bauhauswerk

Dear Coilers, in this article I bring you a story about bespoke shoes and take you to a workshop in Zagreb which still makes shoes in traditional way, the only way in which bespoke handmade shoes should be made.

Bespoke footwear, masterfully crafted by hand are rare in these days but not extinct. Once you go for the goods tailored exclusively for you it is hard to go back to machine made. The same thing is with bespoke handmade shoes. When tailored and made to fit your feet, no other footwear will come even close.

Probably the best bespoke handmade shoes are Budapest shoes. As Croatia was, in some part of its history, part of Hungarian-Croatian kingdom under Habsburg Monarchy, many of the master craftsmen and their knowledge came from Budapest to Zagreb which is today witnessed by a few shoemakers shops in the city center. They have survived the pressure of cheap footwear offered at every corner and are a living monument of tradition of Zagreb craftmasters.

Only highest quality materials are used. Starting with carefully selected finest leather right to the finest threads. Leather takes about 6 months long process in a tannery with much over 100 different steps to turn from raw leather to the finest leather from which only the best pieces are selected for bespoke shoes as only the best is good enough when it comes to this level of shoemaking.

Artistic handwork of master shoemakers is a guarantee of top quality in each pair, separately made for each customer. All pairs are made with equal care and quality, no matter if it’s for a first-time customer, long-time customer, or for some of the celebrities. Every stich, every detail is equally important, which results in top quallity product in the end.

For those who would like to spend 26 minutes enjoying the shoemaking art, here is a documentary about Budapest shoes.

https://youtu.be/zvHs8NfTfc8

Thanks for reading,

Srdan

Dear Coilers, in this article I bring you a story and photos (my and from archive) about the central point of my birthplace, Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, in which the fifth generation of my family is born and lives. To live, we have to eat and to eat we have to get food to please our taste...

Although almost every neighborhood in Zagreb has its own open market, Dolac is the largest, most famous and the most important market in Zagreb. At the same time, it is also a market with that special spirit to which traditional Zagreb market vendors, “KUMICE” (“The Godmothers”), greatly contribute. It was built back in 1930 on the site of the old city walls, which is today witnessed by the wall called “Pod zidom” – “Under the wall” and the street under it which holds the same name.

Controversy

After the decision was made, to move the old Harmica market (named after the Hungarian word “harmincz”, which stands for number 30) from today's Ban Josip Jelacic Square, the location of the new town market was discussed. (The name “thirtieth” came from the customs duty on imported goods, and as the customs amounted to a thirtieth of the value of the goods, this term became established.)

Location between the church of St. Mary and Kaptol was proposed by the architect Viktor Kovačić. In addition to the walls, several houses were demolished in the old town of Dolac, a kind of slums filled with densely packed potholes. It is also interesting to note that when digging the grounds for the market, bones were discovered. They were from a cemetery that used to be located near the church of Sv. Mary.

The decision to build a marketplace in the present space was quite controversial precisely because of the extensive demolition and clearing of the area inhabited since the Middle Ages. But ofcourse, the proponents of modernization have argued that the demolition has increased the quality of the space.

Turopoljska kumica – Godmother from Turopolje (area south of the city of Zagreb)

When you go from the Zagreb main square to the stairs leading to Dolac market, you have to go through the main passage – Splavnica, where flowers and seedlings of different plants are sold today. In addition to the open section, you can also enter through the large door to go to the area under the open market, the part of the market that houses butchers and fish markets.

Dolac Market is recognized for its traditional “Godmothers”, and in 2006 the monument “Kumica”, the work of Stjepan Gracan, was erected on the highest level on the south-west side of Dolac. These lovely and dear saleswomen, called the Godmothers by locals, which are often difficult to understand even by Zagrepčani (Zagreb citizens, Zagrebians) because of their hard accents from the areas they come from, will make you at least taste real homemade cheese and cream or persuade you to buy fresh vegetables for lunch.

But let's get back to the story of the Godmother Barica...

Đurđica Janušić brought her first garlic to Dolac when she was only 17 years old. It was back in 1964. Everyone in Zagreb, from the market customers to Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, know her because she has had her booth at the same place for 55 years. Although she agrees that the big shopping centers rule these days, she still arrives at her workplace with joy. Her son drives her to the market every morning, and she goes back home by local bus line.

A statue of a godmother proudly standing on top of a stair with a wicker basket on her head was made after her. The name Barica (nickname for Barbara, a common name in outskirts of Zagreb) was chosen by the people of Zagreb in an unofficial referendum.

Tourist attraction

As Zagreb became interesting to foreign tourists, Dolac market become a true tourist attraction. Every time I go to daily shopping at the market Icollide with Koreans, Americans, Italians, Brits, Chinese... and many others who tirelessly snap their cameras to catch all those colors of Zagreb's city belly; red umbrellas, green zucchini, purple onion, succulent watermelons, yellow lemons…

Our city pigeons, another symbol of Zagreb, are also here. In constant fight with Godmothers who always yell at them but cannot imagine their work place without them.

In Dolac you can feel and soak the spirit of Zagreb and its citizens who, above all, love good food. Thats why it is a favorite everyday place, for many Zagrebians and tourists, of my thousand years old birthplace.

