Trees and Sky launched last Friday 28th, with around 200 people in attendance, including the Mayors of Marmaris and Turunc. Irem and I are pretty beat. Taking the photos is the easy part. Feeding the media is far more demanding.
Three images of the jetty at Amos by S.J.M. Bray.
S.J.M. Bray shot a few frames of Amos Citadel using the OM Zuiko 50mm lens from his OM-1, attached to the E-P2 with an adapter. The resulting fused image was then given modified bas relief treatment and toned in Adobe Photoshop.
I try to standardise on Olympus equipment these days. If it’s good enough for Bailey, then it’s certainly good enough for me. Currently I’ve five Olympus bodies, if you include my OM-1. The menus of all are similar, but the E-P2 has a few quirks that I’ve yet to assimilate.
The images in this post were made by adding digital filtration in the ‘Chanel Mixer’ when the image was converted to monochrome. They took seconds to make, yet are so different in affect and appearance. Photographs by S. J. M. Bray.
Yussuf’s front door is blocked by mud and rubble, and just look at his car!
The winds have abated at Amos Restaurant, but the jetty is still taking a pounding. Photographs by S. J. M. Bray.
The Expo-Disk is a photographic accessory that I purchased in Istanbul a few years back. It has two functions. Firstly it can turn your automatic camera into an incident light meter. Secondly, it’s a way of getting precise white balance in difficult lighting conditions.
Winter power cuts are a feature of living at Amos, or indeed anywhere on the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey. They occur when the winds are gale force, or there are lightning storms.
Permission was given for an increase in the numbers of buildings permissible in Kumlubük. One suspects that Amos may well fall within that allocation.
A winter landscape image of Marmaris and it’s environs by S. J. M. Bray.
The winds can get pretty high when it blows during January at Amos. A number of trees were damaged in the storms and some buildings too!
January/February present the worst weather in Turkey. Here are some photographs of storms at the Mediterranean village of Amos, Nr. Turunç.
Penn’s lighting and colour sense was highly developed probably in part due to his having originally trained as an artist at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art. Originally he was a painter and graphic designer only moving to photography in the late 1940s.
When Irving Penn set out in 1948 to photograph La Sagrada Familía for American Vogue little did he suspect he would be met by Salvadore Dali and a funeral cortège.
Jane Bown’s early images depict a relationship between people and nature, rather than being landscape images per se. Even the photograph, or rather portrait, of the Molly the cow is an image of domestic livestock.
When walking with a camera it’s often easiest to photograph what’s under your nose. This was Jane Bown’s discovery over sixty years ago.
Happy New Year from all at Amos to readers of Pebbles From Paradise.com.
By combining images in the computer it’s mossible to obtain incredible definition and dynamic range from the Olympus E-3, or any other camera come to that?
Many photographers have favourite subjects that are photographed more than once. In this example Bray returns to ‘Newton’s Tree’ and creates a solemn image reminiscent of the landscapes of Bill Brandt.
I like to use old 35mm lenses on my cameras and focus manually. It makes me think about my image and slows the shooting process down.
It’s Hannah’s birthday today and we’re all jolly keen for her to have a good day. Amazon will be celebrating both Hannah’s birthday and also that of her friend Ege. Here you can see her all decked out in her party frock.
Olympus E-3, Carl Zeiss Flektogon 35mm at F 5.6
Somewhere I’ve some Photoshop plugins that enable me to replicate the brightness of Kodachrome in my digital images, but I’ve yet to install them into CS4. The natural colour from the Olympus E-400s Kodak sensor is, somewhat, Kodachrome like. This image, however, was processed in Adobe Lightroom using the Prophoto RGB profile and then converted [...]
It’s been some months since I had a chance to post here because my time has been taken up studying Internet marketing. That’s been a huge learning curve partly enjoyable, mainly labour, but now at last most of the ‘grunt work’ seems over and I’m showing some small reward for all my effort. Today I [...]
Snow on the Mountains Some regular visitors to these pages have wondered why I’ve not posted so much recently, and also if I am continuing to make photographs every day? Most days I take some pictures, and certainly I will be returning to making images in the foreseeable future. Recently I realized that selling Art [...]
We’ve been confined to quarters for most of the day because of torrential rain. Late this afternoon though I was able to get out for a few minutes. The sky was amazing, as you can see. Olympus E-3, Flektogon f35
Some Air Hockey at Marmaris Point Centre. It’s been pretty hectic this week because it’s a Bayram here, which has the same kind of significance as Christmas in the Western World. We dress up in our best clothing, the young visit the old, then the old visit the young, the Town Council arranges a communal [...]
The Old Citadel The light in Amos during the winter is superb, indeed it could be the Yorkshire of Wuthering Heights. I just love making photographic images at this time of the year. Indeed Amos is much to be preferred now because the few of us who live here really appreciate what we have, and [...]
The Beach Turunç ~ Digital Cyanotype After having brunch, with Lee and Joby, Irem set off to collect Amazon from school. It is Chess Club on Mondays and Amazon enjoys learning about the pieces and how they move. The headmaster thinks she may be of junior tournament standard by next year. Anyway following on from [...]
In the old days it used to be acceptable to blow a few highlights. Bailey in ‘The David Bailey Masterclass’ wrote: “Let your eyes roam across this picture. Register the fact that some areas are in deep shadow, or appear to be, and other areas are burnt white by light too bright to allow the [...]
Stormy Skies at Amos Irem and I managed to get down to the beach yesterday and I made a few test exposures with the E-3 and the OM-Zuiko 24mm. I rarely use any of my four-thirds lenses these days preferring the weight and size of these vintage OM system primes. With the superb 1 : [...]
Having devoted the previous post to my No: 1 Chick-a-Dee I can only really assuage female jealousy by featuring the other. These shots were taken last evening in what remained of daylight. I will pose for a photo Daddy That was nice but now you’re taking too long!
I must finish this . . . . . . what is the word I seek? . . . hmmm that doesn’t look right! . . . I must concentrate harder . . . . . . my brain hurts.
The Path To The Beach When all but the those who truly appreciate what Amos is depart I like to walk at twilight. This is a light in which most pack up their cameras, or use flash. I almost never use flash, since it disturbs the rhythm of the day and mood of the evening. [...]
Not yet time to buzz orf . . . Today many of the summer residents at Amos ‘buzz off’. We wish them happy times in their winter palaces and lament the loss of their company. Amos Restaurant is now closed, and our home will return to tranquility as the tour boats are laid-up for the [...]
Baz takes his shot! The British photographer Jane Bown is renowned for eschewing gadgetry in favour of having an eye for light and an interest in her subjects. Using either a twin lens Rolleiflex, or an Olympus OM-1 each equipped with a standard lens she is able to capture the essence of the situation, and [...]
Part of a recently renovated stone house The trick of photography is to keep taking pictures and whilst doing so attempt to keep the quality of your images high. It’s not always possible to find dramatic, or unusual subjects however. For this reason many photographers revisit the familiar attempting each time either to improve upon [...]
“Don’t take my photo because . . . ” . . . I’m taking Mummy for a walk “First we go up here . . . ” . . . then we get all the way to here . . . ” . . . and then we run . . . ” . . [...]
