PhotoSecrets Hagia Sophia

A Photographer’s Guide

Best classic places spots hotspots sites sights views photo locations to photograph for photography with maps tips ideas composition postcard photos cool beautiful pictures

HAGIA
SOPHIA

Photos

Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park left with fountain and garden in morningDennis Jarvis/Flickr

Hagia Sophia

54 views to photograph
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park with fountain at nightMoyan Brenn/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park with fountain pool at nightTTstudio/Shutterstock
Hagia Sophia view 3Tatiana Popova/Shutterstock
Hagia Sophia view 4Artur Bogacki/Shutterstock
Hagia Sophia Dome cupolaBrian Jeffery Beggerly/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia ChandelierWissam Shekhani/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahment Park with fountain in afternoonMe Stesso/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park left with gardenMattias Hill/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park with fountain at sunriseJen Supaph/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Interior upper level 3Facemepls/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia interior view looking up 1Altay Ozcan/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia interior view looking up 2Serafita/Wikipedia
Dome of Tomb of Sultan Selim IIMogadir/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia CourtyardMarkusmark/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Deesis mosaicEdal Anton Lefterov/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Detail of capitalMuffinn/Flickr
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park with fountain and garden in afternoonAlexander Klink/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from the Bosphorus at sunsetBengoetzinger/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia PassagewayJorge Láscar/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Sundial in courtyardTill Niermann/Wikipedia
Dome of Tomb of Sultan Murad IIIMogadir/Wikipedia
Hagia Sofia Imperial GateStegop/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Empress Zoë mosaicMyrabella/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park leftOsvaldo Gago/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from the Galata Tower with Golden Horn afternoonCarlos Delgado/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia MihrabRadomil/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia rearJosep Renalias/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia ŞadirvanGryffindor/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Selim IIMogadir/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia western upper galleryGeorges Jansoone Jojan/Wikipedia
Dome of Tomb of Sultan Mustafa I and Ibrahim IMogadir/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Commenos mosaicMyrabella/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Crescent on domeJosé Luiz/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Diagonal stairsDerzsi Elekes Andor/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Former baptistryArild Vågen/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Seven Hills RestaurantArild Vågen/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahment Park with fountain in morningPaasikivi/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park left highSaperaudcommonswiki/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from the Bosphorus morningMatthias Süßen/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from the Galata Tower afternoonVassillis/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia from the Galata Tower sunsetMark Ahsmann/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia marble door between western and southern galleryGryffindor/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia MinaretsFreedom’s Falcon/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Mosaic Virgin and ChildMyrabella/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia remains of the basilica built by Theodosius IIGeorges Jansoone/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia seen from the terrace of the AND HotelMarion Schneider & Christoph Aistleitner/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Southwestern entrance mosaicSomeone/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Murad IIIMogadir/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia Imperial gate mosaicsMyrabella/Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia marble jarMarkusmark/Wikipedia

Contents

Map

About PhotoSecrets

 
 
 
 

Foreword

A great travel photo­graph, like a great news photo­graph, requires you to be in the right place at the right time to capture that special moment. Professional photo­graphers have a short-hand phrase for this: “F8 and be there.”

There are countless books that can help you with photo­graphic technique, the “F8” portion of that equation. But until now, there’s been little help for the other, more critical portion of that equation, the “be there” part. To find the right spot, you had to expend lots of time and shoe leather to wander around, track down every potential viewpoint, and essentially re-invent the wheel.

In my career as a professional travel photo­grapher, well over half my time on location is spent seeking out the good angles. Andrew Hudson’s PhotoSecrets does all that legwork for you, so you can spend your time photo­graphing instead of wandering about. It’s like having a professional location scout in your camera bag. I wish I had one of these books for every city I photo­graph on assignment.

PhotoSecrets can help you capture the most beautiful sights with a minimum of hassle and a maximum of enjoyment. So grab your camera, find your favorite PhotoSecrets spots, and “be there!”

About Bob Krist

Bob Krist has photo­graphed assignments for National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Travel/­Holiday, Smithsonian, and Islands. He won “Travel photo­grapher of the Year” from the Society of American Travel Writers in 1994, 2007, and 2008.

For National Geographic, Bob has led round-the-world tours and a traveling lecture series. His book In Tuscany with Frances Mayes spent a month on The New York Times’ bestseller list and his how-to book Spirit of Place was hailed by American Photo­grapher magazine as “the best book about travel photo­graphy we’ve ever read.”

The parents of three sons, Bob and his wife live in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Welcome

Thank you for reading PhotoSecrets. As a fellow fan of travel and photo­graphy, I hope this guide will help you quickly find the most visually stunning places, and come home with equally stunning photo­graphs.

PhotoSecrets is designed to show you all the best sights. Flick through, see the classic shots, and use them as a departure point for your own creations. Get ideas for comp­osition and interesting viewpoints. See what piques your interest. Know what to shoot, where to stand, when to go, and why it’s interesting. Now you can spend less time researching and more time photographing.