Thank you for reading,

Srdan

Dear Coilers, after the article which has covered Hagia Sophia https://coil.com/p/Bauhauswerk/Hagia-Sophia-Istanbul-Turkey/rggASQOLf here is an aticle about the Süleymaniye mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

At one's first glance there are two things that are particularly remarkable in the ancient monuments of the Ottomans: the choice of the site and the perfect unity of the whole. Whether or not it is in a raised place, the site always has a view of vast open spaces and however far one may look, one may see the sky. The structure as a whole is broad and imposing. All details of the monument, however charged with multiple ornaments it may be, simultaneously contribute to a general effect that is always simple and always unique.

İf, among all the masterpieces which are imbued with the genius of Master Sinan and of his pupils, there is one that fills more perfectly than the others these fundamental conditions of Ottoman architecture, it is undoubtedly the Süleymaniye. Situated at the top of a hill dominating the Kantarcılar district between the Ministry of War and the Office of the Sheikhulislam, the Süleymaniye soars majestically towards the sky with nothing to hinder its ascent. From the vast platform of its enclosure, one captures at a single glance Europe and Asia, the two seas that bathe Istanbul, and the smiling Princes Isles. Further still, in the vaporous transparency of the horizon, the giant Bithynian Olympus takes shape against a pure sky, standing like an ever present witness to the memory of the cradle of ancient Ottoman power. Confronted by such a tableau, the spirit can conceive only noble ideas. Founded in year 964 of the Hegira (1556 of the Christian era) by Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver, for whom history has also decreed the names of “the Great” and “the Magnificent'; the Süleymaniye is preceded by an interior court or square flanked by four minarets. By this number, according to tradition, the founder wanted to indicate that he was the fourth Ottoman sovereign since the conquest of Constantinople. In the same way, the total number of the balconies of its minarets indicates that he was the tenth sultan since Osman Ghazi, the glorious root of his line.

The two minarets located at the two sides of the facade have two balconies each, and the two other two, which are at the other end of the square on each side of the porch, have three balconies each. The total number, for the four minarets, yields ten balconies, all with corbelling in stalactites. Three beautiful doors whose openings are formed of flattened curues are each surmounted by an ogee arch and give access through the frontage and the two other sides of the courtyard. A cloister of twenty four arcades runs around and is supported by an equal number of columns. The pair closest to the door in the facade are of porphyry; of the remainder, twelve columns of pink granite alternate with ten of white marble. All are of the crystallized order. Their capitals are of white marble, and the edges of their stalactites heavily gilded.

Domes, which number twenty four, surmount the gallery of the cloister. Their cupolas are painted with ornaments and flowers on a ground, and the largest, located midway along the porch, in front of the entrance to the nave, is decorated with pendentives in white marble stalactites, with gilding on the edges of crystallizations. The door of the nave is a niche decorated with stalactites, also fashioned from gilded white marble in a design of great purity and aspect of true monumentality. The proportions are large. Two other smaller niches are located along each side at half the distance between the entrance to the nave and the courtyard wall. The windows of the porch have quadrangular bays surmounted by ogee arches lavishly decorated with glazed tiles that have a royal blue ground on which beautiful Arabic letters are interlaced, tracing out in pure white sacred verses from the Quran.

A very simple fountain, in the form of a parallelogram with four vertical faces and covered by a zinc roof, occupies the center of the square. Its decoration, sober and gracious, consists of a metal grill painted in emerald green and an openwork lattice of geometrical rosettes, above which runs a frieze of white marble carued with broad leaves whose hearts are slightly tinted aqua- marine. The court is entirely paved with enormous flagstones of white marble, except for the passage which gives access, through the porch, inside the mosque. There, in front of the main door, is placed a round monolithic flagstone of the richest porphyry with a diameter of approximately two meters. If we should believe a popular legend associated with this flagstone, it marks a tragic event and played a bloody role during the construction of the Süleymaniye courtyard. Sultan Süleyman had himself chosen and indicated a sample of the most precious porphyry with which to enrich, the place before the mihrab inside mosque which indicates the direction of Mecca towards which the faithful perform their prostrations. He spelled out the particulars of size and finish to a skilful workman who knew the destination of the stone. This craftsman, who was a Christian, thought he would do a pious deed by carving on the flagstone a cross, perhaps hoping that merely by the sight of this emblem, all the Muslims would convert spontaneously. He had undoubtedly not reflected, or perhaps he was unaware, that the Islamic religion absolutely proscribes places reserved for the worship of any image. The flagstone of porphyry became, by virtue of the fact that a cross had even been carved on it, unsuitable with the ornamentation of mosque.

Sultan Süleyman, indignant at seeing all his care thus rendered useless, was provoked, they say, into a violent rage. He condemned the workman to death, and ordered that it be carried out then and there, in front of his eyes. They thus brought into the courtyard a throne, on which the sovereign sat down to preside over the execution. The sculptor was decapitated in his presence and to preserve at the same time the memory of this disobedience and its terrible punishment, they carved deeply into the block of the marble where the seat of the sultan had sat and where the head of the victim had fallen, two signs which vaguely represent the outline of a throne and that of a head; they are still to be seen there today. As for the porphyry, flagstone, so that it would not be completely wasted, they turned it over so that the cross was on the bottom and then installed it in front of the principal entrance to the nave with the result that, unknown to themselves, all who pass over it are treading on the cross. It is thus fulfills a function quite contrary to the proselytical intentions of the executed sculptor. Nothing prevents us from believing in this legend, which bears all the attributes characteristic of the truth, for it is known that leniency did not number among the favorite virtues of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver. Moreover, at that time, tolerance and mercy were practiced no better in the west than they were in the East. Francis I, the restorer of arts and the patron of literature, also had the philosopher and scholar Etienne Dolet publicly burned alive; Charles V formally took part in the “acts of faith” of the Spanish Inquisition.

