At first when I walked into the Hagia Sophia, besides being blown away, I was a bit disappointed to see all the scaffolding. It didn’t seem “right” to have all that in there, but I certainly understand why repairs and cleaning needs to be done. It also kind of depressed me from a photographic standpoint because I couldn’t get a “clean” photo. But then, when I looked at this final image in the viewfinder, I was strangely happy with it. Not only is that scaffolding a sign of the present, but it’s also a bit of a strange and delightful interloper. You don’t expect to see it, and it breaks up the basic patterns you see everywhere else in the photo. So, in other words, now I like it!

Repairs to the Hagia Sophia

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2016-10-03 19:07:42
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time0.6
• Aperture7.1
• ISO100
• Focal Length11.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-1

Which one to choose? I figured I couldn’t go wrong. I really wanted that one drink that was served inside the small Swedish house that they burn down upon arrival. But I felt like it would be a huge waste and spectacle. I was alone there, reading my Kindle… and it seemed like a very strange, lonely, and elitist thing to be reading a book on anthropology while watching my drink-house burn down.

Fragrances in the Ritz-Carlton, Berlin

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2016-09-30 22:56:03
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time15
• Aperture7.1
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.7

Believe it or not, this was one of my handheld series. It came out pretty good, I think. The tripod shots came out great too, but I couldn’t quite get my tripod into this position, which was too bad. You’ll see more shots in the future from the video above when I set up my tripod over on the left side of the mosque. I’m happy with those shots too, but it was a toss-up as to what to post first. I chose this one just to prove that you don’t really need a tripod if you’re in a pinch! 🙂

Peeking inside the Blue Mosque

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2016-10-02 15:48:30
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/50
• Aperture4
• ISO640
• Focal Length15.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.7

Here’s another photo from one of my favorite hot-photo-spots in Istanbul when I was eating dinner atop the Seven Hills Hotel at the restaurant there. I didn’t stay at this hotel, but anyone can go to the top for dinner. I recommend getting there about an hour before sunset so you can have amazing Turkish appetizers and just munch while waiting for the sun to go down. Then, just before things start getting really good, order dinner… it should be out right as soon as it begins to get dark. Then you can eat food and take photos until you get every last drop of light.

The Hagia Sophia at Nightfall

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2016-10-03 00:00:07
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/4
• Aperture4.5
• ISO200
• Focal Length27.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-0.7

I heard there were two Medusa head statues hidden around the cisterns. I went down here with the mission to find both of them… I’ve always been a big gamer, D&D guy, etc etc, so having a mission like that was very exciting for me. I found both of them and had many other “events” along the way. I’ll save those for future posts and photos from this incredible underground structure.

The Roman Cistern in Istanbul

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2016-10-02 22:05:12
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time13
• Aperture4
• ISO200
• Focal Length16.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton here in Krabi, Thailand, and there was no shortage of dinner options. Sometimes I like to “get away” from the hotel/resort to try out other places, but these restaurants were SO GOOD, I figured, “Why bother?” Every night was a different kind of culinary sensation. On this particular night, we ate out on the deck and could hear the waves crashing on the nearby shore. Heaven!

Dinner in Phulay Bay

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2016-01-01 13:35:38
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time40
• Aperture9.5
• ISO400
• Focal Length35.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Here’s the rescue elephant we met in Thailand at the beach while at Phulay Bay. The girls got to feed Coco and she was very gentle. I’ve grown to really love elephants more and more. I always kinda “liked” them from television, but the more time I spend up close to them… I can really sense something. Or, at least, I think I can.

Wise Elephant

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2015-12-29 11:53:39
• CameraH5D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/400
• Aperture5.6
• ISO100
• Focal Length90.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Two days in a row, two mosques in a row! This is in Muscat. I spent the day here with my family, but at night I went back alone with my driver to really explore this place. What I found most interesting, other than how beautiful it was, was how there was no security at all. Or, there was none as far as I could see. Maybe there were infrared cameras or something and a huge underground bunker of guys ready to jump out if I did something strange… But luckily that never happened! I was on my best mosquey behavior! 🙂

Night Shooting in Oman

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2016-01-02 03:29:19
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time6
• Aperture10
• ISO160
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

There are two Ritz-Carlton hotels in Bali and I was lucky enough to stay in both. If you’re gonna spend a week there, I also recommend trying both! This one is from “Manadapa,” which is one of their reserve properties. This massive structure you see here is where the “lobby” is. It’s all open air, as the weather is always warm and temperate. I can’t imagine how long this must have taken to build. I met the architect one day at tea and he probably got sick of me gushing over not only the overall design but also all the little details.

A Massive Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Bali

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2015-11-12 18:35:17
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time8
• Aperture5.6
• ISO250
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

I’m not really a big boat guy. Well, I like being on a boat and cruising around at slow speeds, but I’m not a fan of going across choppy seas at high speeds. That sound of the boat smashing into waves is very unsettling, I think. Maybe I can stand it for 30 mins or so if we’re on the way someplace cool, like in this photo! Our concierge at the Ritz-Carlton Phulay Bay set us up for the boat, so we left Krabi to head out to some of the smaller islands and ended up here. It was so pretty that it was definitely worth that 30 minutes of chop.

Boat Adventures in Thailand

Photo Information

---

• Date Taken2015-12-29 11:30:53
• CameraDSC-RX100M4
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/125
• Aperture3.2
• ISO125
• Focal Length8.8 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias