deniz
Great picture with interesting spotlight on the main district
I like the darker background
Well done
Best regards

dta (98848) 2013-12-23 11:14

Hello Deniz ,
I agrre with you about your note : despite of the fact that the architecture is not so pretty , the overall view of this place is superb , especially with the interesting bridge in the FG , and the outstanding contrasts of lighting .
Regards

chrislo (4099) 2013-12-23 11:23

Merhaba Deniz,
Your POV has captured the best of this urban landscape, using the bridge to create a diagonal through the shot. The light contrasts are so strong, almost magical. The long lines of cars crossing the bridge give a sense of motion which contrasts with the static buildings in the BG. The whole scene is perfectly balanced and framed. Congratulations !
Christian

SnapRJW (31631) 2013-12-23 12:10

Hi Deniz - This is totally brilliant and goes to prove that light can make or break a shot! The contrast is so beautiful and detailing across the bridge really top class. Another thing I really like is the fact that you are showing aspects of your city that are less well known and off the beaten path. A cracking image..... wish it was mine :)

Cheers

Rosemary

yquem46 (38752) 2013-12-23 12:11

Merhaba Deniz
Another enormous shot, even if not as spectacular as that of yesterday, with this light focused on the mosque and the colorful houses
Well worth in any case a smiley
have a nice evening and a merry Xmas
best regards
patrick

saxo042 (38078) 2013-12-23 12:31

Hi Deniz,
The sunshine over the foreground really enhances the beauty of this picture. It is perfectly composed with the bridge as a diagonal line and the two minarets in the clear sunshine, against the shadowed background, excellent!
Happy Holidays
Gunnar

honeto (651) 2013-12-23 12:34 [Comment]

Show Comment

TRB (14138) 2013-12-23 13:26

tek kelime ile muhteşem.
Bakış açısına, netliğine, renklerine, ışığına ve kadrajına bayıldım, tebrikler
emeğinize sağlık.

Tülay

lousat (139982) 2013-12-23 14:00

Hi Deniz,beautiful as you last,a magnificent capture with different light levels full of perfect details everywhere and great colors,i can count the cars on the bridge..ehehe...very very well done! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

siudzi (34141) 2013-12-23 14:24

Hi Deniz,
Another brilliant post from your last series! I am really impressed of the light effect you have achieved at this special moment. The city scape looks absolutely unique and magical. Excellent view as well as your presentation. Bravo!

Best wishes,
Gosia

npecanhuk (79329) 2013-12-23 16:17

Hi! Very interesting and attractive picture! Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov and composition are all excellent! Cheers, Neyvan

adidas5nb (5743) 2013-12-23 16:28

thats an amazing pic.love the different layers in the pic and the pov n frame.great urban shot and cation.
regards
dwaipayan

Corry (4508) 2013-12-23 20:24

Bonsoir Deniz

Excellente vue panoramique sur la ville à demi éclairée et ce pont. Très belle prise de vue. Félicitations.

Yvon

delpeoples (60342) 2013-12-23 22:23

Merhaba dear Deniz

You've got me really confused, young Deniz, is this Blue Hour? because the sky would seem to indicate it yet the light on the rest of the city and the reflections on the water would seem to say not. Anyway, it's a cracker of a photo, I like it a lot and am impressed (as someone who fears heights) that you climbed so high to get this excellent POV. "Byzantine Walls" how cool is that? Your note really fires the imagination.

Have a lovely evening, I'm not sure if you celebrate Christmas (my guess is not), but even if you don't, you're in my thoughts and prayers.

Warmest wishes
Lisa

Angshu (56760) 2013-12-23 23:34

Another one with the amazing light...almost seems like a giant spotlight effect to me.
This scene is much more 'Istanbul' or 'Turkey' written all over it..thanks to "what mosque is that?"
I dont believe we have been to this side of your city judging by the bridge (we saw 3 bridges on the Horn, the last one at Balat & this one is neither)
Best,
Angshu
PS : Stifled of time, I am...would you believe & at this point of the year?

cargus (14004) 2013-12-24 1:45

Beautiful panorama, perfect framing, colors played excellent, clear and bright a successful image, well done.!!
Regards
Adrian

ikeharel (114569) 2013-12-24 2:01

Good morning Deniz,
halved by the shades of a passing cloud, the city looks as emerging from dark, and the lit part is fabulousely with good clarity.
The traffic on the bridge gave a strong dynamic semse while looking from high perspective over.
Contrast and depth well applied.
Have a nice holidays season,
Ike

snunney (130967) 2013-12-24 2:20

Hello Deniz,
An excellent cityscape with the mosque making a fine focal point. The busy bridge in the foreground makes a great frame and adds to the interest of the shot. Superb lighting and clarity.