The Islamic religion, at least, has never had an institution similar to the Holy Office. Be that as it may, afterpassing over the legendary porphyry flagstone, we enter the nave, where we first of all are overcome by our admiration of the lofty and vast cupola of the dome, painted in a wash of clear tones of blue, white, and gold. These three colors form the basis of the entire decorative harmony of the building: its paintings, sculptures, precious marbles, tiles, etc, both inside and out. Everywhere, the white and blue dominate the white especially. A few pink granite and porphyry columns or insets, a few lines the color of blood, freshen the light without interrupting this harmony; the gildings of the stalactites are everywhere applied with a solemnity that does not disturb the tranquility. The colossal vault is supported by four gigantic upright piers. Around the sides are columns that support the lateral galleries and the first landing, which contains the loges for the ladies and extends in a square around the nave. Three circular galleries gird the central rotunda. During the nights of Ramazan and on other holy days, splendid illuminations engulf the balustrades which circumscribe them, and highlight all the elegant details of the stars, flowers, foliage, and scrollwork in flame. The first of these galleries is reached by two staircases that are located conveniently close to the entrance. The two uppergalleries, the highest of which is at the same level as the great central cupola, is reached by wooden ladders placed on the roof outside the dome. In this last gallery, there is a curious acoustical effect: sounds made anywhere in the interior are concentrated here and even softly-spoken words uttered in the nave or the aisles may be distinctly heard here.

Another curiosity worthy of remark, and which could be proposed as an example to architects, is the following one: tunnels dug in the ground and faced with solid masonry, lead from the interior of the mosque to external tanks that are used for the distribution of water to all the dependencies of the Süleymaniye. The famous architect of this mosque, Master Sinan, combined this supply so as to take advantage of it in order to maintain inside the nave a mild and uniform temperature. By means of wooden trap doors that are located all over the central part of the floor of the nave, the air contained in these underground tunnels is fed into the mosque, where, as a result, the temperature is always warm in winter and cool in summer. All the inscriptions that decorate the Süleymaniye were executed by the famous calligrapher Hasan Çelebi, who is buried beside his master in Sütlüce by the Sweet Taters of Europe.

Among the outstanding calligraphic ornamentation one should particularly mention the large rosettes of glazed tiles adorned with white letters on a royal blue ground and framed by borders of foliage executed in turquoise blue which decorate the two sides of the mihrab. Like the pulpit placed to its left, the mihrab is made of white marble, cazved in stalactites that are gilded with gold. The marble plates composing the pulpit number only four. The gate and base are formed of single slabs and measure eight meters, one in its length and the other in its height. These are also the measurements of the niche in which the mihrab is set. The imperial loge, situated at the right, is also of white. It is supported by porphyry columns with capitals in the crystallized order that are fashioned of gilded white marble. There are two richly decorated fountains that are intended for ablutions. The door of this loge is, like all the woodwork of the building, engulfed in carved geometric rosettes. A kürsü (pulpit) abutting the pillar closer to the imperial loge is also worthy of mentioning for the remarkable execution of work of this last kind, in which walnut has been finely cut with open-work and carved with boldness and delicacy. At the other end of the nave, on the pillar on the opposite side, the balcony of the muezzin is set. Simpler, but almost as beautiful as the imperial loge, it is also of the crystallized order. Behind the muezzin's balcony along the low sides, is located the library, separated from the nave by a superb screen of brass worked in rococo ornamentation. It was repaired during the reign of Sultan Mahmud I by his grand vizier, Mustafa Pasha. More recently, this screen was renovated by Ahmed Vefik Efendi.

Leaving the nave, one passes in front of external galleries with superimposed orders: the lower is in the crystallized order and has ogival arcades in which broad and high arches alternate with low and narrow ones, The upper order is planar with a row of regular arcades that are narrow and high. On the side of the mosque which looks towards Mecca, there are cemeteries planted with rose bushes in the center of which have been erected several splendid tombs among which is that of the mosque's benefactor. Among all these illustrious dead, the architect of Süleymaniye does not appear; instead, Master Sinan built for himself a modest and charming mausoleum, located not far from there, at the intersection of two streets, between the enclosure outside of the mosque and the Office of the Sheikhulislam, which in his day was the headquarters of the Janissaries.

It is known that this great artist was a member of that terrifying militia which, after having raised the military might of Turkey to its brightest apogee, then turned and because of its continued mutinies and the bloody tyranny that it exercised over the sovereigns themselves and all their subjects, its abolition became essential for the advancement of the empire. During the entire course of his long and glorious life Master Sinan never ceased to receive the pay and pension due to the haseki “privy household” corps of Janissaries. The violent suppression of this turbulent and undisciplined body, ordered by Sultan Mahmud II, continued until the very tomb leaving no trace nor any emblem that might remind posterity of its odious memory: even the stone turbans that distinguished the burial places of these eternally proscribed militiamen were broken. In one honorable exception the tomb of Master Sinan was respected, and thus, thanks to the very special indulgence of the sovereign, one may see still see standing over the slab of white marble, the grandmaster Ottoman architecture, the typical turban of the haseki corps. The principal dependencies of the Süleymaniye are: a special college for the study of the oral traditions of the Prophet; four higher schools (medreses); a preparatory college for the sciences; a school of medicine; a primary school; a kitchen and hospice for students; a great public bath; and a very famous asylum for lunatics.

