Shooter Files is going on the Eastern European Road
So I’m not moving from Istanbul, but I will be on the road for a couple of months. It looks to be a busy couple months too. My trip starts in Berlin, Germany and from there I’ll be going through parts of Eastern Europe on my way back down to Istanbul. In the middle of all that, I’ll also be traveling to Rome.
Since I will be taking you all along with me to each city I travel in for Street Photography and work, here’s a quick overview of where we’ll be for the next couple months!
The Where, When, What and Why
Where?
Berlin, Germany
I’ve been to Germany (mostly Munich), but I haven’t made it up as far as Berlin yet. Unfortunately, the main reason for this first stop is to drop off my Leica M9. It’s been hit by sensor corrosion and shipping it from Turkey would not only take forever, but also be a nightmare with how shipping works here.
So I’m taking my camera to the original Leica store in Berlin and they’ll take care of the sensor replacement for free from there, but I’ll still be without it for 6-8 weeks. Since I plan on doing a lot of photography on this road trip, I’ll be using the Fuji Xpro1 as a temporary replacement for most of my street work. We’ll see how much I miss the Leica :)
I’ll be in Berlin for around a week and while the weather forecast doesn’t look promising, I’ll still try to get some photography in when it allows. I’ll also try to give my first impression of Street Photography in Germany since so many people are concerned with the strict laws on public photography there.
Ukraine
I should be spending a good amount of time here, starting in Kiev. I also have a good friend in Poltava who will help me explore and capture some of the smaller town life in Ukraine today. We’ll see what I can get worked out.
Kraków, Poland
Poland has been on my list for a while and Kraków has always been the city that captures my interest the most there. It has a lot of history and the look of the city really intrigues me when it comes to Street Photography. I should be here for around a week.
Prague, Czech Republic
This, and Rome, will be the only stops that I’ve been to before. It’s been many years since I visited Prague, though, so capturing the city will probably feel almost new. This will also be around a week visit.
Rome, Italy
This one was added very recently to the plans, which is why it’s a slight detour. After working with Spyros from StreetHunters.net in their Street Hunt video episode of Istanbul, he asked me to join his next Street Hunt episode in Rome, Italy. I couldn’t say no to the opportunity so Rome was added to the trip.
Budapest, Hungary
Since living in Istanbul, this is the city I’ve heard the most about. I’ve constantly met people who can’t stop talking about Budapest so I’ll have to see what all the talk is about. Depending on the weather, I should stay here for 1-2 weeks.
The Maybes:
Vienna
I’ll be in the area of Prague, Krakow and Budapest so Vienna would be a close and easy stop. I’ve never been so if plans and time allow, I’ll make a few days happen in this city too.
Belgrade
This would also be an easy stop on my way down towards Istanbul. Belgrade is a city with a turbulent past, but a lot of positive changes going on today. Making a stop here for a week and capturing life in Belgrade is definitely something I might do.
Macedonia or…
The end of this trip partly depends on weather. Once November approaches, weather usually goes downhill fast. I might be finishing my time in Skopje, Macedonia working on a short photo documentary on the Roma village of Sutka, but if the weather doesn’t look like it will cooperate, this could easily change. We’ll see, but I’ll keep you all updated once it approaches.
When?
Arrival Date: September 10th
Time Frame: 7+ weeks
Why?
As I explained before, I have to go to Berlin for my camera, but since I’m up there I decided on doing a small tour of some of Eastern Europe on the way back down to Istanbul. I’ve done plenty of Western Europe, but not nearly enough Eastern Europe and it’s an area that really intrigues me. All the history, the Soviet influence, the changes and the unique culture of this area all give it something very interesting and appealing. That, and the fact it’s in between Berlin and Istanbul make it the perfect tour destination right now. Ukraine has also been high on my list recently and I plan on doing a little documentary style work there.
Rome was only added to my plans because of the Street Hunt video episode I’ll be involved in, but Rome’s an amazing city so it should be a great addition outside of the video too.
What?
Goals
Personal Projects + Work
I plan on capturing each city’s life through photography for my personal work and this blog, in addition to the Street Hunt video in Rome. I also plan on working on a couple smaller photo projects/documentaries. The first will be in Ukraine covering some of the conflict’s effects and the second would be bigger in Macedonia, but is not for sure yet.
Ongoing Personal Projects:
In Living Color
This is a long-term Street Photography Project I’m currently working on that I plan spending a good 5+ years on before completion. The main theme involves color, but I will be putting my own personal twist on it with what I capture and how I put it together.
Small World
This is another long-term project that focuses on showing similarities among different cultures around the world. One way I’m trying to showcase this is by capturing similar or related scenes in completely different looking places. This is something I’ve started very recently, but plan on spending 2-3 years on.
Street Photography Goals:
My goal is to not go a day without shooting Street Photography while on this road trip (not counting travel days).
Blog Goals:
This blog is still growing so when I’m not out shooting the streets, I’ll probably be working on this. My goal is to really build Shooter Files to where I want it to be. The blog is starting to come along content-wise, but not readership-wise. No one knows about it. For this to change, I really need to start focusing on getting it out there so more people can see it. During this trip, I should have more material than ever for the website so hopefully I can get people to find it.
In addition to the blog’s regular content, I will provide plenty of content focused on Street Photography and my experiences in all the cities I visit. So stay tuned and follow along!
VISA Requirements:
All the places I’ve listed have automatic visas where I won’t be staying past the 90 day maximum.
Have any of you been to any of the cities in my upcoming plans ? Tell me what you thought about them in the comments below!
Comment Here!