If you’re passionate about photography you take pictures of whatever subject matter is available. Here at Amos flora is a good choice because it’s abundant. This image was taken as dusk approached. Without the E-3′s image stabilization I doubt that a sharp image would have been possible. Panasonic/Leica Summilux 25mm 1.4 at f 2.8
The Moon Above Amos, Olympus E-3 handheld using Image Stabilization
Not a flower portrait, and not by Irving Penn For over forty years the venerable Irving Penn has been photographing blooms. Penn has the ability to make anything look dignified in his photographs, even death and decay. This perhaps above all his other talents is his genious. I read recently that David Bailey sometimes spends [...]
The Moon Above Amos
Olympus E-3 plus Zuiko OM 50mm This lens produces images with a gritty quality . . . . . . it’s a function of the bokeh, no doubt!
“This sure beats the hell . . . . . . out of doing . . . . . . the washing up Mummy!”
A photo essay is a number of images that are linked via a common theme. It’s, somewhat, an archaic art form today but I like it. In the past magazines such as ‘Picture Post‘ and ‘Lilliput‘ used this model to wonderful effect. Today some people use the approach with their blogs: We’re on our way [...]
A Common Sight On the Amos Estate Sometimes the most commonplace objects provide suitable subject matter for photography. For instance these berries are to be found everywhere on the Amos Estate yet their rich colour and uniform proportions can make for a suitable subject for a photograph.
Olympus E-3, 40 ~ 150 kit lens, Polarizing Filter. I was on my way to the beach yesterday when I fired off a couple of frames just to test the camera settings. This is one of them. This was shot as a .jpg but tweaked in Bibble Pro.
Look No Water Wings! Yes gentle readers, we can now jump from the pier without any flotation aid and swim to the steps ready to do it all over again.
Amazon and Hannah ~ Blowers! Here are my two small chick-a-dees. They’re Hannah and Amazon who share a Dad but look different due to his profligate behavior. What are they up to? The fact is that they are under the influence of Pete Horsham a post-modern artist and musician also known as Kraymon. Kraymon is [...]
Not The Mast at Amos! Intelligence and diplomacy has prevailed and so not only is the Avea buzz station to be dismantled at Amos, the WiFi Internet system also won’t be installed on the White Houses section of Amos Estate. These decisions taken by the respective management committees have taken great courage. It’s difficult to [...]
Consternation In A Nunnery! Gentle Reader, if you’ve wondered why Bray is going on about microwaves in Amos the source of his concern is the fact that not just one, but two microwave sources are proposed here. The first to be erected is located atop the site’s electricity sub-station. It is an Avea Mobile Phone [...]
“Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house.” James Thurber, My Life and Hard Times (1933) US author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist (1894 – 1961) Did you know that a number of schools in the U.K. and elsewhere have removed [...]
In 1854 John Snow investigated an outbreak of Cholera in London. He had a theory that Cholera was a digestive based illness and suspected that its cause was polluted water. He reached this conclusion because as a physician he recognized that the symptoms of cholera were similar to those of some kinds of poisoning, rather [...]
“We like Mulberries”, said the piglets. Around this time of year we often get visited by wild pigs. This year there are four orphans who push under the fence. At first they made for the remains of the Mulberries. I spoke with them kindly but they still were too shy to remain. They scampered away [...]
An Amos Restaurant Pide These days I rarely venture out much, so I don’t get to the sea or Amos Restaurant. Amazon goes often though and likes to eat there. She enjoys the Pide most. The portions are just the right size for her
The remarkable Peter, and the beautiful Pat, popped by yesterday evening bringing the latest copy of ‘The Tatler’ for Irem; my Practical Photographer; a bottle of Gordon’s and two huge smiles. Tatler is Irem’s favourite magazine, but I enjoy it too. The car reviews, by Emma Parker-Bowles, are always remarkable. This month’s is no exception. [...]
I think Amazon must have overdosed me on cartoon animations!
Lone Pine! I like taking black and white photographs, especially in the summer when there is strong differentiation of tone. The image above says it all about this tree, and no amount of colour could improve upon the aesthetic of this image. The image below, by contrast, has been improved by being in monochrome. In [...]
Look at this fellow, only slightly longer than a slow-worm, but far more dangerous! A couple of years ago one of the residents here at Amos was stung by a bee at The Amos Restaurant. He suffered anaphylactic shock and died. Naturally we were all very upset. When people travel abroad they need to bear [...]
Irem and Amazon Try Out Their Water Colours. Here are the chick-a-dees immersed in their own worlds of colour and creativity. And what a wonderful job the Kodak sensor in the E-400 has done of rendering accurate colour. Frequently I apply some digital filters to images taken with this camera in order to emulate the [...]
Our First Yacht, This Year. Today we had a beach picnic. Amazon’s friends came too. They look like Amazon Pirates. In the bay a yacht was at anchor. It was a perfect afternoon. Amazon Pirates! Yunus, (photograph by Amazon Bray, aged 4 years). Melisa, (photograph by Amazon Bray, aged 4 years). After The Picnic Everyone [...]
The Best Receptacle For Written Verbiage! One of the problems of being a health-care professional is that one’s home fills up with confidential medical papers, affidavits, supervisors reports and the like. This stuff is largely verbiage and opinion, rarely born out by future events but which may significantly impact upon the lives of people in [...]
Low Power From Now On! Yesterday, when I was writing about saving a tree I had forgotten that Irem and I have been busy doing our bit for the environment. The last time we were at Ümraniye Carrefour we stocked up on low energy light bulbs and this week I have been busily installing them. [...]
The front page features Amos, and my Chick-a-Dees, of course! When we were in Istanbul last month Irem and I saw this programme on BBC World. It was really rather sad for it showed a skilled businessman, (and one far more experienced in commerce than I), fail to make any impact upon a family with [...]
Not Photogenic At All! Pardon me for these camera enthusiast style image. I was at Amos Beach yesterday and got carried away, (camera club style). How can I have thought a pile of wood photogenic? What made me waste my time on it? As if that weren’t enough I then attempted to capture a shot [...]
The Beach At Amos Is, Thankfully, Free Of People In March Visitors to our beach in the summer would be amazed to see just how violent the storms are here during the winter. After Mehmet and Cemeli carefully mothballed the restaurant last November the strong winds ripped through their efforts. Amos Restaurant, Turunç, Nr. Marmaris [...]
Wild Daisies Are To Be Found Everywhere On the Estate Like most country dwellers the city plays havoc with my mind. I remember whenever I returned to practice psychotherapy after a spell in the country I would wonder why people were telling me their woes, and foibles, as I listened to their stories. But the [...]
Heinz was having some trouble with his computer recently so I went along to lend a hand. Two cans of Efes and several shots of raspberry flavoured vodka later and I had fixed it! On the way home I even managed to grab this image from Heinz and Leylas’ front garden, hic!
Irem At Damla’s Recently!
It Became An Adolescent In Three Weeks!
A Neighbour’s House
Amos Without Tourists, Perfec’ Another image taken with the E-400 and the Olympus OM 24mm lens, via an adapter. The RAW file was converted in Bibble Pro where the colours were optimized before a curves adjustment was made in Photoshop to emulate Kodachrome 25. Kindly note: Photoshop and Kodachrome are trade marks of Adobe Systems [...]
The incredible New Yorker Dave Beckerman recently invited a number of his blog readers to submit photographs of their work stations. Just a few responded, with yours truly a late entrant so don’t expect to find this image in his collection yet. Star Ship Cockpit!
