*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and photographed every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
Almaty
Overview:
Central Asia is a region that most people aren’t too familiar with, but Almaty makes for the best and easiest introduction, in my opinion. For the adventurous nature lovers, Central Asia is a paradise, but Almaty can be a transit city for many of them. If you saw the city’s beautiful mountainous background you wouldn’t know why, though. Almaty has plenty of the nature the region is known for, but it mixes it with an urban, cosmopolitan atmosphere that makes it special. You have the mix of Russia meets Asia influences, but in Almaty you also have a strong European flavor recognizable by the trends, cafes, and nightlife. It makes for one of the more unique and enjoyable street photography experiences around.
So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Almaty has to offer before you even arrive.
Map:
- Zelyony Bazaar (Green Market)
- Panfilov Park / Zenkov Cathedral
- Sayakhat Bus Station
- Gorky Park/Central Park
- Arbat Street
- Dostyk Plaza/Almaty city mayor’s office
- Nikolsky Bazaar/Church
Top 6 Street Spots:
1. Zelyony Bazaar (Green Market)
Zelyony Bazaar, also known as the Green Market, is Almaty’s busiest and biggest market. With a mix of inside and outside stalls selling an endless variety of goods, this older styled market has been a hub of the city for over a century and you can feel it. Its long history also makes it a main attraction for visitors, but you still have a local feeling when exploring the area with your camera. It feels authentic and is a spot I come back to as much as any for street photography. You’ll find plenty of characters and character here, but you’re also nearby many other nice spots to continue for more photography.
You can walk up by the Central Mosque where you’ll find more activity, but one of my favorite spots in the city is just above the mosque around Sayakhat Bus Station. Here, you’ll not only find all the locals coming for transportation, including lines of hitchhikers, but also another busy market. The market here has even more local character than the Green Market, with a more rural vibe. It’s a quirky and interesting area to experience and capture.
This condensed section of Almaty provides a great street photography walk where you can hit up multiple spots, find great light and colors, and spend hours without realizing it.
2. Panfilov Park / Zenkov Cathedral
Panfilov Park is one of Almaty’s most popular green spaces and home to the Zenkov Cathedral, also known as Ascension Cathedral. The park’s location puts it in the heart of the city, attracting both locals and visitors due to the cathedral, one of Almaty’s main sites. Made completely out of wood and no nails, this domed cathedral is one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world. The Russian Orthodox styling and colors add to it, making it one of the more unique and impressive cathedrals I’ve seen. The main attraction for street photography here is the activity it attracts and the variety of park space surrounding it. In front of the Cathedral is a popular spot for feeding pigeons and bringing children, along with a few street vendors. Exploring further away, you’ll find locals relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere. It’s worth a walk and a nice area to walk through on your way to the Zelyony Bazaar or Gorky Park for more street photography.
3. Sayakhat Bus Station
Bus stations, especially in ex-soviet countries, can make for some of my favorite spots for street photography. They’re always filled with activity and endless foot traffic, but they’re also usually filled with a quirky, authentic character that I love. They also tend to attract surrounding street markets, providing even more interest to explore. Almaty’s Sayakhat Bus Station makes for a prime example of what I’m talking about.
Almaty has two bus stations, Sairan for long distance and Sayakhat for shorter distance. I prefer the latter because of its more interesting character, greater activity, and location. Located near the train station, you’ll find a mix of buses and marshutkas (shared vans) providing transportation, but you’ll also find a quirky, old street market and a very local, less urban vibe. If you want to find characters, this is the place to come in Almaty. It’s a bit of a mess of activity, but that’s part of its charm. Nearby, you’ll also find the Central Mosque with its reflective dome, which can attract some surrounding interest and activity too.
4. Gorky Park/Central Park
Gorky Park is the busiest and most elaborate park in Almaty. Filled with recreational spaces, you’ll find an amusement park, a water park, sports complex, boating lake, cinema, zoo, pony rides, food, beer stands, and other attractions for all ages. All this is mixed into a variety of trees, gardens and other scenic surroundings, making an impressive park to walk. With all of these attractions, it makes for one of the most active spaces in the city for street photography, especially on the weekends. You get a wide variety of interest to explore too. For many, this would make for a favorite spot to bring your camera, myself included. The amusement park full of rides probably provides the most interest and color, but there’s enough here in Gorky Park to last you at least half a day of shooting when it’s sunny out. And there’s no entrance fee to the main Central Park or the amusement park.
