ISTANBUL, Turkey — Below Istanbul’s outdated Galata Bridge, there’s a nondescript concrete touchdown that juts out into the waters of the Golden Horn.
By day, it’s straightforward to miss. However as night nears, it transforms into one of many metropolis’s most sought-after phases for love.
Beginning in spring and persevering with via summer time, soon-to-be wed and newlywed {couples} flock to this unassuming spot in Eminonu district to immortalize their nuptials in radiant, and infrequently extremely choreographed, sundown photograph shoots.
The spot is so widespread, a dozen brides and grooms can usually be seen posing facet by facet, every basking in a sliver of the sundown glow. At peak hours, a site visitors jam of {couples} kinds on the steps resulting in the waterside overlook, ready for his or her flip.
“There’s no place in Istanbul we haven’t visited, we each like it,” stated 22-year-old Elif Yuksel, standing subsequent to her fiance, Semih Aydin. “That’s why we needed to be photographed someplace we may see each nook of Istanbul.”
The setting solar casts its mild excellent throughout what’s often called “golden hour,” a coveted time for photographers and videographers who body their photographs in opposition to the backdrop of the medieval Galata Tower and the Ottoman imperial mosque, Suleymaniye, town’s second largest.
It’s a becoming setting for newlyweds like Hasret Yilmaz Ucucu and her husband, Halil Ibrahim Ucucu, who had tied the knot shortly earlier than their shoot.
“I went to the hairdresser and acquired prepared there. Then my husband got here and picked me up and we went to our marriage ceremony ceremony. Afterward (our photographer) introduced us right here with nice pleasure,” stated the 24-year-old bride.
For a lot of {couples}, the snapshots are greater than keepsakes — they symbolize moments in time when love, custom and the centuries-old metropolis’s enduring splendor intertwine.
“I’ve been to London, I’ve been to Barcelona. There’s no place like Istanbul,” stated Semih Aydin, who was taking engagement footage along with his soon-to-be spouse. “Let’s take stunning images, let’s make stunning reminiscences to point out our youngsters sooner or later.’”