Rain Lullaby

all photos :© Eni Turkeshi Photography

Raindrop Rhythm
©Fannie L. Houck

Heard the rhythm of the raindrops
Dripping to the ground.
Heard the rhythm of the raindrops
Dropping all around.
Heard the rhythm of the raindrops
Drumming on the rafter.
Heard the rhythm of the raindrops
Drowning out our laughter.


April Rain Song
© Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.
The rain makes running pools in the gutter.
the rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night -
And I love the rain.

4th tulip festival in Istanbul

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

One of the things i miss more of Istanbul is also the lovely tulip festival organised each april in Istanbul.
This year was the 4th time but i wasn`t present :(
Actually the photo of this post is shot last year .

The tulip festival is getting each year bigger and more magnificient with more tulips everywhere the city (the number of tulips raised to 16 million this year !! ) and different activities , such as `tulip photography contest and exhibition ` , organized by the municipality.

The main place of this festival is the beautiful Emirgan Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirgan_Park).

for more cool photos and infos you might visit this page :
http://istanbulstreets.wordpress.com/category/tulip-festival/

also you might check from here my old posts regarding last festivals:

http://albtranslator.blogspot.com/2008/04/serish-me-tulipanet-ne-stamboll.html
http://albtranslator.blogspot.com/2007/04/back-again-with-tulips.html
http://albtranslator.blogspot.com/2007/03/istanbul-city-of-3-million-tulips.html

Polaroidmania

all images © Eni Turkeshi Photography

I`ve always loved polaroid photography.

I love everything about such photos , the tones, warmness of colors, vintage feel they have , their atmosphere .The emotions are so very tangible in such photos.

I love the old fashioned style of them.The photos i have added to this post belong to me but are not pure analogue polaroids , they`re just shot with a point and shot digital camera and then turned to polaroid using one of the many digital techniques you may find on net.Sorry for this little cheat ;) , i wouldn`t prefer it if i had a real analogue polaroid camera ;)



As many of you might have heard , Polaroid is transforming itself from an analog Instant Film Production Company to a global Consumer Electronics and Digital Imaging company.

Many analogue polaroid lovers are protesting this and different campaigns are carried out.You can check out below.Please sign the petition to save polaroid film too.

http://www.savepolaroid.com/why
http://www.flickr.com/groups/savepolaroid/
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-polaroid-film.html

Flickr is also organizing a very special activity each year called `roid week`.You can check it from this link to see some really superb polaroid photos:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/polaroidweek2009/discuss/72157615316528410/

gegen die wand

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

acting against the mainstream can be painful , but it`s a real treat to your conscience!

i built this garden for us

© Eni Turkeshi Photography



In this garden
This lovely garden
I build a temple of love
Walk with the Father
Won't be a bother
To touch the Earth as it was

We'll farm the land each day
And in the sunshine we will play
Glory glory for the day He came
Our tears had gone away
We'll make love in the shade
And in the ocean we will bathe
Little fishies in the sea
Say hooray

I build this garden for us

In this garden
Our children will grow
Darling this is a must
We'll be so happy
Our little family
So full of love and trust

And darling when we're old
We'll close the gates and lock the door
Our love will never fade away
When it's pure it's forever last
And darling when you're cold
I'll hold you tight and keep you warm
Little darlin' gonna make it through the storm
You'll never be alone

I build this garden for us

In this garden
They'll be no war
No racial prejudice
You'll be my brother
Of any color
You'll just be okay with us
We'll love each day in peace
In hope that we will one day reach
The rest of the world
When they are ready to be teached
The kingdom will come
Thy will be done
On Earth as it is in heaven

I build this garden
I build this garden for us

I build this garden for us

Lyrics source :http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric

Peeling the blues off

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

I was thinking about the mood of being blue and about passing the experience of getting yourself relieved from it.

And i was thinking that the `the blues`may as well be compared to an onion.
Because `the blues` it as well as complicated and not a mere mold that stitches to our soul.
It has it`s own layers, each of them differently morphing our hidden soul shelters.

And it may cause tears , trying to peel off this layers.
Because , just like an onion`s layers allergy effect on eyes, they might cause soul allergy.

It is said that to make peeling of an onion less arduous you need to put it on water first.
Unfortunately there are not yet any tips about how to make easier the peeling of the blues !

