Photographer's Türkiye

Morning flight to Nevsehir or Kayseri, around an hour and a half. Transfer to Goreme. Look for a cave hotel with a south-facing terrace, the breakfast view with the valley below is itself a worthwhile frame. Read reviews carefully.

Reserve a balloon flight for tomorrow morning. Operators sell out and the pickup is well before dawn, the company will confirm your time based on the season.

Late afternoon, scout Sunset Point and Lover's Hill above Goreme as locations for the next morning's land-based dawn shooting. Both give clear sightlines to the valleys where balloons launch. Shoot sunset tonight from one of these to read the east light for tomorrow.

After dark, if the sky is clear, head ten minutes outside town for night sky photography. Cappadocia has low light pollution and the fairy chimneys make extraordinary foreground for Milky Way shots. The best window is after midnight when the valley lights dim.

Dinner early, sleep early. Tomorrow is a pre-dawn start.

Early morning, before sunrise. The balloon company arranges your pickup based on the season. You are in a balloon for sunrise on Day Four rather than Day Five, because dawn balloon photography from the air takes practice and you want a second attempt from the ground tomorrow if needed.

Shoot from the basket. At peak season around 80 other balloons fill the sky, you photograph them rather than yourself. The basket gives you full 360 horizon, and at altitude you can frame valleys with balloons over them.

Cancellation warning: Balloon flights are grounded on windy days. Even in summer, one in four mornings can be called off. Book the earliest day possible so you have a buffer.

Back to the hotel by nine for breakfast. Rest through midday.

Afternoon, stop by one of the ceramic workshops in Avanos or Goreme. The potters here work the red Kizilirmak clay the same way it has been worked for centuries. Say hello, tell them you would like to photograph, and most will happily let you shoot while they work. Hands on the wheel, wet clay catching the window light, the textures of finished pieces stacked on shelves.

Late afternoon, walk Rose Valley with the late light. The rock turns rose pink for about an hour before sunset. Two hours of walking, strong compositions throughout.

Up before dawn again. This time you shoot from Lover's Hill or Sunset Point, watching the same balloon launches you were inside yesterday. Tripods, low ISO, long exposures during the blue hour, then bracketing as the light arrives. The lift off period at sunrise is roughly 25 minutes wide.

Back to the hotel for breakfast and rest.

Late morning, visit Uchisar castle. The natural rock fortress on the highest point in the region gives you a panoramic view of the entire valley system.

Afternoon, visit Derinkuyu or Kaymakli underground city. The shooting is technical, very low light, the chambers and tunnels are genuinely atmospheric.

Last night in Cappadocia. If the sky is clear, this is your second chance for star photography. The fairy chimneys at Love Valley or along the Goreme rim make extraordinary silhouettes against the Milky Way.

Fly from Nevsehir or Kayseri to Antalya. Check both airports for direct flights, they do not operate daily. If nothing lines up, connect via Istanbul. From Antalya airport, the Havas shuttle or the tram runs into the city centre. Stay in Kaleici, the old town inside the Roman walls.

Walk the Kaleici marina at sunset. Head up to Karaalioglu Park above the cliffs for the best vantage point over the harbour and the sea. The old town rooftops, the mountains behind, and the Mediterranean light in the last hour make this a strong first-evening shoot.

Morning, drive or take a tour east to Aspendos. A Roman theatre from the second century AD that still stands almost completely intact. The scale of the interior and the carved stone detail make it one of the best architectural photography subjects on the Mediterranean coast.

Afternoon, head north to Koprulu Canyon. The river cuts through a deep gorge with an ancient Roman bridge still spanning it. The canyon walls, the turquoise water, and the bridge together are worth the drive. Tazi Canyon is nearby and gives you a dramatic clifftop viewpoint over the valley, strong for wide landscape work.

Back to Kaleici for a late dinner.

If you have a free morning, visit Land of Legends for something completely different, a theme and water park that photographs well if you are into colour, scale, and the surreal contrast against the Antalya landscape.

Fly from Antalya to Mardin. Check flight schedules in advance, direct flights do not operate every day. If nothing lines up, connect via Istanbul. Try to land by late afternoon.

Stay in the old town, in one of the restored stone mansions that have been converted into boutique hotels. The rooms themselves are photogenic, carved stone walls and arched doorways, and the rooftop terraces face south over the Mesopotamian plain.

Mardin at sunset is the photograph the city is known for. The honey-coloured limestone houses cascade down the south-facing cliff, and the late light turns the entire city gold. Walk the main street from west to east as the sun drops. Every alley off the main road is a frame. The carved stone doorways, copper pots in workshop windows, and faces in the bazaar are as strong as the landscape.

Dinner on a rooftop terrace. The views southward at night with the village lights below are worth shooting too.

Morning walk through the old city. The side alleys catch slot light off the stone walls in the first hours. The Sultan Isa Medresesi doorway is the most photographed spot in Mardin, but the alleys behind hold dozens of equally good frames with no one in them. The Kasimiye Medresesi at the east end gives a different angle on the south slope.

The texture of old Mardin is its people as much as its stone. The bazaar, the tea houses, the workshops. Greet people, ask with a gesture if you can photograph them, most will say yes. Showing them the photo on your screen afterwards builds goodwill and often leads to better second shots.

Afternoon, visit Deyrulzafaran Monastery fifteen minutes outside town. Yellow stone in afternoon light, courtyard arches, intricate stone carving on door frames. Modest dress required.

Back to Mardin for the second sunset from a different vantage.

If your flight is in the evening, take a day trip to Midyat, about an hour east by minibus. A smaller, quieter stone town with Syriac Christian heritage. The telkari (silver filigree) workshops are the photograph: artisans working at wooden benches, hands and metal and concentration. Ask permission, most will say yes. The Mor Gabriel Monastery twenty minutes south of Midyat is one of the oldest functioning monasteries in the world, built in the fourth century. Yellow stone, dark interiors, courtyard arches in afternoon light. Modest dress required.

If your flight is early or you are ready to go, the old town in the morning light one last time is photograph enough. The stone takes the early warmth differently than the sunset gold.

Fly home from Mardin via Istanbul.