from my last b/w smena roll.
it was taken on şima’s birthday (it is her in the photo) in moda. i wish i had thought of telling her to give me her sweater/jacket she’s holding in this, it’s kinda distracting. but still, like this one a lot. i don’t why i didn’t post it anywhere before.
i recently realised that i have a weird fascination with place signs. i always seem to take photos of them whenever i see one interesting. i think it’s also got to do with the urge to document.
this one here is one of those. it’s of a cafe-restaurant called bast in moda, istanbul. i’ve only been there twice with friends because it’s really far from where i live, but i really like it. its owners are extremely animal-friendly, which i love and shows itself in the decoration of the place. you can also always find a dog or cat hanging out inside, which is always a plus :)
this photo was taken with a smena symbol in june, ‘12.
yet another one i thought wasn’t good enough to post anywhere back then. now i think it’s pretty ace.
these two guys were fishing in sirkeci with nothing but two strings, which a lot of people do in istanbul by the way. i don’t know if they managed to catch anything but it looked like they were having fun.
i like that though it’s blurry you can see galata tower in the background.
this one was also taken with my smena symbol.
oh, also a couple of quick news! i have a new toy! i got a holga 135bc so expect more holga goodness to come. (yeah i’m ridiculously stoked about it) aaand i opened this page, if you’re a holga fan, you’re more than welcome to join. it’s in turkish but the photos don’t need translation, right? :)
i think i’m really starting to love my smena symbol. it definitely takes some time to get used to but once you do, it takes such nicely exposed photos, like this one.
this one was taken around istanbul university’s social sciences faculty with an expired fuji film. the architecture in that area is so lovely that when this little passage caught my eye i couldn’t resist. i’d definitely recommend anyone planning to visit istanbul to take some time and explore beyazıt beyond the usual touristic spots. especially if you’re into photography and looking for places, buildings with a historical feeling to them to shoot.
another one from my latest b/w roll.
love it because of the mask, her pose and the weird part on the left that probably happened during the washing of the film.
it was taken with a smena symbol and ilford pan 400 asa film.
most of the time, i try to create what i want to take a photo of (as in, i make friends pose for me in mostly daily settings, which requires zero effort), and sometimes opportunities like this one present itself. it is very very rare and again requires even less effort, but it’s much more rewarding, for me at least, because it’s spontaneous, “real”, and is what it is, just because, well, it is the way it is. and i come across more and more people who admire photos like this over the first category, regard it as a skill of the photographer to capture it, to be there at the right moment. wonder why.
anyway, it was taken last april on my way to van gogh live exhibition. the man was only napping, though it looks like a very uncomfortable position to nap in, but hey, i’m not complaining :) it was again taken with a smena symbol and expired fuji 100 asa film.
like this a lot. actually like any photo that captures simple moments like this one.
it is from the same roll with this one and it’s hella grainy because of the expired film (i think it’s over eight years old! my ex-boss who knew i was into analog gave a bunch of them to me). it was taken this april at julius meinl, this cozy coffee place in karaköy with a smena symbol.
another one from my latest rolls, this time in color.
it was taken at the backyard of my building with a smena symbol and expired fuji 100 asa film. i have a stange liking to it, probably because of the weird white area around the tree branches that comes out to play quite often. it’s probably one of the perks of smena, though i can’t seem to pinpoint when it happens (which f-stop or exposure etc).
it was taken last april btw.
ok, i think i have to admit that i like this roll a little too much. it’s probably got to do with the fact that it’s black and white film and i finally got used to my smena symbol and starting to get better results. so yeah, this one is also a favorite of mine.
it was taken on a walk with my lovey lovely best buds guy and şima at the moda sea side. the weather was glorious, it was sunday and istanbulers were all out enjoying the afternoon. these boys look kinda solemn in this, which i like only because it adds to the intrigue of the composition, i think.
it was taken in april with a smena symbol and ilford pan 400 asa film.
if you’ve been following this blog long enough, you probably know by now that i am a cat lady (crazy or not remains to be seen, at least by me) and i take lots of photos of stray cats roaming istanbul streets.
this little star here was siesta-ing on moda rocks when he/she caught my eye and i think this photo is the epitome of cat laziness :)
it was taken with a smena symbol and ilford pan 400 asa film.
