Istanbul 35mm film photography, and travel
As part of my discovery of a bunch of rolls of film from Istanbul, Turkey that I just never posted, I have been going through some of them and having quite a lot of fun remembering what images I took and which ones I actually quite enjoyed. Almost forgetting that they existed entirely, now instead bringing up memories of events just a few months ago. It's easy to forget these things when life suddenly grows into constant motion, where it often feels like each new day is some other adventure full of photography and new memories to replace the old ones, even if without any intent of doing so. I think it's hard to say I fully enjoyed Turkey, it had a lot of problems with it that definitely made my time there difficult, to which I don't think it's ever a place I could really live in. But I have grown to have some sudden nostalgia for some of the moments there, perhaps because of what it led to after. I now type this post from Georgia. My trip to Turkey was supposed to last about two to three weeks. It has now been five months since I left. From Turkey, to Armenia, and now Georgia.
It's quite interesting how life works like this, how you can plan something and have it lead to something completely unplanned and new. To new discoveries and adventures. I think photography was always something I wanted to do, and that it's definitely responsible for some of these huge changes in my life recently. I can't describe how fun it is to roam new places with cameras, to feel lost in a new place and surrounded by things to capture, stories to tell and moments in time to remember. To then share on with the world later. I was a big shut-in back in England, with rarely anything to do, and total boredom of my surroundings. Even there I felt the interest to get out, and I purchased a drone to help cope with a boring environment. What an odd turn of events things have been recently. Now sitting on a bed on a farm in a village that sits on the side of a mountain, cold nights and snow all around. Camera gear increasing by the month as I get something new to add to my gear. The motivation is strong.
Yet film continues to be something I return to at all times, no matter what gear I have. The emotion it gives, the fun of analogue photography, its simplicity and soul. The personality it holds as it's something incredibly intimate with the camera, I can't think of anything else I'd want to be doing. No matter how harsh the weather gets, the challenges a new place gives in the culture, traditions, or even just poor living standards. It's all new experiences to capture and tell to the world in some capacity. And as always, it always feels new. That this is still the start of it all. Photography is a passion that only grows in intensity, giving that longing for more. That desperate itch that cannot be dealt with on days where you're stuck inside, almost looking out of the window like a sad dog on a rainy day. That need to get out and witness life, and capture it.
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