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.)
Transit of Venus
Statue of Ataturk, underneath the Turkish flag
Dome of the Hagia Sophia
Inside the Hagia Sophia
Just hours after photographing the Transit of Venus, I took another photo that became one of this year's favorites. This photo shows the expansive interior of one of the world's most historic buildings - the "Hagia Sophia", in Istanbul, Turkey. Completed in 537 AD, this was the largest Christian cathedral in the world for almost 1000 years. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it became a mosque. It is now a museum. (June 6, 2012. Nikon D5000, exposure blending from a 3-shot bracketed exposure @ f/7.1, 13mm, ISO 200.)
Inside the Hagia Sophia
Completed in 537 AD, this was the largest Christian cathedral in the world for almost 1000 years. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it became a mosque. It is now a museum.
Byzantine graffiti in a railing at the Hagia Sophia
Inside the Hagia Sophia