This beautiful shot of Istanbul in winter was posted on Instagram by Middle East-based photographer Ahmed Deeb.
Here's Ahmed at work in Aleppo—this photo's by shagaleh. (That city name always reminds me of Vladimir Nabokov's short story 'That in Aleppo Once...'.)
Mike
(Thanks to Speed, who found this)
Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
John Krumm: "I don't use Instagram, but he's also on Facebook and looks like an interesting photojournalist to follow."
Oh wow. I never thought the day would come that you would be directing us to an Instagram page...
Posted by: Richard | Sunday, 30 November 2014 at 02:06 PM
Othello's last words before committing suicide:
"Then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well,
Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought,
Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand,
Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away
Richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes,
Albeit unused to the melting mood,
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum. Set you down this,
And say besides that in Aleppo once,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus." (V.ii.341-354)
I was trying to think of a way that this might be made relevant to your post but, besides the obvious link with Nabokov, being unable to do so, I suggest it as a quote because, well, it is Shakespeare, it is magisterial, and it comes with innumerable possible interpretations, like all the best Art.
Posted by: Patrick Dodds | Sunday, 30 November 2014 at 02:56 PM
Meh
Posted by: Hasi | Sunday, 30 November 2014 at 03:43 PM
Instagram = instafail. No reason to bother clicking further.
Posted by: Ed | Sunday, 30 November 2014 at 04:59 PM
Some of the most beautiful images I've ever seen of Istanbul and Turkey are panoramas by the Turkish film directer, Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
http://www.nuribilgeceylan.com/
Posted by: Bill Mitchell | Sunday, 30 November 2014 at 06:23 PM
pre-War Aleppo- ancient, and oozing character. The older parts of the city were a photographer's paradise.
Posted by: David | Monday, 01 December 2014 at 02:41 AM
A lot of people complain about Instagram, but this is an example of how it can be used well, and creatively.
Bad Instagram is just selfies and over-processed iPhone shots. But Ahmed Deeb appears to be using it as a venue for photographs taken with "real" cameras and then distributed through Instagram (usually with minimal or no Instagram filters). That is 100% legitimate, if you ask me.
The two examples above do appear to have some filters used (primarily the radial tilt-shift to add a blurry vignette effect), but so what? It's a popular look that appeals to a certain demographic. There's definitely a bit of pictorialism going on here but what's wrong with that?
Posted by: Ed Hawco | Monday, 01 December 2014 at 11:46 AM
A print of this would pair nicely with Ken Tanaka's stormy Chicago cityscape of TOP print sale fame.
Posted by: CharlieH | Monday, 01 December 2014 at 02:30 PM
Ahmed Deep posted a picture on Instagram and gained entry to the elite circle of photographers who have appeared on TOP. Good Job!
Posted by: Speed | Monday, 01 December 2014 at 08:55 PM
Isn't every change we make between negative or file and display a "filter"? I feel the artist moved this image very nicely away from simply a record of place and towards a lush evocation of something richer.
I like it a lot, regardless of where it's displayed.
Posted by: Julian | Monday, 01 December 2014 at 10:48 PM