Love is..

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

Love is like a cactus in the desert called life...
it always tries to find its oasis to survive.

A light exists in spring

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

Emily Dickinson


A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period —
When March is scarcely here

A Color stands abroad
On Solitary Fields
That Science cannot overtake
But Human Nature feels.

It waits upon the Lawn,
It shows the furthest Tree
Upon the furthest Slope you know
It almost speaks to you.

Then as Horizons step
Or Noons report away
Without the Formula of sound
It passes and we stay —

A quality of loss
Affecting our Content
As Trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a Sacrament.

This fleeting life

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

This photo was shot in a very old train station in Turkey,Istanbul.
I called it : `this fleeting life`.

Actually this photo is part of a project i have started.

In this project; i wanna emphasize the `fleeting` side of our life and the unbearable lightness of living especially in urban areas.
This set is very strange since sometimes it bears optimistic and sometimes pessimistic feelings on the the way we lead our life, the importance of small but genuine things etc...

No matter if optimistic or pessimistic , ` a fleeting life` is worth living and full of surprises to be experienced ; surprises that we can learn something from!

to see the rest of this project click these links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eni/3231602080/in/set-72157615073755385/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eni/3415455731/in/set-72157615073755385/

to be continued with other photos...

Tirana Diaries

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

This is a new project i`ve started.I will try to bring here pieces from Tirana`s everyday life.
Hope you`ll enjoy.

a touch of spice

This is the name of a lovely greek-turkish movie i run across 3 nights before as i was carelessly zapping on tv.
Bthw i have to say that as far as i have noticed , telenorba,ufo tv,koha tv are the best movie showing tv`s in Albania, at least in my opinion.I like their different choices.I watched the movie at Telenorba .
Regarding the movie, if i was to describe it in 2 words i`d say : heartwarming & colorful.
The movie is the story of a greek family living in Istanbul , forced to leave the city during the Cypriot conflict.
The most powerful bond on the movie is the spiritual bond between Fanis and his grandpa , a culinary philosopher and mentor.
He learns a lot from his grandpa`s special way of seeing the world and of course from his culinary skills and miracles.He learns to perceive things in a different way , spicing his vision and mastering his soul using the power of colors,odors of cuisine spices.
He becomes a fantastic cook , a talent which of course does astonish many persons including here his first love and the love of his life , the beautiful Saime.
He persuades her to dance for him and in exchange for that he`d cook.
The moment Saime dances is such a perfect , beautiful prelude to their naive love relationship.
This relationship is never mentioned but everyone is aware of the fact.

When Fanis and his family are forced to leave to Athens, he is separated from the 2 most beloved persons : his grandpa and Saime.
It`s a hard time for all the family to leave their life in Istanbul and their memories (i so much sympathize with them here bthw, since i`m experiencing the same thing) , but the merry family unions and the joyful meals makethe reality more easy to be accepted and it prevents the movie itself to become a melodrama.
I`m not going to tell you the whole movie here , but i wanna mention what i liked best of it of course:)
The dialogues , the quotes on cuisine, habits,spices and dishes raises the optimistic spirit on the movie.

Some of the cool quotes of the movie on cuisine and spices were:

1.Spice is used to spice up your life as well.
2.Cinnamon is bitter and sweet.Just like a woman.
3.I also liked what Fanis tells about appetizers:They play the role of preparing the people for difficult situations.They are just like intermediary steps.

I found it really cool.I had never thought of appetizers this way before.

Well, what amazed me most of course was the amazing Istanbul visuality, so masterfully shown.
As a person that has been living there for almost 11 years , and now has left that lovely city , it was like a promenade of infinite longing.
To conclude : This movie may be well called a hymn of longing , love,compassion,passion and life as ambiance.
To me it was like a very cool combination of Tornatore, Jean Pierre Jeunet,Nabaki style.

I would highly recommend you this movie.
More info here : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378897/

imdb point : 7,5 from 10

Rrotullime rreth shpirtit

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

Eja , hape syrin e shpirtit

Eja,hape syrin e shpirtit

pa shikoji keta te dashuruar :

Si jane rrethuar krejtesisht

si nje zemer e vetme,

si kane marre formen e nje shpirti

pa duar e pa kembe.