A video to complete the story

https://creators.cinnamon.video/bauhauswerk/watch?v=138154838989997236

Thank you for reading,

Srdan

Big thanks to Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism for help.

Travel preparations are fun but if you travel frequently they will become unavoidable burden. With the experience comes automatism thou which is good but doing things automaticaly can sometimes make you forget some (important) things. So make your TO DO list for travel preparations and add new stuff on it from the experience gained.

The Internet is full of tips and advices for travelers but not all are of the same importance. Too many rules you make yoursef follow can ruin the joy. So make the list of “MUST DO” things and put others on the other side of the paper.

Here I will cover some “must do” tips with the “debunk” comments which I have learnt from my traveling experience.

1. GET CHEAP TICKETS – Probably the first thing in travel preparations is to get a ticket to the destination. Fortunately we live in the time of low cost airliners which claim banqruptcy every few years but for one company liquidated there are two new coming.

When you define the time youll travel, start searchin the tickets. Longer time before you travel, cheaper tickets you can get. I search for tickets using skyscanner.net which includes low cost airliners apart from many other search engines. Play with the dates as just one day before or after the initialy checked one can save you more than half the cost.

BUT – always read what the ticket includes! Most of the cheap tickets let you take a small backpack with you and additional cost for bag can be more expensive than the ticket itself. My next trip ticket, from Vienna, Austria to Marrakech, Morocco was about $35 (one way) but I had to get additional pack for $25 which includes priority boarding, 20 kilo bag, 2 small personal luggage bags and “free” seat reservation. NONE of those are included in the base ticket which is ok for light packed short stay travelers only. Bus from my base, Zagreb, Croatia, to the Vienna airport is additional $40 (yes its more expensive than the plane ticket).

So all together, two way, it is $200 which is still cheaper than about $1000 if I bought the standard ticket from my city but far from $70 which people think it will cost when they see the cheap ticket offer.

2. KNOW THE DESTINATION BEFORE YOU GO – Read, watch videos about it and search for sights you have to see, museums you have to visit, food you have to taste and the trips you have to take. Download apps with offline maps and get familiar with the distances within the destination as everything seams close on your phone but can be hours of walk on the spot.

BUT – do not trust everything you read. Some sights you MUST visit will end to be a pile of rocks or a small muddy pond, visiting wich will not make a few hours of walk or a full day trip worth the time and money spent. It is better to take longer, 2 or 3 days, trip which will cover a few of those sights. Those trips can cover more than 5-6 one day trips and will cost much less than those.

3. TAKE PLASTIC NOT PAPER – You will need money at the destination and credit/debit cards are easy and more safe to have with you than a book of paper money. My advice is NEVER to take a signature autorisation card with you. I think I dont have to explain that further. The best option is chip/pin card, pre funded one even better. And ofcourse some cash, $ or € will work everywhere and there are exchange offices at every airport as well as at every street corner in tourist areas.

BUT – there are many countries and cultures which do not belive in plastic! My country, Croatia, which is member of EU and world famous travel destination has internal money flow of 85% cash and only 15% cards. Now imagine going to, what we unfairly call, the third world countries...

Cash is still The God, both in music and payment.

4. BEHAVE YOURSELF! – You are not in your local bar with your drinking friends nor at the stadium with your football club hooligan group. Learn about locals and local culture. You do travel to see and learn and enrich your experience but dont make yourself act like “Americans in Paris”. Respect the country you visit and respect locals even more. They will appreciate it. Learn few phrases in local language and smile, it will help you, if you expect a smile from a waiter, give a smile yourself as well. Those people drawn on the money you give them do not smile and you cant pay for the right to be rude! If you travel to mostly muslim country, RESPECT their customs. They are NOT like those you see on TV or read about in newspapers. They are people of open heart for all humans and their love to people is obligatory but dont offend them by looking like a 20$ hooker. Both male and female.

BUT – Do not be overpolite. If locals are too agressive trying to sell you something or try to take the money from you in any other way, and you do not like the situation, let them know! Learn to say NO! or IM NOT INTERESTED! Learn to say it loudly and follow that “No” with curse. Dont swear and curse in English thou...

5. PLAN YOUR ACTIVITIES IN FORWARD – There is a phrase in my country, “to travel like a siutcase”. Dont be like a suitcase, dont sit on aplane, come to the destination and look at the sky to gove you and idea what to do and where to go. Planing longer trips during the travel preparations can save you money. If you plan 3 day trip you will not have to pay for the accomodation at your base for those days (mentioned in my last travel article here

https://coil.com/p/Bauhauswerk/Travel-It-is-an-investment-not-an-expenss/am50EGhqY ) You do not have to book the trips before you go thou you can. There are usualy many agencies at the destination with so many offers that you will always be able to book there and even get much better prices than you will pay thru apps and sites specialized for those kind of offers.

BUT – you will OVERPLAN! You will and you always will. When you make a list of the things to see during your 10 days of travel you will not see that it would take 20 days to see them all. So just relax, you are there to enjoy, not to panic. I myself ALWAYS have and follow my own rule – “Never see everything”. My point is, if I havent seen everything, I have a solid reason to come back one day. Think about it... I know Im right.

