travel

Karaköy, Istanbul, Turkey

Karaköy is a neighborhood in Istanbul that is rapidly changing. ALong the water front are old metal shops and stores, mostly serving the shipping industry, but as you move up the hill it turns into a banking and commercial center. The shops along the water front are slowing being pushed out and recently a new shopping area was built outside the city center where the shops were suppose to move to, but many shops refused to move. I'm obsessed with workshops (Motorcycle shops, wood shops, old tools, etc) so I was instantly drawn to this area. On the last day I was Istanbul I went down to Karaköy with a translater and talked to some of the shop owners. It was a rainy saturday and a lot of shops were closed up, but here are a few shots. I'm planning to do a series of craftsman's and their workspaces, so this proved to be a great chance to try out the diptych approach.

d1
d1

Kadir, Karaköy, Istanbul - Kadir makes custom length steel cables for towing and lifting applications.

IMG_8244
IMG_8244

Sabri Senol outside of his workshop. Karaköy, Istanbul

d1
d1

Using a lave from 1966, Sabri Senol producers pulleys, rollers and other customs parts for the shipping industry.

IMG_8353
IMG_8353

Tucked above a metal shop is Mustafa Aydemir's personal workshop, where he builds traditional turkish instruments.

d1
d1

Mustafa sitting in his workshop. Back corner for his workshop.

 

BOLIVIA

I absolutely love what I do for a living.  I just got back from a 20 day shoot in Bolivia.  We flew into La Paz, drove to the Chapare (in the amazon basin, around 1,000 feet above sea level) and worked there for a few days, then worked in the lovely city of Cochabamba (about 8,500 ft) and then ended the trip shooting on the side of a mountain at nearly 15,000 ft above sea level.  We went from shooting in the jungle to shooting in a silver mine, man what a wild trip!!!!!  Oh and the entire shoot was on the RED.  Yes, the RED.  Behind the scene photos to come! Driving out of La Paz.

The town of Villa Tunari, my first time in the Amazon Basin.

 

Jungle Roads /// Yes, we brought a dolly into the jungle.

The whole reason we went to the jungle was to film on Coca farms. These were legal farms, yet some of these plants still end up as cocaine.

We spent a lot of time on the road. We had an awesome Land Cruiser and a cargo van with all our gear. The roads in Bolivia are pretty insane. Thank god we had two awesome drivers. Thanks Macros and Ricky! You guys rocked!

Street vendor in Cochabamba

The high plateaus (around 13,000 feet) where simply amazing. Its like the wild west, unbelievable.

Another plateau shot.

And another. I was just completely blown away by these beautiful yet harsh landscapes.

Storm. Dust cloud /// Valley at sunset. A lot of Bolivia reminded me of the American West.

The city of Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world. That's the mountain we shot on the side of. Amazing!

We had a day off in Potosí for "Altitude acclimatization" -- First time I have EVER had a day off in the middle of a shoot for altitude acclimatization, so I walked around (slowly) and shot a few photos. Street vendor.

Women with cellphone, Potosí /// Street festival, Potosí.

View from the side of the mountain where we were shooting. This was my "office" for the week.

This is Nick, my wonderful amazing AC on the trip. We had a killer time, but how could you not when your shooting on a RED on the side of a mountain at 15,000 feet.

This is one of my favorite shoots. Miners chewing coco, Potosí.

Miner with a bag of coca, Potosí /// Women in traditional dress, La Paz.