Making friends and getting lost in Turkey with GR III in my jersey pocket

Making friends and getting lost in Turkey with GR III in my jersey pocket

At the beginning of July I had the chance to visit my family in Turkey for two weeks. Just before I left for my flight I got a nice surprise package from our new team partner, Ricoh. It was the new GRiii. The timing couldn’t have been better and I had a lot of fun using it throughout our trip.  Please enjoy the photo essay below.

Aegean sunset rides.

Aegean sunset rides.

Perfect post.

Perfect post.

Riding behind a boat, going 26-28 mph.

Riding behind a boat, going 26-28 mph.

Gravel roads leading to gorgeous bays.

Gravel roads leading to gorgeous bays.

The temperatures ranged from 95-102 degrees in Bodrum, which meant that I could only ride during the hours of 7am-9:30am or 7pm till 8:45/9pm. One day I got home closer to 11am and that’s when my wife had to hose me down with cold water.

The temperatures ranged from 95-102 degrees in Bodrum, which meant that I could only ride during the hours of 7am-9:30am or 7pm till 8:45/9pm. One day I got home closer to 11am and that’s when my wife had to hose me down with cold water.

I wasn’t the only one who was hungry and looking for a snack during the ride! Lots of wild boars in the area. They aren’t particularly dangerous, but it’s always good to be careful.

I wasn’t the only one who was hungry and looking for a snack during the ride! Lots of wild boars in the area. They aren’t particularly dangerous, but it’s always good to be careful.

Olive groves everywhere you look.

Olive groves everywhere you look.

The sunsets are on another level here.

The sunsets are on another level here.

My kind of selfie.

My kind of selfie.

As I said farewell to Bodrum, I was pretty excited to get to Istanbul and meet my friend Agit for some long rides.

Agit met me around 5:15 am so we could enjoy Istanbul before the traffic started (bad traffic is a part of life in Istanbul and you need to plan your schedule accordingly). Our goal was to take the coast line looking over the Bosphorus, head up to the Black Sea region and head back into downtown Istanbul. Depending on the route we chose it was going to be between 100-160km. / roughly 3-4 hrs.

Early morning start to beat the traffic means experiencing the best light.

Early morning start to beat the traffic means experiencing the best light.

Looking out to Europe from the Asian side of Istanbul.

Looking out to Europe from the Asian side of Istanbul.

Agit making friends.

Agit making friends.

This is NOT a typical sight for Turkey, but we happened to come across a bus that had just caught on fire. Fire fighters were nice enough to let us through.

This is NOT a typical sight for Turkey, but we happened to come across a bus that had just caught on fire. Fire fighters were nice enough to let us through.

Snacks during the rides are delicious here: pistachios over grape paste.

Snacks during the rides are delicious here: pistachios over grape paste.

Some other scenes from Istanbul:

190712-190628_TURKEY_TRIP-1369.jpg

All of these images were shot on the new GRiii. I like how it has more of an analog feel than digital. So far my notes on the new GRiii so far:

• The lens is great. Super sharp.
• The colors are superb. You don’t necessarily need post production.
• Turns on really fast.
• Its excellent for macro shooting. It’s pretty crazy how good it is.
• Touchscreen is awesome and touch to shoot option is pretty cool.

I’m excited to use this camera more during my upcoming adventures. As you might have seen already, the majority of the TBD images are being captured on the GRs these days. The colors and bokeh are fantastic, and you don't need any post production. For more examples you can see the links below.

https://www.tobedetermined.cc/journal/2019/7/weekend-roll-the-spicy-edition
https://www.tobedetermined.cc/journal/2019/7/a-little-heatwave-cant-stop-us
https://www.tobedetermined.cc/journal/2019/7/weekend-roll-everyone-has-a-plan


Daghan Perker is a creative director, photographer, and an athlete. You can see more of his work on his instagram handle @dperker He is also a founding member of tobedetermined.cc