Oh Dear . . . I don’t believe it! Back in Amos once more and coerced into applying the little grey cells to the creation of stuff for others. It’s all Irem’s doing. Life would be so simple were it not for her. She finds people, talks to them, brings them into our life and [...]
Drift Wood On Amos Beach Living a reclusive life on a small estate might appear to provide limited opportunities for photography, especially when the weather is inclement. It’s true that living here does little to further my ambition to make images like the late Helmut Newton, however that aside, there are many opportunities to photograph [...]
There is a man in Scotland named Colin Jago who writes that he takes photographs in order to see more. I never had this motivation until I read his words. Indeed I always believed that one had to have a ‘good eye’ in order to make any sort of images, either using photography or other [...]
Dear Readers, I wouldn’t wish you to think that the sun always shines in Amos. Today when I looked from the patio-deck I noted that not only was it raining, but that also a winter blizzard had bared the mulberry trees of their leaves. A Day Best Spent Indoors Near The Wood-Burner!
On The Night Bus Some of you may remember the image above, which was taken last year with the Panasonic Leica Summilux 1.4 on a coach to Ankara. The photograph below, which shares some qualities of that image, however, was taken last night at home using my manual focus OM Zuiko 24mm lens. The quality [...]
Two Thousand And Eight: Great! As you can see Amazon is welcoming the New Year in rainbow colours, and indeed I am feeling pretty chuffed with the colours of nature here today. A quick jog to the shore provided this photo-opportunity to catch the light celebrating on the peaks on the opposite side of Amos [...]
“What Fun Daddy!” It was once the ritual of the Brays to spend the entire weekend gardening. As a lad I was lucky if I got Saturday afternoon off. It all came of having a humungus garden. I am pleased to report however that not only is the garden smaller yours truly barely has to [...]
Kodachrome 64? When I was a lad some of the clearest and sharpest printed images to be found were in National Geographic Magazine. Their photographers used rich Kodachromes, which gave images the warm, saturated, effect that was later to be found in Sunday supplements. It’s mainly digital these days but there are some places where [...]
There are times when the urge to create original, or novel images can blunt my senses to what is right before my nose. The other day I was walking with the OM-1, and feeling somewhat disappointed because I hadn’t found much inspiration. Suddenly I found myself walking toward home and also immersed in feeling so [...]
Punk Rocker Off Duty! Cross processed, Dear Reader, not cross-dressed, although looking at Irem it isn’t a dress that she wears but a boyish bomber-jacket! This image was taken with my latest combination, an E-400 digital body fitted with an OM to E-System adapter, an OM Zuiko 24mm, (Manual Focus Lens), and a Katz-Eye Focussing [...]
Turkish, (and English with a little Canadian), Folk In Our Front Room. Damla’s daughter Ayşim is here with her guitar so we asked Mahmut and Çoskun to come over and jam with their saz and her. Unfortunately Mahmut dropped out at the last minute but Çoskun came and played late into the night . . [...]
Lurking Behind Peter And Pats’ Place! This image looks as if it were taken on a 5 x 4 plate camera, but in fact it was snapped by Amazon using the FujiFilm FinePix E-900. The fungi is on the remains of a tree behind Peter and Pats’, where they hang their washing, when in residence. [...]
The Evening View From Damla’s Terrace Here is the view from Damla’s veranda. It looks almost an exaggeration yet it really doesn’t do justice to the splendid rich blues and subtle pinks of the evening sky. I like my images to look realistic but this image looks manipulated, although it isn’t. Of course with a [...]
Irem, Melisa, and Amazon Fishing From Amos Jetty The Evenings Take On Wonderful Pink Tones At This Time Of The Year Despite Fishing Into The Twilight They Only Managed To Catch A ‘Tiddler’
Amos Beach OM-1 Style It’s been raining on and off for several days now, but yesterday during the latter part of the afternoon I ventured out with the E-400 and the 11-22 Zuiko D Zoom. My aim was to see if I could beat the beach image I took a week or so back with [...]
The Boat On The Beach Regular readers will remember how this boat was washed ashore during recent storms. I am pleased to report that it has now been removed from the beach, where it might have come to further grief, and is now safe, blocking up the path to the beach. Up The Garden Path!
Ratatat tat! Well not really, and certainly not the sort of projectiles that featured in this post. But these berries seemed so dynamic in the early morning light that I couldn’t resist a little ‘theatre’ for this shot, if you will pardon the pun, and ignore the alliteration?
The Rock Is Familiar, But The Shadows Change Throughout The Days And Years I like to play with shadows. Often I will be captivated by the way shadows transform the quality of some common-place object or scene. My mind has grown accustomed to imagining forms as-they-are, and how they may be altered, or enhanced using [...]
Look Carefully, A Locust Rests In The Shadows! Okay, so it’s not the best entomological photograph ever, but this guy seemed to love being photographed. A full four inches in length s/he was a wonderful specimen and by the looks of those berries seemed to be having a field day. I understand now the term, [...]
Bright, Punchy Colour! This image, captured by my workhorse, the humble Olympus E-400 which may be purchased as a two lens kit in Dixons for little more than pennies, was made in the early morning light a day, or so back. The Kodak sensor in the E-400 comes as close to the quality of film [...]
Not Film This Time! There are still plenty of us residents here, and then there are all the security and maintenance staff with whom we form a tight community at this time of the year. Nevertheless the site has a stillness about it which is tranquil and captivating. E-400 plus 50mm Zuiko D
Because it was taken on a film, nice innit! Olympus OM1. Kodak Gold 400, processed and scanned in a Fuji Mini-Lab. Pretty good stuff really! No really it is. Far more depth even at an 8 bit bitmap than a 16 bit digital capture. If an OM-1 can achieve this I wonder how a half-plate [...]
At last my original E-400 is back from the Olympus Service Centre in Portugal. It has been fitted with a brand new sensor and is now functioning as brightly and efficiently as my second E-400. I really love the colour rendering of the Kodak sensor in the E-400. It seems to have slightly more dynamic [...]
Not exactly round, more sort of bun shaped . . . Giotto di Bondone wasn’t Turkish, but rather a great Italian draughtsman and painter. I remember from Miss Hart’s history lessons at Blandford Grammar School that he once drew a circle with a piece of chalk, or was it charcoal? Apparently this impressed his Italian [...]
Somehow in the past year, or so, my lifetime interest in photography seems to have crystallised. I confess that living here in winter seclusion sometimes I despair of ever becoming a Bailey, Newton, or an unlikely Royal Photographer such as Rankin. It would be nice to capture delicate curves in subdued light and occasionally, to [...]
An Unexpected Visitor To Amos! After the recent storms I ventured down to the beach to see if any damage had occurred. The boat moored in the bay was still afloat and safe at anchor. This ‘stranger’ however had washed ashore at the foot of the beach steps. I love the muted quality of this [...]
Rustic Stuff On The Amos Estate I was walking around the estate recently looking for good specimens of flora to photograph for my on-line gallery when suddenly I noticed this arrangement. As the Olympus E-400 was fitted with a prime macro lens I shot this with the FinePix E-900 compact. For some reason the highlights [...]
