First Impressions

Mar 21 2016

7 First Impressions of Budapest, Hungary
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After Belgrade, I made my way up to Budapest, Hungary for some work and decided to stay longer than planned, while also making a short trip to Bratislava. When I first arrived in Budapest, the weather wasn’t good, the light was bad, and I wasn’t finding much to shoot. So why did I stay longer? Because there’s something special about Budapest that I didn’t want to leave yet. Fortunately, the weather and light got better, and I started finding photos too.

Living in Istanbul and traveling around Eastern Europe, I was constantly hearing about how great Budapest is from travelers. It had the feeling of the “new european city” being added to every traveler’s list. Everyone’s always trying to find the new city in Europe that has so much to offer, but hasn’t been overrun with tourists or inflated prices yet. And Budapest is that city right now.

I remember my first time in Prague years ago, before everyone found out about it. Budapest has that similar feeling. And it’s great.

So here are my first impressions of Budapest, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

Mar 09 2016

7 First Impressions of Bratislava, Slovakia
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After Belgrade, I decided to work in Budapest for longer than planned. During this time, I also took a quick two hour train ride to spend some time photographing Bratislava, Slovakia. While Bratislava is the largest city in Slovakia, it’s also one of the smallest capital cities in Europe by population. This actually helps give it some of its charm, though.

The city’s history has been strongly influenced by many nations and religions, which helps pack a lot of character into the smaller capital. There’s still plenty to experience and explore too. And the best part is that it all comes with an authentic and uncrowded city vibe. Exploring the city with your camera is much more relaxing compared to bigger cities, while still giving you plenty to capture.

So here are my first impressions of Bratislava, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

Feb 22 2016

7 First Impressions of Belgrade, Serbia
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After the short detour to Rome to film the Street Hunt episode, it was back to Eastern Europe for more Street Photography. This time in Belgrade, Serbia.

“Belgrade” actually translates to “White City,” but I’d find “Gray City” to be more fitting. Belgrade is not the most beautiful city in the world, but it brings its own character that becomes beautiful in its own way. The city has been somewhat of a battleground over the years and this dark past still shows today. At the same time, you can see the positive transition the city is currently enjoying.

It’s also a very walkable city, which is great for exploring this unique Balkan city by foot. So here are my first impressions of Belgrade, from my personal Street Photography perspective…

Jan 27 2016

7 First Impressions of Rome, Italy
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

In the middle of my Eastern European Street Photography Tour, after Kraków and Prague, I had to make a detour to Rome, Italy to join the StreetHunters.net team for the filming of their new Street Hunt: Rome episode, which covers a Street Photography walk of Rome. This gave me the opportunity to be a part of scouting the city for production, be included as a Street Photographer in its filming, and spend some extra time there devoted to more Street Photography. We even had a local photographer to help guide us, which made experiencing this historic city that much better.

Rome is at the top of my list of cities because of all it has to offer and how much of it you can’t find anywhere else. Walking around Rome is truly an experience like no other. So here are my first impressions of Rome, from my personal Street Photography perspective…

Jan 11 2016

7 First Impressions of Prague, Czech Republic
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After Kiev, Lviv and Krakow, the next stop on my Eastern European Street Photography Tour was Prague.

I’ve actually traveled to Prague once before, but it was over 7 years ago. So you might call this 7 First Impressions of Prague in 2016. With how much Prague has recently changed, it felt like going there for the first time in many ways, anyway.

This fairytale of city has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe very quickly over the last decade. There’s plenty of reason why too. There’s really no other city like it. When it comes to Street Photography, though, too much tourism saturation can be a negative at times.

Being a special city like Prague brings both an amazing setting and crowds of people to share it with. So here are my first impressions of Prague, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

Dec 16 2015

7 First Impressions of Krakow, Poland
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After shooting photography in Kiev, Poltava and Lviv, I took a train to Kraków, Poland. I’d never heard anyone not recommend it, so I was looking forward to spending some time in this medieval city. It was also my first time in Poland and I was ready to explore everything Kraków had to offer as soon as I stepped off the overnight train.

So here are my first impressions of Kraków, from my personal Street Photography perspective…

Nov 25 2015

7 First Impressions of Lviv, Ukraine
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

My time in Ukraine finished off at the western corner in Lviv. This is the city that most Ukrainians told me was their favorite. They told me about the coffee houses, themed restaurants and bars, the architecture, the culture and the special, old world charm some call “the Lviv Spirit.”

It’s one thing to hear about it, but it’s another to experience it and make your own impressions of the place. Experiencing a city through Street Photography can give its own perspective compared to just going as a tourist too.

So here are my first impressions of Lviv, from my personal Street Photography perspective…

Oct 20 2015

7 First Impressions of Kiev
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

My Eastern European Street Photography Road Trip started in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev. I spent a few weeks total in Ukraine and to say I liked the country would be a major understatement. I loved Ukraine and it was one of the best travel surprises I’ve had in a while.

I’ll have a few posts covering the places I visited in Ukraine, with a focus on Street Photography and the many reasons I liked Ukraine so much.

I’ll start with Kiev, though, and a few first impressions of the city, from my personal Street Photography perspective.

Aug 03 2015

7 First Impressions of Tbilisi
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

I decided to take a break from Istanbul and caught a quick 2 hour plane ride to spend some time in Tbilisi, Georgia. Here are a few first impressions of the city, from a personal Street Photography perspective.

Jun 23 2015

10 First Impressions of Life on the Streets in Istanbul

So now that I’ve been in Istanbul for a few weeks, I thought I’d write down some of my first impressions of the place. From a Street Photography perspective.