5. Arbat Street
Arbat Street is a main shopping street in Almaty. It’s pedestrian-only too, making it one of the more popular streets for activity. It’s lined with a variety of shopping, from the old, Soviet styled TSUM shopping mall to designer brands and smaller shops. You’ll also find cafes, restaurants and maybe even a few street performers. And along the street, artists set out their paintings of Kazakhstan’s natural landscapes. It makes for one of the most diverse walks in Almaty, bringing together a mix of all the shopping the city has to offer in one place, while attracting a mix of characters too.
6. Dostyk Plaza/Almaty city mayor’s office
Dostyk Plaza is Almaty’s most modern and elaborate shopping center, making it a popular hangout for locals. For most foreigners, it won’t be anything you haven’t seen before, but in Central Asia, it stands out. Its location puts it in the heart of the city so foot traffic is also good around here. There’s university life, shopping, popular coffee houses and more, giving it a young, vibrant feeling. It’s also become a popular area for expats to live. With its more modern feeling, I don’t find it as interesting or unique visually as other parts of Almaty, but it does provide a different scene with guaranteed activity so I’d give it some time with your camera too.
7. Nikolsky Bazaar/Church
There’s not much info on Almaty online for visitors so I had to do a lot of exploring on foot to find interest on my own. The bazaar by Nikolsky Church was one of the better finds I discovered on foot. It’s hidden and away from places that visitors go so it’s unlikely you’d find it without knowing where to go. While somewhat hidden, the Nikolsky Church will help you find the bazaar and its turquoise painted wooden exterior is interest enough to quickly check out while you’re here too. The actual bazaar is just a few steps further down the sidewalk where you’ll see an alley entrance between a couple of small shops. After entering the alley of shops, it opens up into a bigger market. There’s a very local feeling here with a mix of covered and open market life. While not huge, it’s big enough and brings some authenticity that’s worth coming this way for some street photography at this hidden spot most will never see. It’s also not far from Abay Avenue, which is a main street in the city and nice to walk with your camera.
Sample Street Walk:
For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Almaty:
- Start your morning walking east along Arbat Street (5)
- Then walk southeast to Panfilov Park (2), especially around Zenkov Cathedral
- Head north up to Zelyony Bazaar (1) and spend some time shooting around this authentic local market
- Then continue north above the Central Mosque and up around the Sayakhat Bus Station (3)
- After this, walk southeast and finish your day exploring Gorky Park (4) with your camera
4 Things I’ll Remember Most about Almaty:
1. Backdrop of Mountains & Nature
One of the first things you’ll notice in Almaty is the beautiful backdrop of mountains that line the city. Almaty is located at the Zailiski Alatau mountain base, a mountain range that reaches heights over 4000 meters and extends for almost 400km. When the skies are clear, it can be an impressive sight, especially in a big urban city. Not many major cities have backdrops like this so it’s definitely one of the things that stands out immediately and something I enjoy about the city. For photos, they can make their way into the backgrounds for a nice touch that shows some of Almaty’s charm. The south of the city has the best view of the range behind the buildings. This also brings up a nice navigational tip they provide. Uphill is south and downhill is north, which can come in handy when walking the city.
Along with those mountains comes plenty of nature in an urban setting. For many, this is what they’ll like the most about Almaty. Not many cities this size provide so much nature with parks, tree-lined streets, mountains, rivers, natural pathways, and more. Even the city walls are covered in pictures of mountains and lakes, so no matter where you are, you’re surrounded by nature in the city. Central Park and Panfilov Park are musts to check out for a mix of nature and people. Almaty’s river walks are nice too for activity and life, while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere within a city.
If you want a complete break from street photography, Almaty is located near 100% nature-focused activities too. Hiking is a very popular activity here so you can find plenty of mountains and hikes with amazing views at the top. You might even want to mix some landscape photography with all those street shots.
2. Mix of Russia meets Asia meets Europe
Sitting between Russia and China, you have a strong blend of their influences in Kazakstan. This is seen in the character and atmosphere of the city in Almaty. One thing that Almaty brings more than much of the Central Asia region, though, is a definite European vibe mixed in. Coffeeshops are all over the city and make for a big part of the social life. Another part of the social life is a bigger nightlife scene than you’ll find elsewhere in the region. There’s a free/european vibe that a lot of the younger culture gravitates towards.
Still, that Soviet past with a mix of Asia is seen and felt all over the city, especially in its quirks. Soviet style statues are found all over the city, sometimes in random places. Architecture, markets, parks, shops, and soviet block apartments all add much to the feeling of the city. But you also have a very modern, more European side of the city blending together with its past. The people themselves show the mix of influences in look too. There’s a very exotic look here with a mix of Russian and Chinese that is unique to the country. And while you can find the older style fashion, Almaty’s younger crowd is much more fashion forward, bringing some more of that European vibe. It’s a city with a strong mix of different influences that makes it stand apart from other cities.