Jane me te qeshur se nje bahce,

se nje trendafil.

jane me te drejte se dituria

me te afte se vete mendja

me te lire se selvia

Me te kthjellet e me te qarte se uji i pavdekesise

Jane perhere lozonjare si atomet.

Dielli eshte kaftani i tyre

E kane shkelur balten ,

mbeshtetur koken ne gjurin e zemres

Kane kaluar siper gjakrave

siper dallgeve te detrave te pergjakur.

Por veshjet i kane serish te pastra

dhe te paperlyera.

Jane mes gjembave , por si trendafila.

Jane brenda burgut , por si vere.

Jane brenda baltes ,por si nje zemer.

Jane brenda nates , por si nje mengjes,

Ti provo te pish nje here nga vera e tyre dhe shih

sesi papritmas, qetesohet

ndricohet zemra jote,

si harrohet cdo gje,

si fillojne te te qeshin syte.

Mevlana Jalal ad-din Muhammad Rumi

awareness on "artistic"egoism

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=57823968933#/video/video.php?v=1047327936724&ref=mf

I was speechless.It stroke me right to the heart.
This video , made me re-think on an issue i'm always very sensible while taking photos.
Trying not to be egoist.
I always try not to act this way , eventhough sometimes it might be hard .
I mean , you just can't fight the instict to paralyse that special moment.
I don't know what forces me to do it , but sometimes it can be stronger than you.
You just want to capture that "very moment".
Nevertheless, what I have always tried to do , while taking photos of people,was approaching to them in a very sincere & honest way.
I know this might be risky on loosing the candid moments and the naivete, but still i don't find it honest to get advantage of some situations that might turn out to be "great artistic hits".
I don't find it ethic , to profit by such hard situations , just to achieve , a genuine work.
Of course i don't have any word on photojournalist or war photographers , they're just documenting a fact , that's gonna be history later on.
My word is , on popular-wanna be photographers , that barefacedly try to get this "particular gems that are screaming human pain" .
This one , yes i do detest.
We owe some respect & reliance to the people whose feelings of (pain,madness,loneliness etc) are documented and scattered everywhere.This is the least that should be done.

Spiritual window

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

don't neglect the beauty of your spiritual window, even when the reality window is disappointing...

4 seasons

© Eni Turkeshi Photography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe-MIDDfckw

Azizcan

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

On my trip from the asiatic part of Istanbul to the european one, i was looking thoughtful through the ferry to find s.t/s.one interesting to take the picture of.

Suddenly , i run across the keen, stark eyes of this kid looking at me in a very curious way.
When i directed the camera he started to laugh and to pose , like he'd been a model his whole life:)

He was so happy to be photographed and i was so glad to find such a lovely, cute volunteer poser.
After taking the photo , i told his mom (who thanked me a lot too), that i could post this pic to her email.

She told me she didn't have one and she added in a very proud and generous way :
Let this be a memory from him.
His name is Azizcan:) Don't forget about him.

Tell me , can i ever forget about him ? :)

Bookworming can be fun ;)

© Eni Turkeshi Photography


Yes it can be fun , especially when you are tagged:)
What i love more from flickr , is that gives me the possibility to get to know amazing creative people with cool ideas.
I don't like very much uploading self portraits all the time , but this time i really had a lot of fun:)
The rules were this way:

[A]
1. Sit down.
2. Take a picture of yourself right now. Don't primp, just snap one!(i just changed the tones;)
3. Upload it.
4. Tag 5 people to do the same .Actually i did this on flickr so i tagged my flickr contats , but since i'm sharing this with you i'm tagging these blogger friends of mine:)


(I tag : belle,elais,akull,alidea,bletebzz )

[B]
make a pic of yourself with the book you are reading and listening to some music.

I was listening to
/_/Cries+And+Whispers">Cries and Whispers melody from Old Boy Movie.Now i'm reading Yasushi Inoue's book named: Three women


while trying to get my portrait and reflections from the window , i had some stupid , funny moments (i had push the record button ,instead of the other one so i accidentally recorded this comic video:)
enjoy and don't forget to keep the promise guys:)

Ode to loneliness

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

I have always respected people that have choosen to lead a lonely life.

And by this i don't mean asocial people , people that find it hard to get in touch with the others of course.