Just Visiting . . . I guess in the U.K. we don’t think about plant pollination in November. Certainly we don’t think of bees doing the job at this time of the year. But here in Amos the bees are buzzin’ with activity, and a few aren’t even camera shy! . . . or about [...]
When you come to Turunç in the summer you will see it alive with blooms. This is because the town council, and local business owners plant various plots and boxes and lovingly water them. It is in the autumn, winter and spring months, however, that nature’s blooms abound without human interference. Of course even in [...]
The Smallest House On Amos Estate O.K. so Jack didn’t build this house. Indeed it was built by a team of artisans from Eastern Turkey some thirty years ago and it was intended to serve as the site office. It is an unusual design being exactly half of the size, and half of the original [...]
The Shoreline At Amos Well that’s not quite true, indeed it shines most days but sometimes it rains too! That’s really good news since not only is the weather more British it also means that the light is better for photography. Recently I ventured out with the Zuiko 11-22 digital zoom. This is a lens [...]
Red Berries and . . . Oh God, not more trees and flowers you say. Well yes ladies and gentlemen for your absolute enjoyment and edification, presented in dynamic digital colour it is my pleasure to offer you not only some berries, but also the humble pine cone! . . . ever so ‘umble indeed! [...]
Fatma Teyze Takes ‘Time Out’ Every other evening, or so, we’ve taken to visiting Fatma Teyze and her grandson Yunus. She is caring for Yunus at the moment whilst his father and mother are away in Istanbul. Poor Yunus dropped hot çay on his leg and is off school due to the scald. He also [...]
Now the summer sun has abated this plant is coming into bloom. These plants are apparently native to Cyprus, but no one here seems to know their species? In the summer they create a rich green leafy mat over the ground. Indeed they are one of the few plants to survive without casualties August’s heat. [...]
What more may be said?
Palms At Amos When I used to shoot film I tended to worry about how many frames I had left of the roll. A fresh film meant either double the expense, or twice the time and care processing the film at home. Now I mainly shoot digital I should really take more pictures, but doubt [...]
Irem in a reflective mood I suppose most of us have taken holiday snaps. We go somewhere nice for a meal and then ask the waiter, or a passer-by, to take our photograph in front of our lunch, or some exotic background. And why not? But when you study the images of great portrait photographers [...]
The Path To The Beach at Amos Peter, of Pat and Peter, who sometimes live at No: 5, hinted recently that he would have preferred a colour version of my print ‘To The Beach’. I am not working much with colour at the moment, but nevertheless I am happy to oblige: To The Beach!
Naughty, but nice, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more!
To The Beach but, methinks, only for a few more weeks! I took this picture for Peter and Pat. They are feeling a little grey at the moment because they’re back in the U.K. and their little stone-house here is tucked-up snug for the winter. This is the path they take each day to the [...]
First we drop the gunge into the saucer If you come to stay in Turkey it’s quite likely that you will be offered Turkish coffee. This is prepared using freshly ground coffee boiled in a small sauceman and then poured into the coffee cup. There are three grades of Turkish coffee. Şekerli which is sweet; [...]
Irem Bray, courtesy of Lightcrafts’ Lightzone® Today’s post is by way of an apology to Baz. He hates it when I take a photograph of Irem and manipulate it using all the wonders of digital imaging. But sometimes Baz digital post production is necessary. For example this image of Irem looks good, but if you [...]
Camera jpg from Konica/Minolta Dimage® X50, ISO 160, 4 seconds at F 2.8 My long suffering brother Eric sent me this image a day or so ago. It is a picture of the moon rising over Amos Bay, which he took on his visit here two years ago. The file is noisy, and also has [...]
FinePix® E-900, Lightroom® and Photoshop® Sometimes I promise that during the winter months I will take more images of the local flora. But photographing nature demands more than simply pointing an automatic camera at the unsuspecting flower and hoping for the best. Yesterday Brian Mosely wrote suggesting that I experiment with Lightzone® and so yesterday [...]
Time to crash out Early Leica cameras had a collapsible Elmarit lens. This made them truly pocketable. Today’s digital equivalent is perhaps a camera like the FujiFinepix® E-900 which has a receding zoom lens. Time for a romp The little Fuji is an ideal beach camera. It takes up less space than any SLR. It [...]
Moonscape! A few minutes after we had photographed the dreadful tip at Kumlubük we were at Damlas’ where we found her making her own picture of the moon. She invited me to attempt a shot from her balcony but without a tripod this was the best I could manage. The trick with this kind of [...]
Lit By The Moon And A Street Lamp We were zooming up the hill toward Phillip’s house, where I intended to park the jeep this evening, when we spied Timur emerging from a taxi. “Can’t stop”, we shouted, “We’re on our way to Jürgen’s and must be there by five.” “No problem”, Timur retorted, “I’m [...]
“I know you’re photographing me, but I am taking no notice” It seems just yesterday that Hannah arrived but two precious weeks are running away all too quickly. We arranged for Divers Delight to collect her from the pier at Amos so she could, at last, get some value from her sub-aqua diving licence. Today [...]
Hannah Has Recovered, One Week After Her Arrival! Just a week ago I had to collect Hannah from Dalaman Airport at an ungodly hour and so decided to get some rest during the evening. I had just nodded off when our, very loud, door-bell rang and I found Yasemin from ‘The Orange Garden‘ on the [...]
Heaven and earth last forever. The reason why heaven and earth last forever is that they do not live for themselves. Hence, they last forever. Therefore, the True Person leaves self behind and thus is found in front, is not guarded and thus is preserved, is self-free and thus is able to find fulfilment. When [...]
1966 Vauxhall Viva HA . . . but in the life of our planet it is a blink. It seems like yesterday but it has been half a lifetime. Am I being nostalgic, I think not? These were simply the days of miracle and wonder, but it’s not Paul Simon I want to write about [...]
Damla Is Playing Silly Buggers! But Then I Snapped Her! Irem Seems Amused? Or Perhaps Pootled? As a variation from posting commentary about the Tao Te Ching today I’ve decided to post a few snaps! I could equally have written how Behruz was listening to Phillip explaining that his house here at Amos is a [...]
Sometimes I wonder when we’re going to give up the notion of “What’s in it for me? What’s in it for them?” Damla lent me a book purporting to be a translation of the words of the Dalai Lama, it even had his picture on the cover. Within it I found the following paragraph: When [...]
Excerpted from Damla’s latest SPAM e-mail Apart from swimming and writing crass comments on the Ecademy blogs I’ve been pretty lethargic today. Damla must be in a similar state as she keeps sending me SPAM e-mails. This link she sent is rather good. And this one must not be pressed under any circumstances. It will, [...]
Sorry about the lapse in transmissions. Not me this time, if you want the full story you may read it here, and here. Anyway, we’re back on-line today. At least pebblesfromparadise is. The Family Business School web site got so over run by spammers in the time I couldn’t access it that I had to [...]
Why Is Irem Looking So Chipper? It’s because not only was she able to spend time on the mat yesterday, but today Gaku Homma Sensei came to Amos with the Marmaris Aikido Group and spent several hours with us here. Why then, you may wonder is the main photograph of Irem? It’s very simple really [...]
Irem looks pensive at Amos Restaurant I discovered today that some people start their day by looking here to see what has befallen us at pebblesfromparadise.com. I had no idea we were so popular, but spurred on by this news I today have come out of self-imposed seclusion and share these images with you. They [...]
