'Sebasteion', ancient Aphrodisias (near Denizli)
Ancient Aphrodisias
Stadium, ancient Aphrodisias
Ancient Aphrodisias
Obelisk of Theodosius, Istanbul
Roman emperor Theodosius I moved this Egyption obelisk from Egypt to Constantinople in 390 AD. At that time, it was already more than 1,800 years old. So this makes the obelisk more than 3,400 years old!
Cemetary outside the Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul
Inside the Süleymaniye Mosque
Built in 1558; it is one of the largest mosques in Istanbul
Inside the 'Spice Bazaar'
Inside the 'Spice Bazaar'
Fishermen at the Galatia Bridge
Süleymaniye Mosque, from Galatia Tower
View of the Golden Horn and the Bosphoros, from Galatia Tower
View of Sultanahmet, the Golden Horn, and the Galatia Bridge, from Galatia Tower
Transit of Venus
My single favorite photo from 2012 was an accident. While in Istanbul, Turkey on vacation, I woke up early on June 6th to try to photograph the Transit of Venus - the last for more than a century. From this part of the world, the transit would be visible only at sunrise. I had a thick filter (a piece of welding glass) that I used for several photos of the transit. Some of those photos came out OK. My best photo, however, was this one that I took for fun, without a filter, just as the sun began to emerge above the clouds. I wasn't expecting this photo to show the shadow of Venus, but - to my surprise - after reducing highlights and increasing contrast, it produced a remarkable image. (Another fun fact about this photo was that I was standing in Europe, but watching the Sun rise over Asia!) (June 6, 2012. Nikon D5000, 1/1600s @ f/9, 300mm, ISO 200.)
Transit of Venus, seen at sunrise from Istanbul
(Standing in Europe; watching the sun rise over Asia.)