Here's the last of my diptychs from Istanbul, and while it's not my favourite of the eight I've posted, I do like it.

On that note, could you let me know if you a) found this series interesting, and b) which, if any, was your favourite of the set. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

This is the penultimate image in this short series of diptychs from Istanbul: two consecutive frames found on a wall quite close to our hotel.

Here's the sixth Istanbul diptych, which continues the musical theme from the previous one. And in case you're wondering, these items were glued to the outside wall of a cafe, along with quite a few other 45s, old cassettes and other bits of musical ephemera.

While yesterday's image was the most abstract in this short series of diptychs from Istanbul, this is probably the least, and I almost didn't include it as a result. In the end though, even though I'm not quite sure it fits with the rest of them, I decided to include it: there's just something about this one that I really like.

Here's the fourth Istanbul diptych I'll be posting, and probably the most abstract of the set. The image on the left is an aluminium table top, while the one on the right is a shot of a piece of painted board resting on the pavement.

Here's the third diptych from Istanbul. Both shots are reflections in a shop window, and you may recognise the one on the right from this shot.

As always, let me know what you think.

In other news ...

I'm running a Creating Dramatic Images photography and post-production workshop in Blackpool (May 19th-20th). Even if you can't attend, take a look at the gallery from the last workshop (just scroll about half way down the page). There's some great images.

This is the second of the eight diptychs I mentioned, shot in Istanbul in November. Both these images are almost consecutive (there was just one frame between them).

As with the previous one, let me know what you think.

I've posted quite a few Hipstamatic shots from my trip to Istanbul last November, but have a whole load more that I also like but didn't post as I didn't think they were sufficiently compelling to stand on their own. I did ponder posting a gallery of the whole lot (probably on google+) but looked through them again over the weekend and realised that there was sufficient similarities, either in terms of style or content or both, to pair them up.

As a result I now have eight diptychs, most of which are broadly similar to this one: small scale, partially abstract, and similar in both tone and contrast (they were all shot with the Chunky lens and Ina's 1935 film).

I should also add that while all of them have had some additional processing in Photoshop (to balance them to each other, in terms of both contrast and tone), none of them have been cropped or had any changes to their content.

Anyway, if nothing else, it's a change – I haven't produced all that many diptychs in the past, and have posted even fewer of them – so let me know what you think.

This is the first of two iPhone shots I'll be posting this weekend: another Hipstamatic shot from Istanbul, taken using the Chunky lens and Ina's 1935 film. Unlike some of the other Hipstamatic shots I've posted this one was altered in Photoshop, but only slighty (using a single curve to add a bit more contrast and lighten the shadows). Other than that though it's pretty much a straight shot.

This is another shot from Istanbul, taken from a roof bar which I think was quite close to the Galata Tower. What amused me about this scene was the restaurant across the way, which looks like a gazebo perched on the top of a five storey building. I'm sure it was safe enough, but it did look rather precarious.

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2.31pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 90mm f/11.0 1/30 aperture priority +2/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 2x1

Of all the flags I've photographed, and I confess that isn't a huge amount, I think the Turkish flag is probably the one I like best. There's just something about its simplicity that really appeals to me.

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10.55pm on 9/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 130mm f/4.0 1/400 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 200 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none no

This was taken on our recent Faces and Places Photo Tour to Istanbul, near to the Galata Tower.

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3.14pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 200mm f/4.0 1/40 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none 1x1

Here's another iPhone/HIpstamatic shot taken during my recent trip to Istanbul, taken with the Chunky lens and Ina's 1935 film.

And in case you're wondering, it's a canvas, leaning outwards onto the window of a shop.

This was taken during a photo walk around Istanbul, and there were two things that caught my eye. The first, and most obvious, is the textures, shapes and colours of the building. The second was the mother and daughter looking out through the window. If I'd taken this shot in the UK one of two things would probably have happened – either I'd have been shouted out for invading their privacy, or I'd have been threatened by the police. In Istanbul though, the 'my home is my castle' mentality doesn't seem to apply insofar as nearly everyone we saw would wave from their houses, or smile, or otherwise indicate that they were more than happy to be photographed, as I also mentioned when I posted this shot.