Thank you for reading. In next part of this article I will cover some “on the spot” tips as well as buts.

Srdan

(Im writing this article during preparations for my next travel, to Morocco, which will be covered by the articles on Coil as well as I will cover other places I have visited and will visit.)

Most of people, when asked what would they do if they had enough money not to have to care about the future, say they would travel. To some it is the first answer, but to most it is among first five.

When asked do they travel and, if not, why they dont, most of them say they do not have money to. Second argument is that they do not have time to travel.

We all have free time. Some of us have more, some of us less but there is not a single person who doesnt have it. The question is what we do with our free time.

Many people sell their free time to the employer to earn more money. They say they do not have enough. And what they do with that money? Buy new iPhone, dinner in a fancy restaurant or new rims for their vintage sports car which will never be tuned enough to make them happy.

When you face them with the arguments against their arguments most of them agree that they would be able to have enough free days and money to get on a plane and fly to the destination theyve dreamt about (Is there a person without a travel bucket list?).

And when they agree that they could be able to travel if they wanted they come to THE argument: travel is an expense, and there are other expenses which come before it.

Here we come to the real problem, people see travel as an expense instead of an investment. Yes, we can argue here but its still an investment.

I myself love to travel and try to travel as much as I can. The time for it I take from my working time. I do have my own small business and can take free days whenever I want but on the other hand, each free day I take is a day I cant work and earn. But I have always put the travel experience before extra money earned and that experience can help you open new horizons and help you get new business ideas or get better (paying) job.

There are things happening out of your backyard. Trust me, its a fact.

So why it is an investment and not an expense? OK, travel costs money but what doesnt? Investments in education, new laptop and mobile phone, delivery car and french fries potato cutter also do cost money and are considered investments. And they DO NOT have to pay off. Nor does the travel, but itll leave you with good memories unlikely the investment in a business which will gain you new expenses and debt.

But the travel will...

Help you learn about and understand other people and cultures – It will make you more open and tolerant torwards things you did not understand as well as appreciate your own culture and specifities.

Make you meet new friends and connections – Maybe those friends will have some experiences of their own which will help you in your professional life or even open and start some new business oportunities.

Put you in unplaned situations which you will have to go thru – If you travel you will, without an exeption, come to a situation which will be the biggest problem in the world in that very moment. No matter if you lose your documents, fall for a local scam, find out your Visa card is declined, get food poisoned... You will have to handle the situation and come out of it as a winner (or die 😛) with the experience which will make your, life and work, hard situation make much easier to solve.

Help you not be afraid of the unknown – We all live in our comfortable worlds which we made for ourselves, almost like an OCD, which make us undisturbed and calm. The situation of not knowing the language and being forced to communicate with locals who only speak their language or other situations unfamiliar to you will make you stronger. It is frustrating most of the times but it strenghts your self control and will definitely help you enter the unknown situations in your everyday life and work as you know youll come out as a winner, and above all itll...

Make you be full of storys to tell – You will be the one who people want to listen, either in a bar or during the job interview. Imagine you come in front of the boss of the company you want to work for and start the conversation. After those lame, “always and all the same” questions, you turn the conversation to some anecdotes you have from your travels; imagine you face the Indian manager, ask him where is he from in India, and tell him the story you have from his place of birth...

Anyway, travel is an investment. It is also a joy and makes you feel as the citizen of the world, which you indeed are. All of us belong to the Earth and the whole Earth is our to explore.

Travel can maybe make you less wealthy but it will make you rich!

Thanks for reading,

Srdan

In this article we will cover some technical settings important for portrait photography. Last article covered few basic tips about the portraiture

https://coil.com/p/Bauhauswerk/4-Photography-is-not-just-for-pros-Portrait-photography-pt1/Orfmx7Y8q

Photos posted in this article are straight out of camera, just transfered from RAW file to JPG, no big work in post processing.

And one BIG thanks to Andrej who was kind enough to be a model for learning purposes.

WHICH LENS TO CHOOSE? – All types, wide angle, medium telephoto and telephoto lens can do the job but each of them sees the world in different way.

Wide angle isnt the first nor the best choice for portraiture but it can have its place for specific work and effects. If you use 18mm lens, you shouldnt fill the frame with your subject as the distorsion will make the nose look big and all the apearence kind of grotesque. But if you take the shot from the ground level and have your subject in a frame composed as a full body portrait, you will get your subject look taller which in most cases is much more appealing than the big nose. Again, just DONT get close to your subject

(photo below is taken at 18mm, almost grotesque distorsion of the face gives you bad looking portrait)

Medium tele (85mm, even 50mm lens on crop sensor acts as 75mm) are great lenses for portraits in which, together with your subject, you want to catch some of the atmosphere arround it. You can play with the composition putting your subject in different parts of the pic so you can use the background to fill the whole composition. depending on your choice and the technical possibilities of the lens you can isolate the subject from the background more or less which we will cover in next tip.

Telephoto lens (105mm, 135mm, 200mm...) is the lens of choice when you want all the focus be on the subject with as minimal distraction from the background as possible. In this range, some of the best ever portrait lenses were made (various 70-200mm f/2.8, not to mention 2 Nikon lenses (Nikkor 105mm and 135mm f/2 DC) which are and will be, till the end of the world, the best portraiture lenses ever made by known civilizations)

but to complete the lens we have chosen, we have to choose...