I mean the people that content theirselves and don't need other people just because they don't like being lonely.
Yes , maybe you find it strange , but i have came across a lot of of these people.

I don't like their company.I guess because they make me understand they aren't enjoying mine as well. Or maybe because they need my friendship anyway, because they just can't stand to be alone.

I find it so superficial.
And so desperate.

One should first get enough of his/herself i think.
If you see people , if you get in touch with them just to escape from your loneliness and boredom , you aren't going to do anything good to yourself or the others.

Loneliness should be experienced sometimes.
Loneliness should be perceived.
Loneliness should be enjoyed.

Loneliness offers you the luxury of an intense conversation with your innerself.

This conversation might hurt sometimes.Sometimes it might get your worse.

But at the end of this experience , you won't have anything to escape from.
You'll have signed a total piece with yourself.
And once you have achieved this ; you'd be able to pass quality time with yourself only or with others as well.
You won't experience something in order to escape from something else , you'll really be able or be willing to share what you want with the others.

But in order to reach this , you need to master your loneliness; this very slight line that separates your true preferences from your egoistic fears.

The unbearable lightness of optimism

© Eni Turkeshi Photography
















The unbearable lightness of optimism
Can be sometimes felt in a waterdrop!

Lezete Stambolli

© Eni Turkeshi Photography

Ajo ç'ka e ben te veçante Stambollin, kete qytet te madh te njohur me bukurite dhe problemet e çdo qyteti metropolitan, nuk eshte vetem madheshtia e tij kulturore,natyrore,historike , por disa zakone apo menyra jetese te veçanta per kete qytet.

Jane keto te fundit disa gjera qe çdokush i di se mund te behen vetem ketu , ose se paku njerezve i pelqen me shume ti perjetojne ketu.

Njera prej ketyre eshte dhe zakoni i te ngrenes "buke me peshk" prane barkave qe ndodhen prane bregut te detit Marmara.
Me te njohura per kete dhe me nje histori 60 vjeçare jane barkat qe ndodhen ne lagjen Emineny(Eminönü) nje nga lagjet me te vjetra te Stambollit prane ures se Gallates.
Ky ritual u ndalua para disa vitesh nga bashkia e Stambollit per arsye ndotje te ambientit por u rihap serish pas 3 vitesh pushim ne veren e vitit 2007.

Sigurisht , ndonese ky zakon nuk perjeton me lavdine e dikurshme , pasi se pari barkat nuk jane ato barkat historike qe kane qene me pare, qyteti eshte me i zhurmshem , trafiku dhe kallaballeku ben te veten , por prapese prape eshte diçka qe duhet provuar patjeter.

Çfare e ben kete ritual kaq interesant do te thoni?
Por ja vendondodhja , barkat interesante, sherbimi nga persona te veshur ne menyre tradicionale , çmimi i lire (2 € nje sandviç me nje peshk te madh shumicen e rasteve koce ose levrek+ sallate) , gjalleria e ambjentit ku ndodheni .

Ata qe gatuajne peshkun ne zgara qe ndodhen brenda barkes , duhet te kene nje ekuiliber te shkelqyer besoj , pasi barkat ka raste tunden e shkunden per qejf te vet.Shpesh duken sikur jane duke marre pjese ne nje maratone me pengesa.

Sandviçi pregatitet shpejt e shpejt dhe vjen ne duart tuaja midis nje "korrieri" te shkathet qe e kalon tere diten e tij me gjysmen e trupit te anashkaluar keqazi sa qe trembeni shpesh se mos do te bjere ne uje.
Shqetesim i kote ky , per njerez te tille qe kane perfituar nje zhdervjelltesi te çuditshme nder vite.

Per kete arsye nuk eshte fare çudi qe ky lloj ushqimi "fast food" eshte mjaft i preferuar si nga turqit edhe nga turistet.

Nese do t'ju keshillonin te vizitoni patjeter aksh muze dhe filan vendi historik , kijeni parasysh se do t'ua thone edhe kete.
Sigurisht, kjo vlen per ata qe duan ta ndjejne veten sa me prane vendit dhe jo te futen thjesht ne profilin e nje turisti qe i ka vene vetes detyre mos ti leje pa shpetuar asnje grimce muzeu;)