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Join us for a photographic odyssey among the natural and cultural treasures of Turkey.  We’ll explore 10,000 years of cultures (people have been coming to and going from and passing through Turkey in all directions for thousands of years), the natural world that made this place so unique, and the changes that people made on the environment – and that the environment enabled for people!  This is an odyssey that will stimulate you photographically and send you home richer in knowledge and understanding!

Turkey is a land of contrasts, with one foot in Europe and another in Asia.  Known for its temples to Athena and Zeus, it was also important to Christianity and influenced by the Roman Empire.

Inland, there are homes, churches – even underground cities – carved from soft volcanic rock and surrounded by an intriguing eroded volcanic landscape.

We have worked hard at weaving together an exploration that is designed get photographers to great modern and ancient cultural sites in great light and with ample time to work the scenes.  We’ve woven together a photographic adventure that will let us look into modern vestiges of ancient cultures as well as important archaeological sites from Christian, Roman, Greek, and Muslim cultures, and to create a tapestry of images that reflects the unique blend that is Turkey.

We’ll work stunning landscapes – and close-up views of the colors and textures of the spice market.  We’ll wander amongst ancient temples with both dramatic and soft light.  We will, at several points, pass along the ancient Silk Road.  We have timed this exploration for good weather – but allowed time to work around daily variations.

We’ve built in enough time to explore the Cappadocia region, with its eroded landscape and unique carved dwellings and churches.  We’ll be out amongst the formations and creations in all types of light – with ample time to work each scene.  We have even secured the opportunity to lodge in a romantic cave hotel!  And we’ll top it off with a dawn hot air balloon ride over and among fairy chimneys with dwellings!

We have put the logistics together to photograph these unique features from all angles.  We’ll see the doorways and exposed rooms (when outer walls collapsed) from the outside.  We’ll go in and photograph the interiors lit only by light coming through doors and windows.  We’ll look out through windows, using the silhouette of the portal as a compositional tool.  And we’ll build exposures that show both inside and outside!

We have a good block of time on the Aegean Sea and great opportunities to learn about and create striking images of the areas once dominated by the ancient Romans and Greeks.  We’ll wander among marble columns standing white against blue skies and turquoise waters – our only challenge will be to see this with fresh eyes and create images like none we have taken before.

This Muslim nation is a strong democracy – eager to embrace the modern world, yet bringing forward a complex mix of traditions and practices.  Istanbul is a very modern city, straddling the Bosphorus which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara and separates Europe from Asia, and is also home to bazaars and markets.

It is also a nation of talented craftspeople who ply ancient arts such as ceramics and weaving.  It is a land rich in taste treats – every meal will be a fun adventure – and we’ll get to experience time-honored Mediterranean cuisine right at the source.  Wait until you try the olives!

If you read the paragraphs above, we reference time often.  We listened to the advice of travel professionals from Turkey – but also remembered how you (and we) travel with cameras.  We are as eager as you to know that if we travel this far that we’ll have ample opportunities to create – that we won’t be rushed off to another spot just when things are working photographically.  So, we padded our time in many places and stayed extra nights in others – all to make sure we come home with great mental memories and strong collections of new images.

• Cost: $6,395 per person, double occupancy; $7,750 per person, single occupancy for applications received before October 1, 2013
• Deposit: $1,000 per person, double occupancy; $1,200 per person, single occupancy
• Payment can be made by check, credit card, or PayPal - there is a slightly higher charge for credit card and PayPal payments
• Adventure begins and ends in Istanbul
• Cost includes instruction, daily outings, lodging, breakfasts and dinners, park entrance fees, adventure materials, related transportation (domestic flights, bus rides, shuttles, boat outings). Lunches are on your own.
• Minimum group size: 6, Maximum group size: 12
• Optional hot air balloon adventure in Cappadocia