(photo taken at 200mm gives much more pleasing look, nice perspective and more natural looking portrait)

APERTURE OPENING - In portraits shooting, wide open lense will give you more pleasing results. As wide aperture equals shallower depth of field, your subject will be isolared and the background will have nice bokeh, more blured and creamy background looks much better than sharp and in focus one.

In the examples below, ive gone to the extremes, the first photo is taken at f/1.4 and as you can see it gave beautiful creamy bokeh and the subject is isolated.

the second photo is taken at f/16 and it makes the whole scene in focus with the subject not isolated from the background.

There is one very important thing to think of when you shoot in wide open lens. most of the lenses are NOT at their sharpest wide open. most are very sharp from f/2.8 and pro zoom lenses go from f/2.8

Some prime lenses, like the one ive used here can go as wide as f/1.4 and some even f/1.2 or f/0.9 which are extremely rare. Maybe you will hear the term “fast lens”... those are the lenses, the f number of which is low (f/1.2 f/1.4...)

Fast lens can be very helpful in low light situations as it allows you to take a photo with shutter speed fast enough to give you sharp result.

REFLECTOR IS GREAT THING TO USE! - Many times (most of) the light comes from only one source. depending on the position of the subject, you can end with nice bright areas as well as those with dark shadows. The use of reflector is the easiest and the cheapest way to brighten your subject and give your portraits more professional look.

(Left photo is taken without and the right one with reflector.)

Reflector can be used both indoors and outdoors to bounce the light to the area in shadow and it will act as a filling light.

They can be bought relatively cheap and usualy come as two sided. the colors are mostly white, silver and gold.

As this series of articles are writen for amateurs im trying to keep everything at equipement minimum so in this situation the reflector was this...

yes, a simple piece of cardboard can do the job. Cover it in tin foil and youll get silver reflector. DIY can be great :)

SHUTTER SPEED – Depending on the lens focal lenght chosen for the shooting, shutter speed has to be adjusted to avoid blury photos. The rule says that the shutter speed has to be higher than the focal lenght. For e.g. if focal lenght is 85mm, shutter speed should be lets say 1/100 second, if the focal lenght is 200mm shutter should be set at 1/250 second minimum.

PORTRAIT COMPOSITION – Not every portrait has to be a face looking straight to a camera, far from it. Play with different angles and subject positions. even “no face” portraits can look great. Let your creativity out, play and enjoy.

Dear Coilers, thank you for reading. In next article we will cover depth of field and bokeh.

Srdan

Hagia Sophia is the one of the most visited museums and most prominent monuments in the world in terms of art and the history of architecture. It has also been called “the eighth wonder of the world” by East Roman Philon as far back as the 6th century. The current Hagia Sophia is the third construction, done in a different architectural style, even though it occupies the same location as the previous two. The original building was constructed by the most important architects of the period (527-565), Anthemios (Tralles) and Isidoros (Miletus), under the order of Emperor Justinianos. It is mentioned in the resources that during its construction period, the two prominent architects each had 100 architects working under them, who in turn had 100 workers each working under them.

It was used as a church for 916 years but, following the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the Hagia Sophia was converted into mosque. Afterwards, it was used as a mosque for 482 years. Under the order of Atatürk and the decision of the Council of Ministers, Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1935.

The Hagia Sophia, one of the historical architectural wonders that still remains standing today, has an important place in the art world with its architecture, grandness, size and functionality.

The Hagia Sophia, the biggest church constructed by the East Roman Empire in Istanbul, has been constructed three times in the same location. When it was first built, it was named Megale Ekklesia (Big Church); however, after the fifth century, it was referred to as the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom). The church was the place in which rulers were crowned, and it was also the biggest operational cathedral in the city throughout the Byzantine period.

The first church was constructed by Emperor Konstantios (337-361) in 360. The first church was covered with a wooden roof and expanded vertically (basilica) yet was burned down after the public riot that took place in 404 as a result of the disagreements between Emperor Arkadios’ (395-408) wife empress Eudoksia and Istanbul’s patriarch Ioannes Chrysostomos, who was exiled. The patriarch’s mosaic portrait can still be viewed at the tymphanon wall located in the northern part of the church. No remains have been recovered from the first church; however, the bricks found in the museum storage branded ‘Megale Ekklesia’ are predicted to belong to the first construction.

The second church was reconstructed by Emperor Theodosios II (408-450) in 415. This basilical structure is known to contain five naves and a monumental entrance; it is also covered by a wooden roof.

The church was demolished in January 13, 532, after the public riot (Nika revolts) that took place during the fifth year of Emperor Justinianos’ reign (527-565), when the ‘blues’ who represented the aristocrats, and the ‘greens’ who represented the tradesman and merchants in the society, collaborated against the Empire.

Remains found during the excavations led by A. M Scheinder of the Istanbul German Archeology Institute, 2 meters below ground level, include steps belonging to the Propylon (monumental door), column bases and pieces with lamb embossings that represent the 12 apostles. In addition, other architectural pieces that belong to the monumental entrance can be seen in the west garden.

The current structure was constructed by Isidoros (Milet) and Anthemios (Tralles), who were renowned architects of their time, by Emperor Justinianos’s (527-565) orders. Information from historian Prokopios states that the construction that began on February 23, 532, was completed in a short period of five years and the church was opened to worship with a ceremony on December 27, 537. Resources show that on the opening day of the Hagia Sophia, Emperor Justinianos entered the temple and said, “My Lord, thank you for giving me chance to create such a worshipping place,” and followed with the words “Süleyman, I beat you,” referring to Süleyman’s temple in Jerusalem.

