Beyoglu
Istanbul sometime in the late 90’s
I’ve just finished reading Orhan Pamuk’s latest book, “A Strangeness in My Mind” and the book has caused me to have my own mental “strangeness”.
The book tells of a poor man, Mevlut, who sells yogurt and boza (a mildly alcoholic drink from Ottoman days) in the neighborhoods of Istanbul. The hero, Mevlut, is described by the author as boyishly handsome and is liked by all especially women.
My mind was stimulated by the author’s description of Beyoglu, Duttepe and Kultepe, neighborhoods populated by immigrants from Anatolia. As soon as I finished reading, I got out my old black and white negatives to look for photos that reminded me of Pamuk’s descriptions. Here, I’ve found a shot of a man who is boyishly handsome. He is strolling through the streets just as Mevlut loved to do. He is my Mevlut.
Beyoglu at Night
When the authorities decide to eliminate the pushcart vendors from the streets, Mevlut’s cart is confiscated. When he sees carts abandoned on the streets, he rushes to see if one is his.
It was fun to look through my old negatives to see if I had something that would fit Mevlut’s story. I used to try to balance the contrast in my photos in the old days as I show here in the top photo. I never would have shown my teacher the bottom photo. It is too contrasty but now, free from my teacher’s criticism, I prefer the harsh tones of the high contrast print.
I didn’t print many of these shots. To be honest, the composition was lacking. But I’ve found some I like and I’m going to show you in the next few blogs.