Some of our regular readers have wondered why there have been few posts about Amos in recent days. It’s not that I’ve not been here but rather that Peter from No: 3 brought with him four books in The Emperor series about Julius Ceasar by Conn Iggulden. As a result I’ve been ‘hacking’ my way [...]
Because her Daddy has returned home to Amos, of course! It’s truly great to be back in Amos after visiting Istanbul. That said, however, I gather I’ve probably had the best deal for the weather in Istanbul has been superb during my stay, whereas here in Amos it’s been overcast. No worried, I’ve brought the [...]
The Party On The Patio Yesterday I was bemoaning the loss of my old home town. Today I am rejoicing in the acquisition of a new one. We’ve lived here full-time for around three years now and are getting to know far more people. Due, in no small measure, to this journal we also find [...]
The late Gregory Bateson when teaching art students matters of epistemology was fond of presenting them with a boiled crab and asking: “I want you to produce arguments which will convince me that this object is the remains of a living thing. You may imagine, if you will, that you are Martians and that on [...]
Manifestation In Action? Regular readers will recall how last year my account on the Amos Estate was shown to be 500 YTL in arrears when in fact it has always been paid up in full. The matter was an accounting error and has now been put right. This month the accounts stated that I was [...]
Time For Mulberries You call them mulberries, here they are more simply known as ‘dut’. They come in both white and also red. If the juice from the red variety touches your clothing it is doomed, but the taste of dut is worth it. With the dut comes a particularly stupid kind of fruit fly. [...]
Our Aviation Correspondent’s Preferred Transport! Having been forced by my companies HR department to fly up to Glasgow, I was quite pleased to be flying up from the City airport in London, but all was not as expected. Now obviously the main role of the airport is to dispatch business people to the furthest flung [...]
Leica Summilux 25mm, ISO 100, 1/640 at F 5.0, Olympus E-400 RAW Conversion In Bibble 4.85, Monochrome Conversion By Power Retouche. One of the unsung heroes in the song of my life is my elder brother Eric. Unlike Nick, my eldest brother, Eric and I grew up together but I was twelve years younger than [...]
Important Notice Following a long standing dispute that delayed the erection of new electricity poles on the Turunç – Amos – Kumlubük road work has recommenced on the new power grid. As a result sources claim there will be no power in Amos between the hours of eight a.m. and approx. seven p.m. for the [...]
Leyla’s and Heinz’s Pad Whilst Amazon and Irem were out last night watching the children from local schools perform at Marmaris Amphitheatre I took the opportunity to take some exterior shots of Leyla’s and Heinz’s house. I will shortly be creating a PDF of information about the house which will be downloadable from pebblesfromparadise.com. The [...]
Leyla and Heinz have put their house on the market. It’s a fine property the marriage of Turkish artistry and German engineering. I’ve spent the day taking interiors with the E-900 and the WL-FXE01 Wide Conversion Lens: An Ample Kitchen Whatever Direction You Look At It! The Dining Room, (as seen from . . .) [...]
The Boats Are Working Once More Yesterday I reported on the new look of Amos Restaurant. Slowly the area is openning up for tourists, indeed some tourists are already here. Occasionally one of the tourist boats ventures into Amos Bay but not everyone swims yet. A first dip for Amazon and Irem
The Amos Restaurant, (circa 2007) During the winter Mehmet has been busy working to improve the look of Amos Restaurant. The place has been re-modelled and now has a timber, (and plastic), texture. It certainly is an improvement on the previous asbestos and iron structure and, (Philip please note), will also have a new American [...]
The Steps From The Beach Last month, whilst the E-400 was away for repairs, I spent some time getting to know the Canon 20D and appreciating why the weight, size and handling of the Olympus is superior. None the less during March I made some interesting images with the Canon, mainly with my old 35mm [...]
A 1969 VW Beetle I think most people know that when the Weazleys rescued Harry Potter from Uncle Vernon’s house in Privet Drive they did so in an enchanted Ford Anglia. The Anglia was perhaps a curious choice for J. K. Rowling to suggest as the enchanted vehicle, for aside from the Morris Minor, (designed [...]
The Unusually Functional There was a feast of Easter Bonnets at Netsel Marina’s Easter Barbecue today. Hats varied from the utilitarian, to the exotic, and of course some of a nautical bent. The Exotic The Obviously Nautical
A Great British Belfry Yesterday I was alluding to a statement of the great British bulldog Sir Winston Churchill in my headline: ‘Jaw, Jaw, not War, War.’ In fact what he said was: “It is always better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.” His exact words are not known but his statement is thought to have [...]
You never know who’s looking over your shoulder! It’s been a pretty wet day today and so I’ve not ventured out, except to bring in some logs for the wood-burner, and also keep the drains clear of mud. The trouble is that a wet day leaves too much time for reflection, and it’s not been [...]
“Ayla says she’s no longer talking to Mummy,” Alternative caption: Amazon exchanges gossip with Levent Phillip wrote a day or so back extolling the virtue of sepia toned prints. In my time like most photographers I’ve made a few sepia photographs the old fashioned way and now can easily do so in Adobe PhotoShop. This [...]
The Steps From Amos Beach To The Woods For some reason the matrix metering of the EOS 20D completely failed to cope with the exposure for this scene. None the less there is something about the image that I like and since the shot was taken in JPEG plus RAW mode I decided to see [...]
The Landing Stage Amos Restaurant I’ve been thinking, somewhat, about photography whilst under the influence of some strong antibiotics. That’s not why I’ve started taking pictures in monochrome. What I notice is that many colour photographs these days seem to be in-your-face images of people making strange expressions, or utilize bold colour to make statements, [...]
Lynn of Amos Here is Lynn captured with the E-900 enjoying a fireside tipple. We are talking about the film ‘A Lot Like Love’ starring Amanda Peet and Anton Kusher. There is a scene in the film where the characters played by Peet and Kusher wake up naked in the back of their car surrounded [...]
Canon EOS D20, 28mm f 4 The Spring in Amos brings with it a host of wild flowers. I particularly like these blue ones because their colour reminds me of English Bluebells that bloom at this season in Dorset, but they are not related. Own A Camera? If you found this article of interest you [...]
Amazon’s pleased to have me back at home Thankfully I’m back in dear ol’ Amos, and of course rapidly set out to make sure all’s well in Kumlubük. It’s not, of course. This wonderful strip of arable land is simply dotted with too many ‘oribble buildings to have an aesthetic quality. Nevertheless it’s still possible [...]
IBM T42 ThinkPad Those of you who read this journal more frequently than I write it will remember that in September I travelled to London and purchased an IBM ThinkPad from a shop on the Tottenham Court Road. This week I noted that the VAT rebate had not appeared in my bank account, and so [...]
Two of our English neighbours will be interested to read this entry. They bought an Arçelik washing machine any have had a dreadful time with it. The problem hasn’t been simply that the machine didn’t work but that the service department in Marmaris were so unreliable in coming to fix it. They would miss appointments, [...]
The Winter Market Today is market day in Turunç and for the first time in many weeks I went along with Amazon and Irem to buy the veggies. The market is much smaller now the season’s over, but I was delighted to find that my tailor has returned. It was a beautiful morning, made all [...]