The third Hagia Sophia construction combined the three traditional basilical plans with the central dome plan in design. The structure has three nefi, one apsi, and two narthex, internal and external. The length from the apsis to the outer narthex is 100 m, and the width is 69.5 m. The height of the dome from the ground level is 55.60 m and the radius is 31.87 m in the North to South direction and 30.86 in the East to West direction.

Emperor Justinianos ordered all provinces under his reign to send the best architectural pieces to be used in the construction so that the Hagia Sophia could be bigger and grander. The columns and marbles used in the structure have been taken from ancient cities in and around Anatolia and Syria, such as, Aspendus Ephessus, Baalbeek and Tarsa.

The white marbles used in the structure came from the Marmara Island, the green porphyry from Eğriboz Island, the pink marbles from Afyon and the yellow from North Africa. The decorative interior wall coatings were established by dividing single marble blocks into two and combining them in order to create symmetrical shapes.

In addition, the structure includes columns brought in from the Temple of Artemis in Ephessus to be used in the naves, as well as 8 columns brought from Egypt that support the domes. The structure has a total of 104 columns, 40 in the lower and 64 in the upper gallery.

All the walls of the Hagia Sophia except the ones covered by marble have been decorated with exceptionally beautiful mosaics. Gold, silver, glass, terra cotta and colorful stones have been used to make the mosaics. The plant-based and geometric mosaics are from the 6th century, whereas the figured mosaics date back to the Iconoclast period.

During the East Roman period, the Hagia Sophia was the Empire Church and, as a result, was the place in which the emperors were crowned. The area that is on the right of the naos, where the flooring is covered with colorful stones creating an intertwining circular design (omphalion), is the section in which the Eastern Roman Emperors were crowned.

Istanbul was occupied by Latins between 1204 and 1261, during the Holy Crusades, when both the city and the church were damaged. The Hagia Sophia was known to be in bad condition in 1261, when Eastern Rome took over the city again.

Following Fatih Sultan Mehmed’s (1451-1481) conquer in 1453, Hagia Sophia was renovated into a mosque. The structure was fortified and was well protected after this period, and remained as a mosque. Additional supporting pillars were installed during the East Roman and Ottoman periods as a result of the damage that the structure experienced due to earthquakes in the region. The minarets designed and implemented by Mimar Sinan have also served to this purpose.

A madrasah was built towards the North or Hagia Sophia during Fatih Sultan Mehmed’s reign. This construction was abolished in the 17. Century. During Sultan Abdülmecid’s (1839-1861) reign, renovations were conducted by Fossati and a madrasah was rebuilt in the same place. The remains have been discovered during the excavations in 1982.

During the 16th and 17th century Ottoman period, mihrabs, minbar, maksoorahs, a preachment stand and a muezzin mahfili (a special raised platform in a mosque, opposite the minbar where a muezzin kneels and chants in response to the imam’s prayers) were added to the structure.

The bronze lamps on two sides of the mihrab have been given as gifts to the mosque by Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (1520-1566) after his return from Budin.

The two marble cubes dating back to the Hellenistic period (3 – 4 B.C.) on both sides of the main entrance have been specially brought from Bergama and were given by Sultan Murad III (1574-1595) as gifts.

During the Sultan Abdülmecid period between 1847 and 1849, an extensive renovation in the Hagia Sophia was conducted by the Swiss Fossati brothers, where the Hünkâr Mahfili (a separate compartment where the emperors pray) located in a niche in the Northern section was removed and another one towards the left of the mihrab was built.

The 8- 7.5 m diameter calligraphy panels that were written by Caligrapher Kadıasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi were placed in the main walls of the structure. The panels that read “Allah, Hz. Muhammed, Hz. Ebubekir, Hz. Ömer, Hz. Osman, Hz. Ali, Hz. Hasan ve Hz. Hüseyin” are known to be the biggest calligraphy panels in the Islamic world.

The Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s orders and has been functioning as one since February 1, 1935, welcoming both local and foreign visitors. According to a deed dated 1936, the Hagia Sophia is registered as “Ayasofya-i Kebir Camii Şerifi on behalf of the Fatih Sultan Mehmed Foundation for maoseleum, akaret, muvakkithane and madrasah on 57 pafta, 57 island and 7th parcel.”

Thank you for reading,

Srdan

After we had covered some basic tips to get better photos, it is time to get some practice. One of the most shot scenes in photography are portraits. No matter are they family photos, those made for Instagram, for professional portfolios, magazines or beauty shots, human face is something that inspires both photographers and public.

Im sure youve taken zillions of shots ment to be portraits but they simply havent come out the way you wanted them to. And youve asked yourself what have i done wrong or what they do to get such beautiful photos. Have you ever felt happy when youve seen a photo of yourself in which you “look good”? Im sure it ended as your IG, FB, LN... photo and you wished you had more of those kind.

Every single person likes photos in which they look good. There is NO person which doesnt give a f about it. If there was one, mobile phone memory for pics would need to be 1/10 of the needs you have.