Anyway, it's not an especially striking shot, but it is one that I like. Let me know what you think.

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11.41am on 11/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 43mm f/4.6 1/60 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 100 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none none

This is my second iPhone shot of the weekend, and probably one of my favourite Hipstamatic shots from our recent Faces and Places Photo Tour to Istanbul. There are two main reasons I like it. First, because I like the end result, but secondly, because it typifies why I like shooting with Hipstamatic.

As I've mentioned before, when shooting with Hipstamatic you choose a lens and film combination, each of which has specific characteristics, before you take the shot, and in this case I used the oddly named Roboto Glitter lens and the Pistil film (which added the cross-processed look).

Personally, I find this great way of shooting as all the decisions regarding framing, appearance, mood, and so on need to be taken in advance, freeing you to concentrate on simply getting the shot. And I know I've said this before, but if you have an iPhone, get hold of a copy of Hipstamatic, it's a great little app.

On a different matter, I've just launched our new photography and post-production blog and would be really grateful for some feedback on my first entry. Head on over and take a look.

This is a shot of the western edge of the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, shot a couple of hours before the one I posted yesterday, and while it's definitely an image that would work better as a print (you'd be able to see more detail of the people and their expressions) I did think it was worth posting.

Let me know what you think.

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4.36pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 85mm f/8.0 1/40 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none no

Admittedly, this isn't the most attractive of signs, but I did like the way it was lit. I found it at the western end of the Galata Bridge in Istanbul, close to where I took the shot of the floating fish and chip shop :)

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6.37pm on 8/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM 73mm f/2.8 1/25 aperture priority -1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none no

I found this chair in the Old Bazaar on the last day of our recent Faces and Places Photo Tour to Istanbul.

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11.25am on 12/11/11 Canon 5D Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM 46mm f/3.5 1/80 aperture priority +1/3 evaluative 400 no RAW Camera Raw Photoshop CS5 none minor

While yesterday's image was a straight shot (well, straight out of Hipstamatic at least), today's was edited to add a mild increase to the saturation and contrast.

What is also worth mentioning, and this goes back to what I was saying yesterday about the way in which the lens and film combo you choose in Hipstamatic affects the appearance of the final image, is that the original scene was pretty much black and white. In other words, the colours (red, green and yellow) and the apparent lens flare around the top left corner of the gibbet, are artefacts added by Hipstamatic.

On a related note: it's a while since I attempted to post an image a day (2006 or thereabouts), but I thought I'd give it another go this year. I'll be mostly posting stuff from 2011 for the rest of this month and new material thereafter. I also thought I'd reserve the weekend for iPhone images.

Anyway, all that aside, let me know what you think of this image and/or Hipstamatic. I'm a big fan of the app (and other lo-fi camera apps on the iPhone), but you may well have a different view.

Oh, and this one was shot using the Chunky lens and Ina's 1935 film.

This was taken using my current favourite camera app on the iPhone, Hipstamatic. If you're not familiar with Hipstamatic, it allows you to choose a lens and film, both of which have specific characteristics. For example, the 'Chunky' lens (one of my favourites) simulates the light leakage you might get with a 'toy' camera, while the different films all have their own peculiarities. Ina's 1935, for example, adds a range of red, yellow and green tones depending on the tonal range and balance of the original scene.

The thing I really like about Hipstamatic though, and this is what sets it apart from a lot of the other 'toy' camera apps, is that you need to decide which lens and film you're going to use BEFORE you take the shot. In other words, you need to have some understanding of the different lens and films in order to work out approximately how the shot will appear. For me this is a much better / more creative way of working than simply clicking a whole heap of filter or preset buttons once the shot has been taken.

If you're interested, this shot of a traffic cone was taken using the John S lens and the Pistil film.

As always, let me know what you think.