Athens and Istanbul in december!!!!!

[sf]

My cousin (TheCadet here on RFF) and I are going to visit Athens and Istanbul this december over a two week period. We'll be spending about a week in each place. We are not the tourist types...more likely to wander the cities low-key style and try and capture their essences with our trusty cameras.

We are going to take the train from Athens to Istanbul (24 hours).

Has anyone here done this? The train, I mean.

Has anyone any experience with camera ettiquete in Turkey/Greece? I realize these are tourist locations, so things are going to be somewhat laid back, but I would like to have an idea of the situation so I can prepare my measures.

I am comfortable with western Europe, but am unsure about things to the east.

Also, do we have any members in Athens or Istanbul?

thanks

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

A google search "camera etiquette in istanbul," turned up this one...

http://www.hoteltravel.com/turkey/istanbul/guides/travel_tips.htm

You might call the or write the Turkish and Greek embassies for advice. I think most embassies will have someone on staff to advise travelers going to their countries.

" Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople
Been a long time gone
Old Constantinople's still has Turkish delight
On a moonlight night"

--Trevor Horn

 

[Cron]

both Southern European cities are loud and full of people, take an eye on your camera esp. in Istanbul.
Friendly people, smile and try to speech essential words in their language, they will be happy about it and this often breaks the ice. Most of them also speek few words in english.
But always buy a ticket for the busses. They do not like tourists without a ticket when controlled.
It is not allowed to take photos of military equipment and sometimes in churches.
Other rules ? Try a glass of Ouzo and a bottle of Mythos in Athen.
Never say Greek Coffee in Turkey and never say Turk Coffee in Greece. It's the same kind of coffee, but there is national pride.

enjoy your journey, Norbert

 

[telenous]

Hi George,

Excellent itinerary, lots of opportunities for photography. What I have to say in reply to your questions comes from a peculiar insider/outsider point of view: Athens is my hometown but I left some thirteen years ago for the UK only to go back for a regular visit to my parents. I now have this strange feeling every time I go there that this is a place I know very well but do not belong.

There is no particular photo-etiquette in Greece. Street photography is far less practiced than in other places but Greeks are quite used with foreigners carrying their cameras – after all this is a country which relies in tourism for its economy and doubles its population with visitors every summer. Photographing women and children is within bounds although the usual provisos do apply here as well. I should think asking people to photograph them will usually result in their consent; if anything they will be flattered. Photographing ancient ruins is obviously fine unless there is a sign indicating the opposite.

One very sensitive area is the photography of military bases. It is not unusual for a military camp to be located in the open near a tourist attraction. Every single island has a few military camps (I have served in one) and it is absolutely prohibited to take photos of anything related to it. If you ask ‘why would anyone want to shoot a military camp’, here is one answer: Quite recently a few British plane-spotters casually took photos of Greek military aircraft and they were quickly apprehended and put to trial as spies. The whole thing was quite mad to begin with but it soon escalated to a diplomatic rift between Athens and London. Thankfully some sort of sanity prevailed in the end and the offenders were released only having to pay a hefty penalty.

On a personal level I think Athens is quite unphotogenic (and I am saying this despite the fact I absolutely love the city) unless of course you are into urban decay stuff. I like to say that it is an ancient city with modern ruins. Having said that, you will certainly find a few things to photograph especially near the historical centre and below Acropolis in the beautiful neighbourhood of Plaka. The Greek countryside can also be very rewarding photographicly speaking. The people in rural areas are more authentic and I like to think very hospitable too.

About Turkey I cannot offer any help but I would be surprised if things were very different despite the cultural differences and traditional enmity with Greece. Istanbul is certainly going to be very interesting and it is one city I would like to visit too.

Enjoy your travels and please feel free to PM if you have any specific questions on Athens or otherwise.

Best,

PS I forgot to say, and I am adding here, that in this neighbourhhood of the world the light has a very special, uniquely transparent quality. I immediately know if a photo is taken in Greece by the strong light that washes out colour ever so slightly without turning everything overly contrasty. The effect is more noticeable in the islands but a clear day in Athens will give you many a photo with the characeristic 'Greek light'.

 

[peter_n]

I have not taken the train from Istanbul to Athens but I have done the trip by road. It was very interesting...

My trip there was 20 years ago so my info is completely out of date. I loved Istanbul and made many friends there. IMHO the city and its people are incredibly photogenic. I really liked the ruins in Athens, it is a very moving experience to sit in the Parthenon where Pericles, Sophocles, Plato etc. were. I also really liked Delphi, not too far from Athens.

 

[dreilly]

I love Turkey! (Never been to Greece, so can't comment.) But Turkey is a lovely, fascinating and terrifically photogenic country. Istanbul is full of ruins, modern and ancient...but it's the atmosphere that's palpable, and enchanting. I've travelled in Turkey twice, both for fairly long vacations, and I would go back, again and again, and never feel bad for the other countries on my list!

The tourist core of Istanbul can get tiring. Lots of touts with good intentiosn but it can wear on one's patience. But venture out into the city's many neighborhoods, where people actually conduct their daily lives (you don't have to go far, start at the "spice bazaar" and head north along the Golden Horn) and it's a totally different story. The interest you daray is curouis, decent and often, warm and welcoming. Stop in for a shave at a neighborhood barber shop for an experience you won't forget! Drop into a tea house for a cup and some backgammon.

Camera ettiquette: I think if you ask most people will say yes, even if you do it subtly with your eyes and the camera. It's a bit akin to photographing in New York City where most people don't care or don't notice. I didn't sense any particular taboos, but then again I'm a fairly unobtrusive, respectful photographer who would usually choose not getting the shot to getting shouted at!

Anyway, my one piece of advice is to visit some of the farther flung neighborhoods just to experience what travelling in the rest of Turkey is like: laid back, fascinating and welcoming in a way that should make you want to return!

Are you going to shoot color or black and white? I'd bring both. Istanbul works both way: as a splash of amazing colors and as a moody film noir.

doug

 

[dreilly]

Oh, and check out the work of Ara Guler, an old, very well known photographer in Istanbul:

http://www.lesartsturcs.com/photo_gulers.php

While he's not a member of RFF that I know of, he's still alive and, rumor has it, shooting rangefinders.

 

[nksyoon]

I haven't been to Athens, but have been to Istanbul.

As others have mentioned, it's a wonderful city with many sights to keep you busy. In the tourist areas you'll have to get used to the "my cousin has a carpet shop" guys who started to annoy me after a while. One of them even commented on my camera as an opening line when he saw me loading film into my M6 - "very interesting camera sir, where are you from?"

I used mainly a 21mm, with 35mm and 50mm being used quite frequently as well. I also had a 90mm which was rarely used.

Here are some mainly touristic photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nksyoon/sets/1789053/

 

[sf]

Hi George,

PS I forgot to say, and I am adding here, that in this neighbourhhood of the world the light has a very special, uniquely transparent quality. I immediately know if a photo is taken in Greece by the strong light that washes out colour ever so slightly without turning everything overly contrasty. The effect is more noticeable in the islands but a clear day in Athens will give you many a photo with the characeristic 'Greek light'.

neat. I am looking forward to this trip. A week in Athens and a week+ in Istanbul. I am going to be very cautious with my choice of subject and method. I will of course be taking the RF645 for this trip with the 45 and 100 lenses.