So back to the point. Portrait photo DOES depend on technical things no matter how much we want it not to. One of the most famous portrait photographers, Annie Liebovitz, says she is not a technical photographer, yet she has second to none equipement and army of ppl helping her photos be so great. Imagine if she was technicaly oriented?! But she is right in some point. No thechnics will help you if you do not have interesting model, good story, knowledge of what you want to get and “that something”.

1. TAKE YOUR CHANCE (Shoot as much as you can, again) – You never know when the chance for the “perfect” shot will come and you cant be prepared all the time. But if the chance occures take it!

This photo was taken in The Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. Just in front of the main entrance ive noticed this elder padsing by. I had my phone in my hand and it was the chance to freeze the moment. And i did it. This photo is technicaly bad, deep depth of field, low resolution and not the best composition but the expression of his eyes is THE thing which was worth to be taken. And ive taken it! One of my dearest portraits which has found the place on the wall in my bedroom among other photos i truly love.

2. MODEL – Interesting model will cover all your weaknesses.

This is the original photo....

Ive noticed the pilgrim from Ghana in Haghia Sophia in Instnbul, Turkey and i had to portrait him. He was reluctant but in the end he let me take a shot. I had just a few seconds to do it. With 35mm f/1.4 lens on my camera, far from perfect for portraiture, i just snapped few shots because it was, again, take it or leave it moment.

You wont notice strong cromatic aberation in the pic at the first sight (cromatic aberation will be covered in articles to come) nor youll notice other technical or other negativities because the model will catch your attention and youll all say WOW, i wish ive taken this pic. And it doesnt matter if the initial photo isnt perfect as you can always crop it to be better...

This way Ive lost bokeh (bokeh will be covered in next articles as well) from chandelier but Ive got perfect golden ratio composition, 1/3 as explained in the article with tips for beginners. Nice atmosphere portrait which will catch the eye of every viewer.

3. PROCESSING – Just a slight post processing can make an ordinary portrait look much more pleasing

Change of the perspective and the angle the photo was taken, with few changes in the light can make your photo better

I can bet it cought your eye! Youve compared those two photos and were thinking about the differences and what made the second one better than the first. And those are the same, yet different. But the most important thing is that Ive achived every photographers goal. Glue the viewer to your work!

In next article I will post more tips about portrait photography. I hope youve enjoyed this one.

Thanks for reading,

Srdan

In the first part of this article you have learnt few tips to make your photos look better. https://coil.com/p/Bauhauswerk/Photography-is-not-just-for-pros-2-Tips-for-beginners-part1/gyLoCtQiv

Here youll get few more but always remember that the most important thing is to SHOOT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN as pratcice will make you better, not theory.

So you know that the equipement you will use is the one you have. First learn and then get new stuff. Thru learning you will find out what you need, dont buy compulsively.

1. CLEAN YOUR LENSES AND KEEP ALL EQUIPEMENT CLEAN – Clean glass on your lens is esential! How many times have you taken a shot with your mobile phone to see that the photo was blury? Its not the gear, its your fingertips on the lens. If you use mobile phone camera, ALWAYS clean the lens before you press that red circle on its touch screen. First youll have to think about it but thru time itll become an automatic move. DSLR lenses care should be taken with more care as the glass is much harder to clean. Glass coating dont make it any easier. NEVER touch front nor rare element with your fingers as youll make yourself half an hour of hard work to clean it properly. If you screw it up, clean it. i myself use the combination of glasses/monitor cleaning wipes and rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). Start from the center and clean it with circular motion tho the sides. Repete. Repete.... Till its clean. to protect the front glass you can use lens hood as itll make harder for you to touch the glass by accident. Even better is to have a filter on the lens ALL THE TIME and here we come to second tip.

2. USE FILTER BUT NEVER USE CHEAP FILTER – Filters are good thing. Basic filter which most of the photographers have on their lenses most of the time are UV filters. As they block UV light which is not seen by our eyes anyway, they dont make (almost) any difference to the photo but they protect front element of the lens. Imagine taking photos of the waves on the beach or sand storm on your trip to desert. water drops, sand, dust,..., can damage the lens. If you use filter, only filter will suffer damage and youll save big money for the repair. But not all filters are the same. 5$ is not the same as 100$ so 5$ filter is not the same as the 100$ one. If you cant afford decent one do not throw your money on the cheap one but save for it. Would you ever put 30$ tires on a Porsche and expect the same performance as with the tires which are ment to fit it? Ofcourse you wouldnt...

(Photo by Maurício Mascaro from Pexels)

3. PHOTOS BACKUP – It is very easy to lose all your photos. you have them all on your laptop hard drive and it dies... Bye bye photos. Back up them on at least one media and remember that more photos you take more space youll need. After every photo session go thru the photos taken and delete those which you find bad on the first sight, itll save you many GB thru time.

4. MOVE, YOU HAVE FEET! – When you are at the sight you want to freeze with the camera, try to take a few shots by moving closer or further, left or right... a slight move and change of the angle can make the composition much more pleasing.

5. JOIN PHOTO CLUB – Sharing the experience with the people who have the same passion as you do is great thing. You can attend the lessons held by a pro, got to photo trips and exchange the knowledge with those who are interested in listening and sharing the tips. You can also join photo forums and read photo literature and magazines.

If youd like to learn a bit more about portraits photography, here is part 1 of that series of articles https://coil.com/p/Bauhauswerk/4-Photography-is-not-just-for-pros-Portrait-photography-pt1/Orfmx7Y8q

thank you for reading,

Srdan