Irem and Amazon Resting While Damla Swims Some of my neighbours have remarked that they haven’t noticed us going out for walks at half-past five as indicated in this earlier entry in this journal. It’s true, when the summer arrived with its heat and extra cars swimming replaced walking as our preferred form of exercise. [...]
Toros Mountains Capped With Snow People who only come to Turkey in the summer can’t appreciate just how beautiful the country is during the Autumn. The trees take on deep russet hues and the air become crystal clear. Indeed the air will stay clear, barring a few storms, until the second part of May next [...]
I was walking across the green today when I saw this magnificent sight. Yes it’s Marmaris Race Week already and the fleet was out yesterday and, despite storms, is racing again today. In the foreground you can see that the Turkish Coastguard are on hand to see fair play. The weather may be lousy but [...]
A New Picture For My Ecademy Profile Some of my regular readers have started to e-mail me to ask why the flow of regular postings have been interrupted lately. I can tell you in one word and that word is Ecademy. Ecademy is a networking web-site for business-people. I like the idea of networking between [...]
Fatma Teyze – Grandmother of Fatma The Bride We’re enjoying an Indian Summer here at Amos Bay, Nr. Marmaris. Although we suffered some storm damage ten days ago since then it’s been possible to swim every day. Nevertheless Amos Restaurant will shortly be closing for the winter. Mehmet is promising major restorations and improvements over [...]
Most Boats Broke Their Moorings! Damla told us the other day that 17th is an important day in the Buddhist calendar. Apparently no one should venture out because there is some kind of planetary convergence and the ‘rays’ are so powerful that any thought will be amplified a zillion times. That was even before her [...]
You may have thought that yours truly has been a bit lazy not posting entries, for the past few days. Well it may seem like that but in fact I’ve been following up on one of last year’s stories, which was about a historical events of epic proportions. You see Peter and Pat are here [...]
Ready For The Oven, And Now As Floyd Would Say: “Time For A Slurp!” At last it’s happened! Mehmet phoned yesterday to say that he had caught an enormous fish and he invited me to photograph it for his new brochure. Amazon, Irem and I hot-footed ourselves, actually we took the jeep because I was [...]
Some of you may remember how Amazon, Irem and I ran away from the prospect of creating a new brochure for Amos Restaurant. The reason is that the owners of large enterprise know just how much work needs to go into projecting the right image, whereas small business owners tend to think that taking pictures [...]
The Moon Last Night From Damla’s House It’s my birthday today, but I celebrated it last night at a small party organized by Damla. She also gave me a rather lovely, and unexpected birthday present. It was laying unwrapped on her work surface and being a gadget man I fell in love with it at [...]
Amélie Poulain It must have been around midnight. I was sound asleep when I heard the sound of the telephone Irem answered it from my study. The mysterious caller was none other than Gent Bey, who owns one of the houses over the Aquarium Bay at Amos but who is currently in Istanbul. It transpires [...]
Ortaköy ~ Istanbul, in October Maybe? Damla will arrive in Amos late tonight ~ tee hee, plenty of fine Martinis for the winter months. Hurray! But she will not, after all, be sharing them with Phillip this October when he is due to return to Turkey with his family. In an exclusive e-mail to PebblesFromParadise.COM [...]
Fatma Teyze This morning has been devoted to Holiday Magazine Turkiye. I went to photograph Fatma Teyze whom I quote in a forthcoming article about education in Turkey. According to July’s Economist Magazine only one in three girls in Turkey attend school and sadly one of my neighbours children seems to miss far too many [...]
An Essential Muse? Just a couple of days ago I was writing about looking inside my heart for inspiration, rather than in all those dull tomes in my technical library in Istanbul. Really I believe that I’ve wasted far too much of my life reading about life, rather than living it. On the other hand [...]
Guy Bourdin: Pizza, (note the masterful sloping horizon in this top photographer’s shot). I found this image by Guy Bourdin on one of his fan sites. Here are two powerful-looking women eating Pizza in front of a tropical seascape. Could we do something like this for The Amos Beach Club, I wonder? There’s nothing overtly [...]
When Guy Bourdin or Helmut Newton were commissioned to photograph fashion, or even make pictures of cars or other machinery, they always managed to inject a sense of the macabre into their work. Of course they’re both dead now which is pretty macabre too! But when I get summoned to take a photograph of the [...]
A Stone House For Sale On The Amos Estate Yesterday I promised to post a photograph taken using the Fujinon [WL-FXE01] converter and the FinePix E900 digital camera. The WL-FXE01 converter enables the Finepix to take pictures with a similar perspective to a 35 mm camera fitted with a 24 mm lens. Here is a [...]
Turkish culture is very rich dating back to the days when nomads from Mongolia were united under the Genghis Khan, and later his son Khubilai Khan captured most of the ‘known world’, from Vienna to Peking. In order to administer this vast empire the Turkic speaking people employed and adopted Arab scholars, who in turn [...]
A New Home For Yusuf, Perhaps? According to Rich Schefren the reason retailers install security devices isn’t to prevent people from shop lifting in their stores. Rather it is to persuade them that it’s far easier to steal from the shop next door. The United Kingdom possesses more CCTV cameras per square mile than any [...]
“Now I am released from MNG Kargo’s clutches, I feel as lucky, free and bouncy as a ladybird should be!” Regular readers to this column will by now be wondering what has happened to Amazon’s toy, which MNG Kargo sent back to Ankara twice from Marmaris because they couldn’t be bothered to deliver it here [...]
Amos Beach Club Today when I arrived for my daily swim I noticed Amazon and Irem basking on the jetty at Amos Beach Club, Turunc, Nr. Marmaris. I wasn’t carrying a camera but the image was just too good to miss, so I returned home to fetch it. Fortunately when I returned they hadn’t moved [...]
Alpay and Irem in a huddle! Here are two venerable residents of Amos. On the left is Alpay Bey, one of the gentlest souls you might ever hope to meet. He is married to Sofia who is at the very least an angel, if their exists a hierarchy of beings. To the right of the [...]
Amazon watches the recording she made with Baz of the kitten at Pineapple Restaurant, Marmaris When he was here in Amos Baz, who is a keen video photographer, sometimes remarked that although I write about the FinePix e900, and also carry it with me, he never saw me take a photograph with it. The truth [...]
Hatici Enjoys Herself Hatici has been living in Baz’s apartment since he departed on Monday. Last night she invited us to eat spaghetti with her. Spaghetti was the only dish on the menu because weevils had started to emerge in the rice. We also drank a bottle of white wine that would have been over [...]
Guy Bourdin Rejected Transparency File It seems like yesterday that I was writing about how American Photo suggested that top photographer Annie Leibovitz was inspired to create a cover for Vanity Fair by the painting Le Dejeuner Sur L’herbe by Eduard Manet. In fact it was two weeks ago! Time passes quickly here in Amos. [...]
— PHILLIP LANE [our aviation, and City, correspondent] writes: Now the mystery begins, this morning Jessica took delivery of a super huge cardboard box, which both Jessica and Jocelyn had to carry up the hallway together, not due to it’s weight, but due to it’s sheer size!!! The addressee was none other than yourself, now [...]
Beach Vs. Mountains According To Google Trends According to Google Trends the beach is more popular than the mountains. The statistics are based upon the number of searches made for terms including the word ‘beach’, compared for those including the word ‘mountain’. Here at Amos we are pleased to enjoy both the beach and the [...]
