Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

The Blue Mosque, Istanbul is otherwise known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It is also one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Built between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I, it is the most important mosque in Istanbul.

After a crushing defeat to the Persian Empire, Sultan Ahmed I decided to build the mosque to reassert the Ottoman power. The interior of the magnificent mosque which sits opposite Aya Sofia is decorated in blue tiles hence why it is known by tourists as the Blue Mosque.

The photo below was taken from one of the many rooftop bars that surround the landmark. One of the most important attributes for any travel photographer is patience. So as I waited for the clouds disperse I had already got my camera set up and my settings were set. I took many shots as I wanted to catch the rays of the sun just appearing through the clouds.

Camera settings; ISO 100, f/10.0 @ 1/250 sec

Equipment; Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens supported on Manfrotto ball head and tripod and edited with Adobe Lightroom. Camera equipment stored in Lowpro Protactic BP 450 AW II backpack.

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Do you want to learn how to take photos like this? Or maybe just to improve your photography skills. Take a look at our range of photo holidays and workshops to see how we can help.

Fancy getting a copy of this photo to put on your wall? Head over to our print shop where this and other photos are available to order as prints.

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Article and images are subject to copyright. Photo by Kav Dadfar. Copying or reposting of photos or article elsewhere is strictly forbidden.