BOZCAADA DOORS

Doors from Bozcaada (Tenedos), a small, wine maker Turkish island in Aegean Sea...

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Bağlarla dolu, 2500 nüfuslu küçük adamızdan kapılar... 

LONDON DOORS 4

North London doors.

More London doors here, here and here.

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Londra’nın kuzeyinden birkaç kapı.

Londra kapılarının devamı burada, burada ve burada.

ALAÇATI BLUES

EDINBURGH'S STREET LAMPS

Some street lamp photos from one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

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Dünyanın en güzel şehirlerinden birinden birkaç sokak lâmbası fotoğrafı.  

AT THE SAME TIME IN ISTANBUL...

The sun was warming our bodies while the smell of the sea and the voice of the seagulls warming our hearths. 

And something was happening... 

TRAVELLERS' CHILDREN IN LONDON FIELDS

A black and white documentary photography book we bought on Saturday. Clerkenwell born photographer Colin O’Brien which is taking London photos since 1948, captured Irish travellers' children in London fields in 1987. Photos of little ones with a grown up expression on their faces... 

SCOTLAND'S DOORS 2

More Scotland doors here.  

WORLD PRESS PHOTO 2014 PHOTO CONTEST JURY MEMBER: KERIM OKTEN

Today I’m (Aybige) writing the post because I’m proud of Kerim one more time. During his twenty years carrier he always succeed on the assignments he covered. It’s impossible to write here all of them but with few exemples; one of the photos he took during 2011 London riots, was one of the symbol photos of the riots printed in world’s most big newspaper’s covers, also cover photo in all editions worldwide of Time magazine same week. Another photo he took during Istanbul Gezi Park Resistance this summer became another  significative photo and published as cover photo in world’s 25 big newspapers in one day. Do you remember the photoreporters running faster then Usain Bolt after the finish line on 2012 London Olympic Games and taking his photo? Yes, he was one of them.

Today, one of the most prestigious press photo organisations of the world, World Press Photo announced next year’s contest’s jury members and Kerim Okten is the Sports Jury Chair and Final Jury Member of 2014 World Press Photo Contest!

Congratulations Kerim! I’m proud of you, again!

  

LONDON TATTOOS

A beautiful photo book by our photographer collegue Alex MacNaughton. Colorful portraits of Londoners with artful bodies. 

LONDON DOORS 3

North London doors.

More doors here, here, here and here. 

EDINBURGH

In July, we made a little road trip and big part of this trip was in Scotland. It was our first time in Scotland. We loved the country, we loved the people, specially Edinburgh. We felt there at home. Even, we have been regular customer to a pub during nine days we stayed there and made new pub friends, talked with them about the life, the city, the museums, the jazz, the poetry (specially Robert Burns), sports and -even we were agreed to not to talk about politics while drinking alcohol- little bit politics. Yes, it was a very special pub and we keep it to ourselves.

When we were talking about a trip to Scotland we were expecting a rainy and cold weather even in summer and for being in such northern part of the island, we were ready to it. Buuut, during our stay there, Scotland lived most hot two weeks since last twenty years and it was heaven for us (not for Scottish friends).

We will share more photos and details of this beautiful city but as an opening, we can say that we fell in love with Edinburgh. Is one of these old, characterful, amazing cities with beautiful people and we hope to go back there again.  

DOORS OF CANTERBURY

Some old doors from an old city... 

PAINSWICK IN COTSWOLDS

Last week on our way to Silverstone for Moto GP, we visited two beautiful Cotswolds towns. The first town we stopped is Painswick. We walked on the narrow streets of the town and took some photos. We looked for a nice place to drink something but it was little bit like a ghost town and most of the shops were closed.

Anyway we enjoyed our walk on the streets lined of Cotswolds stone houses. The sun was not shining on that part of the day, pitty for the photos but it was nice to visit another town of this beautiful part of our little kingdom.  

SCOTLAND’S DOORS

Some Scottish doors from Edinburgh and Rosslyn Chapel.

More door photos here and here. 

ANOTHER LONDON

Another good B&W photography book about London city life’s past. The book, contains photos taken during the period between 1930 and 1980 by 41 international photographers such as  Eve Arnold, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sergio Larrain, Marc Riboud.

Another London published by Tate in 2012, is a look from different angles to London’s city life through the lens of foreigner photographers.

TWO LONG DAYS

Yesterday we opened our terrace season and had a short break from our computers. Because since two days, except this little break at the terrace and sleeping a couple of hours after the sun rise this morning, we spent almost all of our time in front of our computers, sharing photos, videos and information about what’s happening in Istanbul.

Normally, we don’t talk about politics in A Cat From London but today we will make an exception and talk about Taksim Gezi Park. Since ten years, the islamist government is doing unbelievable things in Turkey. Lately, they decided to built a shopping mall (Istanbul has around 60 shopping malls and don’t need another one) at the Gezi Park in the main square of Istanbul.

Activists, resisted to save 90 years old (same as the republic) trees. The government sent police forces, thousands of them against their own people. Police used force to pacifist activists (even the animals, lots of dogs lost their lifes in two days)  and at the end, it was not the thing of saving the trees and a park anymore, it was saving the human rights and the democracy. Police used pepper spray directly to the faces, used gas bombs and plastic bullets targeting the faces and vital organs. Hundreds are injured. Turkish media (except three channels) didn’t published any of this and all informed and communicated by social media.

Today, the people, young, elder, turk, kurd, muslim, christian, jewish all are united and occupied Gezi Park in Taksim Istanbul and don’t give up from our trees, our democracy and the human rights. Here are some photos of Istanbul:

Police using pepper spray (Photo by Osman Orsal –injured also by tear gas canister thrown by police - Reuters)

How many for one? (Photo by Yücel Tunca)

Turkey rises (Photo by Burak Akbulut -Anatolian Agency)

These are not clouds, gas bomb in Taksim Square! (Photo by Osman Orsal-Reuters)

Gas bomb canisters yesterday in Istiklal Avenue, in one of the main streets of Istanbul. (photographer unknown)

All the smoke you see is gas bomb not fire. (photographer unknown)

Photo source: Occupy Gezi  

THE MOST PRECIOUS BOOK EVER

This morning, one of us made a big surprise to the other one and gave the most meaningful gift ever: Tatanka Ile (With Tatanka).  A black and white photo book full of the photos of our 20 years old cat son Tatanka which we lost in March. The book also contains cat poems written by poets from all around the world.

Tatanka was our taily son, our little black tiger, the pasha of our home. During twenty years, we grove up with him, we organised all our lives considering his comfort, we loved him more then anything.

Now we miss him, we miss him so much...