It feels a little strange to self-promote, but I think this news is pretty deserving. I got first place in people and culture portfolio category in the Travel Photographer of the Year competition. Considering that the competition is pretty well-known these days and there were LOADS of entries, it feels good to get first place.
When one camel took off, all others followed. The camel riders turned back every few seconds, as if to smirk, to make sure that other competitors were eating the sand that their camels kicked up. Each man with a whip in hand, legs flailing sideways, airborne above his camel’s hump. Sure it was a false start, but, those who were already ahead didn’t care. Adrenaline took over. It was their time for glory.
When I bought the DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone the first thing in had in mind were actually the photographic opportunities that it would bring. However, I was also looking forward to shooting some video with it. Here's a short video I edited from some of the footage I shot over this journey through Turkey.
People have been erecting grandiose buildings for thousands of years. They’ve been doing it in some naturally beautiful places too. It seems though that back in the day people had a better idea of how to create things in more harmony with nature. The Marmure Castle in South Turkey, as grand as it is, still felt like it was in harmony with nature when I saw it.
There’s nothing like arriving at a town you knew nothing about and discovering that it’s actually a fascinating place. That was the case with Malatya. The town was on our way and it seemed big enough to have a decent hotel, which was needed after a very cold night of camping followed by a rainy night of camping.
Van is not the kind of city you'd hang out in without a reason. At least not me. Considering that Van doesn't really have any famous attractions and it's in Turkey, a country with possibly more historic monuments and beautiful scenery than… well anywhere I can think of except India, why would you want even visit
I love dogs. I have one myself. Toshka is his name and I treat him like a son. I never fear nor panic when dogs bark at me. They’re just doing their job, guarding their territory. However… a couple of days ago, for the first time since I was a small child, I didn’t know whether I should run for my life from a dog. This was a BIG dog, which belonged to a shepherd boy named Faroukh.