In days of old, before we were all Europeans, one could refer to the bubbly above as Russian Champagne but it’s all changed now, what with a Melton Mowbray Pork Pie living in its own exclusion zone.
If Baz plies you with whisky watch out, he may be about to reveal the other side of his character!
Living in Amos saps your focus but increases libido ~ read this post, if you dare!
Amazon Striking Out In Her Armbands After yesterday’s serious lesson on corporate communication within academia today we focus on something lighter. Amazon is making great strides, [or is it strokes?], with her swimming. Here we see her striking out toward Irem. And here we see her after she has covered the distance. Own A Camera? [...]
I doubt If you can make a decent Mint Julep with it? I’m worried that Barry may not have received my last e-mail in which I requested that he bring me a bottle of Jasmeson whisky. He did not acknowledge the request and is flying back to Amos tonight. Perhaps it’s just as well since [...]
Wot Day Is It? Last year Irem bought the beer for Phillip‘s Visit. She chose some cases of Efes Extra for him. For the benefit of the uninitiated Efes Extra is the Turkish equivalent of Carlsberg Special Brew. The ex-husband of my ex-personal assistant in Dorset was partial to a spot of Special Brew. One [...]
Mira For the past couple of days we’ve been acting as foster parents to Mira, who is a retriever that belongs to one of our neighbours. They were called away to Istanbul and asked us to take her until they can get back next week. She has a wonderful disposition, but is prone to running [...]
Chopped Willys On Demand! Customer focussed communication was one of the buzz-concepts of late twentieth century management. I even wrote an ebook about it! But that’s not entirely what I want to write about. For today I’ve been experiencing that peculiar kind of melancholy that frequently precedes change, although the change may be as long [...]
Adequate Supplies For The Ex-Pats, Maybe? Travellers to Amos from the United Kingdom have been pleased to bring with them two bottles of Gordon’s London Gin, which was a special offer on their flight. I am pleased to say that the holiday tourist doesn’t have the stamina of the genuine ex-pat with the result that [...]
Aloe Vera Bloom, Amos Bay, Turkey This Aloe Vera flower was captured with the FinePix E900 whilst we were visiting Yusuf and Çidem, who are staying in Piraye’s and Duan’s house. Yusuf tells me that Aloe Vera flowers for just one day each year and today’s bloom is, as you can see, exceptionally lovely. Tomorrow [...]
An important announcement from 1945 Alpay has found even more copies of Lilliput. Some research on E-Bay suggests that these pocket sized magazines originally selling for 1/- (5 pence) are now worth up to $15 each. I suspect the early ones could be worth even more. In 1945 as the world recovered from six years [...]
An Unexpected Suprise! Last evening I made some prints in order to experiment with the PowerRetouche toning utility. Alpay Bey’s portrait from the photograph illustrating a recent piece about Henri Cartier-Bresson and The Snow Leopard worked well when toned to resemble a platinum print ~ the kind favoured by Irving Penn. This morning Amazon and [...]
Home Made Ice Cream And Apple Pie Yesterday’s pictures of Becky and Josie diving into the sea might imply that Amazon, Irem and I spend all our days on the beach? This really isn’t true. I rarely venture to the shore and even Amazon and Irem don’t go there every day. Instead we enjoy our [...]
Jocelyn in familiar ‘repose’ Today we must say goodbye to an English rose, for after a week that passed so quickly Jocelyn, [Becky and Josie], must return to Londinivm Avgvsta. They are taking a nocturnal Hippogryph from Dalaman. Their visit has brightened our days and Jocelyn’s recurrent greeting of: “Do you want a drink?” will [...]
A shy creature protected by a mastiff Between Martinis Damla lent me a copy of a book called ‘ The Snow Leopard‘. In it the author, Peter Matthiessen makes a long trek through Northern Nepal into the borders of Tibet. It might seem a great adventure but the book is beset by tales of flies, [...]
The sole biography of Henri Cartier-Bresson will both delight, and disappoint his following A few days ago I was celebrating the immanent arrival of both American Photo and Practical Photography. But today I learn that Mine has broken her leg and cannot, after all, come to Amos, at least for a while. This is quite [...]
Just practicin’ my low light skills! I’m writing some articles about taking photos in low light for e900photography.com so I thought I should practice my skills. This picture was taken with the Fuji FinePix E900 yesterday evening. The colours are as shot but the image was massaged a little in Adobe Photoshop, with assistance from [...]
“The witch had a cat, and a very tall hat!” As Amazon grows bigger it’s impossible for her to rest in her bed with Irem. As a result she’s taken to having a temporary bed on the floor, although she always sleeps the night in her bedroom. Nevertheless it’s quite common to find both Irem [...]
Not Easy To Obtain Here! When I was a boy there was a T.V. programme called ‘Man Of The World‘. It starred Craig Stevens who was a suave, sophisticated character who earned his living as a reportage photographer. I thought this would be a great way to earn a crust and looked forward to the [...]
Betty Boop! When Amazon and Irem met Damla at the beach today Damla said: “I am going dancing this evening but don’t tell Stephen or he’ll put it on his blog.” Irem told me, and I wouldn’t dream of writing about it in this not-so-learned journal. As for me I’m far too busy to go [...]
“Damla is not a kleptomaniac”, I retorted. Indeed it must be stated here FOR THE RECORD, Kindly note: Damla is no kind of maniac, and certainly not a dipsomaniac.
Once again I find myself living amongst squirrels. I much prefer them to the wild pigs. They are amusing creatures, very tame whose sole vice seems to be getting into the eaves of older houses and scuttling across the cavity between roof and ceiling.
A Perfect End To The Day It was quite late when we started our walk today and we had the added inconvenience of Amazon’s new tricycle, which she likes to ride whenever we go anywhere. This slows us down considerably and reduces our range. Nevertheless we walked part of the way to Turunç before turning [...]
Why are these two in such a hurry? Let’s be clear, the best camera in the world is the one that you’re carrying. Why? Because it’s the only one that will enable you to catch an unexpected shot. This is why I’m such a fan of the Fuji Finepix E900. Indeed I’m so impressed [...]
An Industrial Style ‘Chimbley’ At Dear Ol’ Amos Last year when I wrote enthusiastically about the delights of living in Amos two of our readers complained that I was making the place seem too attractive. I must agree with them. Since I wrote that piece a throng of English and other ‘foreign types’ have made [...]
Read Mark Joyner’s Take On Todays Topic Here As people return to Amos for the summer season many are astounded to note that I’ve lost quite a few lbs. Indeed I’ve lost 35lbs, or, (if you prefer), 16 kilos. I achieved this simply by following the natural eating principles laid out by Walter A. Willett [...]
Amos Restaurant Re-opens After the long winter our local is re-opened for traditional Turkish cuisine, including fish, kebabs, pide, and host of salads. All may be complimented with a glass of fine wine, or beer if you prefer? Mehmet is having a fine time supervising his staff. He appears always to be seated, gazing out [...]
Dusk at Jocelyn and Phillip’s House Some of my readers were interested to know from which supplier I obtained my wide angle and telephoto lens attachments. These attachments aren’t specifically manufactured for the Fuji Finepix E900. The ones Fuji make are far more expensive, and I suspect may be of higher quality? Mine are generic [...]