No_One (4) 2013-12-24 2:41

Hi Deniz,
The light was very kind to you this day to create this fine image, as well as the last post, and you used what you were given to perfection! This is a burst of color and design, location and planning, classic and modern, art and industry, and they all combine together so well. Nothing in this scene is ugly to my eyes, I find the whole thing fantastic.
Thanks again, and Merry Christmas!
All the best
Noel

krzychu30 (15512) 2013-12-24 3:19

Hi Deniz,
just love the way the light divides the scene.
It´s like it´d want to separate the "ugly"part of the city from this more representative.At any rate the result is eye-catching!
Also the perspective with the bridge in the FG appeals to me much.
Can´t wait to see Istambul on my own in March.

Wish You all the best
Krzysztof

timecapturer (49288) 2013-12-24 3:42

Hi Deniz
another stunning shot of this amazing City and the light is just amazing too! So much to look at and all captured so perfectly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say.........well I think this is a real beauty of an image. Bravo!

Seasons Greetings to you and yours - Brian.

holmertz (103596) 2013-12-24 4:59

Hello Deniz,
This is as good as the last picture but the incredible contrasts of architecture made that one more overwhelming. The spotlight effect is the same and still stunning.This is a part of Istanbul that I am not at all familiar with. On my very old city map this bridge doesn't even exist. Actually, last year I was staying in a hotel in a street not far from Taksim that also wasn't on my map. I got very confused at first. Maybe I should buy myself a new map. Afer all, Istanbul has changed incredibly in the last few decades.
Kind regards,
Gert

emka (158784) 2013-12-24 14:44

hello henry eight,
Another shot with the special, wonderful light. Now with your explanation I imagine where it was. We must have gone somehow under this bridge to Eyup. The square mosque really pops out and seems quite nice with two slender minarets, specially against this dark blue sky. But there are more square mosques, like Ortakoy :( . Mihrimah was very close to our way, but we were in a hurry to meet you in Kariye so I didn't notice it. The houses look very pretty in this light but what I like more is this highway.
Fantastic photo (so much better than mine from other part of the walls, in Yedikule :))

You could be somewhere near WS

[workshop] [compare]

cornejo (61504) 2013-12-25 2:29

Hi Deniz, lovely view of this interesting piece of the city, very well captured compuseta and with great pov with pretty good picture. A nice picture with good sharpness, depth and quality. A great job well done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good afternoon and happy rest of the week.
Best wishes from southern Spain.
Angel.

macjake (98544) 2013-12-25 3:11

Hi Deniz
another cool and awesome city pic!
its shots like this that truly stand out among the others, its unique and so interesting, its a view that seemingly only a bird gets to see :)

is the light always like this in Istanbul?
pretty darn special in my books.

I know you say it doesn't look as beautiful in person, its just hard to believe that's all, looks great to us.

Wonderful capture!!!!

Merry Christams :)
Craig

mcmtanyel (69195) 2013-12-27 17:23

Hello Deniz,
So, what mosque is it whose minarets are barely visible behind the bridge? (Hah-hah, you though you would put an end to "what mosque is it?" questions by preemptively answering the question.)
The light indeed look magical, putting half of the view in broad daylight and the other in the blue hour. Congratulations on your timing.
Regards,
MT
PS. If Americans put 80,000,000 people in a state the size of Texas, they would have to live in apartments, too. It is all a matter of population density.

ourania (51103) 2014-01-02 8:39

Hello Deniz,
I like very much how you introduce us to this marvelous scenery using the decisive perspective of the bridge. We get to know this view through superb, distinct and detailed layers that take us deeper and deeper into the city. The mysterious part that's immersed in the shade and the dark sky enhance the sense of depth and set off the well defined and bright parts exquisitely. I'm fascinated by the compact view of the hill and by the countless windows. An exceptional photo, congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a very happy year full of love and health!
Ourania

bona (15057) 2014-01-04 6:18

Hello Deniz,

I'm thinking that the city walls are very high to have all this plances of the city. Fantastic light and DOF. The big temple is suberb in the photo.

Regards
Andre

taypejka (1689) 2014-03-30 9:04

Hi Deniz,

I like this unambigous title and looking at this photo one can find some truth in it.In fact we can always find some beauty in ugliness. Depends what you want to see. Yes, the blue sky makes the whole place look more attractive.

P.S. I sent you email a few months ago but did not get any response :(. Does it worth to try again:)?
I will meet with Malgorzata and her friend on 5 April as they are coming to Tbilisi.