3. Easiest intro to Central Asia
Central Asia makes for an interesting region to discover. It doesn’t attract as many visitors compared to other areas of the world, but that provides part of its charm. Many of the visitors that do make their way here come for the nature and to experience an area of the world that feels distant from other parts. Kazakhstan, along with Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan make up Central Asia. Out of all the cities found here, Almaty probably provides the easiest transition and introduction for the common traveler, though. While you still feel like you’re away from other parts of the world, it doesn’t feel too exotic, making it any easy city for less experienced travelers.
In Central Asia, Almaty is also the city probably most equipped for foreigners. It has everything you could need in a comfortable city to live, especially compared to some of the more exotic locations in the region. You have the quirks and different ways of life in the city that this region provides, but in a city with many other influences and developments that you may be more used to. For many, that will make Almaty a great first stop in Central Asia.
4. Hitchhikers
Hitchhiking can feel like the main transportation here. It’s unlike most any big city in the world. All over the city you’ll see people standing in the road sticking out there thumb. Some spots are even designated for hitchhikers, where there will be a line of people with their thumbs out waiting for a ride. Cars stop to see where they’re headed and let them hop in if it’s convenient. Funny enough, though, it’s usually around 90% women hitchhiking, as they have the best luck of getting a ride.
3 Non-Street Photography Things To Do in Almaty:
- Eat: Beshbarmak, Baursaks, Pilaf Mămăligă and horse meat
- Drink: Kumis, Vodka, Beer and coffee
- Visit: Big Almaty Lake and Medeu
Street Safety Score: 8
*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!
Statistically, overall crime in Almaty is slightly below average compared with other major cities, with violent crime being low. There are some warnings of corrupt police, but other than that, Almaty is as safe or safer than other big cities. In my opinion, Almaty feels even safer than that when walking the streets. I’ve walked most of the city alone and never feel much danger anywhere, even in the quieter areas. The city life mixed with the nature provides a very peaceful and safe feeling atmosphere for street photography.
People’s Reaction Score: 7
Street photography in Almaty isn’t difficult when it comes to reactions, but if I had to compare it to other cities, I’d say people are slightly less receptive to it. Especially around markets, you might receive some “no’s” and strange looks. People don’t seem to be as used to it as other major cities and security, specifically, can be suspicious at first. Still, I shoot freely everywhere here without any problem so negative reactions should be rare as long as you’re friendly and confident.
Street Tips:
New metro is newer, useful and cheap
After being in construction for 23 years, Almaty’s metro system finally opened in 2011. I love the old character of Eastern Europe’s metro systems, but they’re rarely very modern. Almaty’s is an exception, though, and stands out as a pretty nice underground system that also doesn’t get overcrowded. While not expansive, Almaty isn’t that expansive itself so it can help get you close to where you need. It’s also very inexpensive. I walk most of the time in Almaty, but it can get pretty quiet in lengths so the newer metro makes a nice, cheap option when you want.
Great dense area of street hotspots around Green Bazaar
The Zelyony Bazaar makes a great center point to explore around. To the north you have the Sayakhat Bus Station and Central Mosque, to the south you have Panfilov Park, to the west you have Arbat Street and to the east you have Gorky Park. It’s definitely the most dense area of interest and activity in the city. For visiting street photographers, this will be the best center point to come for street photography. And keep coming back to.
Walk the rivers too
Almaty has a few rivers that run through the city, making popular river walks for the locals. They’re more the size of a stream or canal, but Esentai River and Small Almaty River are the most popular. Lined with benches and some nature, they make peaceful walks, but they can also attract locals, especially in the evening.
Downhill is north, uphill is south
Almaty is built on a hill, making it easy to tell what direction you’re going. If you’re walking downhill, you’re headed north and if you’re walking uphill, you got it, you’re headed south. When exploring the streets with your camera, sometimes it’s nice not to have to check your phone every time to see if you’re going the right direction. Use nature instead.
Inspiration:
For some more inspiration, you can look through some of the work done in Almaty by Magnum photographer Carolyn Drake. And as always, you can check out 33 of my photos taken in Almaty.
I hope this guide can help you go experience Almaty… So grab your camera and capture all that Almaty has to offer for Street Photography!
If you still have any questions about shooting in Almaty, feel free to comment below or email me!
(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)
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