Domestic Nudes, Turkish Style The Hon. Helmut Newton wrote that his ‘Domestic Nudes’ series began by his wanting to photograph the rooms of the Chateau Marmont, Hollywood, where he spent his winters for the last twenty-six years of his life . . . . . “but who would look at my pictures of empty rooms? [...]
Amos Island from the Kumlubük Road We started our regular walk to Kumlubük an hour late tonight. As a result dusk was upon us almost as soon as we reached the highway. After a day or squally storms the air was refreshingly clear. Several intrepid yachts’ persons had risked the squalls and ventured into Marmaris [...]
Uphill And Into The Sun Think of me at half past five, [Turkish time], for most days I will be making my way up this hill with Amazon on my back, and with precious Irem at my side. We’ve taken to walking to Kumlubük most days and it just gets better and better, The scenery [...]
Granny Is At Once Put To Work! Granny arrived on a bus from Istanbul today and after a twelve hour overnight trip we naturally put her straight to work! Her job is to blow up the balloon before Amazon lets it go free landing in random locations. Granny then must fetch it from the inaccessible [...]
View Of The Amos Estate From Near The Ruined City Every day or so Amazon, Irem and I walk from Amos to Kumlubük. Amazon likes to play ‘Pooh Sticks’ in one of the streams and Irem and I just fancy the exercise. On the way an opportunity for a photograph usually presents itself. Sometimes it’s [...]
The Glade With Spring fast approaching we’ve started to think of ways to improve the garden. On sunny days I’m busy stripping layers of old paint from some garden furniture given to me by our friend Sevenç from Marmaris’ prestigious Hawaii Hotels. When the weather’s overcast, or windy, as it is today I busy myself [...]
Why Is Amazon Sad? Why does Amazon look so sad? It’s because today when we took Boncuk to the vet to have her splint removed we were told that her leg was dead. Indeed it was badly infected with gangrene. “Did you not smell it”, the vet asked inquisitorially? What a bloody silly question. If [...]
Boncuk Took One Step Too Many We were going for a modest walk around Amos Estate when Boncuk decided to forget her worries and come with us. It’s been about two weeks since her accident and she’s gradually been getting more adventurous. After a few hundred yards we tried to send her back home but [...]
“I would like to thank all my friends, and fans for their prayers and support. I would like to woof more, but am not feeling so good.” Boncuk of Amos the world’s favourite pooch is back home following veterinary treatment. Just two days ago she was run down by a cowardly driver who couldn’t be [...]
This morning reinvigorated after a night’s sleep I ventured out early in order to locate Boncuk and see if anything could be done for her. Before I got to her I met Abdula who told me that Yusuf from the white houses had already rescued Boncuk in the morning and was taking her to the [...]
Boncuk During our evening walk Boncuk with typical bravado attacked a heavy pick-up that was removing some scrap from the estate. Unfortunately the dog has grown older, and her eyesight wasn’t as good as it was when she was a pup. I’m unsure if the front and rear wheels of the truck ran her down, [...]
Stormy Weather Here Today Here I am at the same spot as Wednesday’s entry. As you can see Amos Bay is very different from how it was then. Now it’s easy to believe that such waters can be dangerous. At this time of the year the weather changes very quickly and messing about in small [...]
A Modest Megalith At Amos Think of Turkey, or even Hellenic Greece and the last things to come to mind are standing stones. It is surprising therefore to find near the village green at Amos Bay, Turunc, Nr. Marmaris a stone circle created in comparatively recent times. But a standing stone is a standing stone, [...]
A Traditonal Turkish Feminist! I count myself as very fortunate that I belong to at least two cultures. Firstly of course I am English, and the product of a Sixties education, if not a progressive one. Secondly I am married to a Turk and live in Turkey which has it’s own customs and traditions, and [...]
One of our relatives is perpetually constipated, lives near a river that gets clogged with sewage, and can never throw anything away.
I used the camera’s own exposure, brightened the picture by one tenth of a stop and dialled in a little yellow in Adobe Photoshop variations.
The sun is shining, the sky is blue and, apart from a little subsidance, all’s well in the world 
)
Most Turks don’t celebrate Christmas and so it’s difficult to obtain the ingredients for the Pagan festive dishes that Northern Europeans associate with Christ’s birth.
I don’t really see why this entry isn’t safe for work, but in deference to Andy Skelton’s sensibilities I will categorise it as such, amongst others 
The whole day deteriorates into do-it-yourself without power-tools!
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
“Because your face is so perfect without deficiencies, or exaggerations I was not immediately aware the most shapely and desirable body that a woman could have. I was fascinated one by one by your broad brow, your small chiseled nose, those delicately contoured cheekbones, and your wide firm-lipped mouth which opens over small teeth like two rows of graduated pearls.”
At around seven O’clock from the estate here at Amos we could make out pin pricks of red against the indigo landscape across the bay.
The last time Jocelyn visited Amos she brought with her a fine black pudding. This time that task was left for Phillip. He was also kind enough to bring me this magazine!
Had it been England, no doubt a representative from H.M Post Office Telephones would have dropped around to Amos just to inform us of the problem.
Forget about copper coloured lime-wash. A good coat of transparent plastic paint should do the trick!
It’s useful stuff, especially when molded into cups and filled with boiling water prior to making Instant Coffee ~ Turkish Style!
As a result of all this reading I have started to lose weight.
Announcing the other Amos Bay Blog!
A bloody huge scorpion, and aggresive too!
Wondering about the natures of the great architects and builders who settled on this hilltop originally during Hellenistic times.
Command the fruits to swell on tree and vine; grant them a few more warm transparent days, urge them on to fulfillment then, and press the final sweetness into the heavy wine.
An unusual image courtesy of AdobePhotoshop and a creative imagination.
When Eric insists upon his early morning excercise perhaps there’s more to greet the eye?
After nearly six hours of travel Stephen wonders if it could be quicker by bus?
Joselyn, Josie and Becky are mising the sands of Turunc. So they turn to Brighton for solace.
Official Report: It’s not a heffalump, but a piglet. Whilst the baby pig decimates the garden, mother pig keeps watch on the other side of the fence.
When Stephen is visited by the nocturnal ‘Heffalump’ he realizes that Disney is, after all, to be commended for Pooh’s Heffalump Movie!
Parcel delivery is not straighforward if you live in Turkey. You might just as well use the PTT.
Strange munchings outside cause Stephen to investigate. Although he attempts to photograph a wild beast he might have done better to remain in bed.
Swimming from Amos Bay to The Aquarium evokes memories of swimming in a distant land.
You are currently browsing the archives for the Amos category.
Difficilis,querulus, laudator temporis acti.
Sepuero, castigator, cesorque minorum
Stephen Jeremy Maxwell Bray lives with his wife Irem, and daughter Amazon at Amos, Turunc near Marmaris, Turkey..
If you agree that this web site is a scabby, thumb-twiddlin' rag; written by a testy, grumbling individual who is inclined to praise the way the world was when he was a boy, whilst always playing the critic and censor of the current generation. Then why not recommend it to your friends, or if you prefer, your enemies?
You cannot lose, either may appreciate your gesture. Your enemies may even become your bosom friends, and if not nothing is lost, indeed they might waste so much time surfing these pages that they will sink into total obscurity, and never bother you again.
We do not store e-mail addresses during this process. Both your privacy and that of your friend(s) are assured.
