Istanbul, Turkey Photo Album

Istanbul, Turkey was one of the places I wanted to travel to the most. From the alluring geography, history, and geopolitical importance that shaped this part of the world and its influence on other societies was the pull that became interesting to me.

As a bike traveler and photographer, I try to capture the subjective nature of the places I visit and the people who exist in them. It’s a way for me to understand from a cultural perspective, connect with the locals, and bring a deeper meaning and story that I try to convey, while still knowing the history has already been written hundreds of thousands of years ago.

The sprawling metropolis of Istanbul felt familiar yet foreign, a paradox of sameness and difference compared to the concrete jungle where I was born. Fast cars, and scooters on tight cobblestoned streets, with people blinded by life moments as they go about their day on the local metro, had Brooklyn and Manhattan written all over it. But when mosque loudspeakers sound off calling the faithful prayer introduced a whole new reality, one I had never experienced before.

There were so many layers of meaning to this city that goes beyond what I shared in my photographs. Every image is an attempt to tell a story of what I experienced while acknowledging these fleeting moments are brief ones in a much larger and ancient story. Enjoy… DP