The idea for PhotoSecrets came during a trip to Thailand, when I tried to find the exotic beach used in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. None of the guidebooks I had showed a picture, so I thought a guidebook of postcard photos would be useful for us photographers. Twenty-plus years later, you have this guide. Thanks!

Now, start exploring — and take lots of photos!

About Andrew Hudson

Originally an engineer, Andrew Hudson started PhotoSecrets in 1995. His first book won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best First Book and his second won the Grand Prize in the National Self-Published Book Awards.

Andrew has published 38 nationally-distributed photo­graphy books. He has photo­graphed assignments for Macy’s, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Men’s Health and Seventeen, and been a location scout for Nikon. His photos and articles have appeared in Alaska Airlines, National Geographic Traveler, Shutterbug Outdoor and Nature photo­graphy, Where, and Woman’s World.

Andrew has a degree in Computer Engineering from Manchester University and a certificate in copyright law from Harvard Law School. Born in Redditch, England, he lives with his wife, two kids, and two chocolate Labs, in San Diego, California.

Introduction

At a Glance

Name:Hagia Sophia
GPS:41.008548, 28.979938
Address:Ayasofya Meydanı, Sultanahmet Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey
Turkish:Ayasofya (Ἁγία Σοφία)
Latin:Sancta Sophia
City:Istanbul
Designer:Isidore of Miletus
Anthemius of Tralles
Type:Christian Church Cathedral (537-1054)
Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1054–1204)
Roman Catholic Cathedral (1204–1261)
Greek Orthodox Cathedral (1261–1453)
Imperial Mosque (1453–1931)
Museum (1935–present)
Style:Byzantine
Material:Ashlar, brick
Height:55 m (180 ft)
Started:532
Completed:537

The world’s largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years.

Hagia Sofia interior

View 1

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Ayasofya Meydanı,
Sultanahmet Fatih,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.9799382
When:Anytime

View 3

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Ayasofya Meydanı,
Sultanahmet Fatih,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.9799381
When:Anytime

View 4

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Ayasofya Meydanı,
Sultanahmet Fatih,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008459
28.980142
When:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Dome cupola

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:DomeWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Hagia Sophia Dome cupola

Something

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior

Do not know what this is but it looks good.

Addr:Somewhere,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979837
What:SomethingWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Chandelier

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:ChandelierWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Interior upper level 3

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
When:Anytime

Interior view looking up 1

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
When:Anytime

Interior view looking up 2

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
When:Anytime

Mosaics

Hagia Sophia Deesis mosaic

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior > mosaics
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:MosaicWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Empress Zoë mosaic

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior > mosaics
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:MosaicWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Commenos mosaic

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior > mosaics
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:MosaicWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Mosaic Virgin and Child

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior > mosaics
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:MosaicWhen:Anytime
AKA:Theotokos

Hagia Sophia Southwestern entrance mosaic

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior > mosaics
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:MosaicWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Hagia Sophia Southwestern entrance mosaic

Hagia Sophia Imperial gate mosaics

Hagia Sophia Passageway

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:PassagewayWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Mihrab

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:MihrabWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Diagonal stairs

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:StairsWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Narthex

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:NarthexWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Hagia Sophia Narthex

Marble jar

Hagia Sophia > Hagia Sofia interior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:JarWhen:Anytime

Ideas for marble jar

Views

From Sultan Ahmet Park

From Sultan Ahmet Park left with garden

Hagia Sophia > views > Sultan Ahmet Park
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
When:Anytime

Ideas for left with garden

From Sultan Ahmet Park left

Hagia Sophia > views > Sultan Ahmet Park
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.0068639
28.9780085
When:AfternoonLook:Northeast ↗
Far:250 m (810 feet)

From Sultan Ahmet Park left high

Hagia Sophia > views > Sultan Ahmet Park
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.0071449
28.9772634
When:AfternoonLook:Northeast ↗
Far:270 m (900 feet)

Views of Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahment Park with fountain

Hagia Sophia > views > Sultan Ahmet Park

With fountain at sunrise

From Sultan Ahment Park with fountain in morning

From Sultan Ahment Park with fountain in afternoon

From Sultan Ahmet Park with fountain pool at night

Hagia Sophia > views > Sultan Ahmet Park > Sultan Ahment Park with fountain
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.007038
28.978082
When:AnytimeLook:Northeast ↗
Far:230 m (750 feet)

Ideas for fountain pool at night

Views of Hagia Sophia from Sultan Ahmet Park with fountain and garden

Hagia Sophia > views > Sultan Ahmet Park > Sultan Ahment Park with fountain

With fountain and garden in afternoon

From the Bosphorus

Hagia Sophia > views

Morning

From the Galata Tower

From the Galata Tower with Golden Horn

Hagia Sophia > views > Galata Tower

From the Galata Tower without Golden Horn

Hagia Sophia > views > Galata Tower

Afternoon

From Seven Hills Restaurant

Hagia Sophia > views
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.0063529
28.9796351
When:AfternoonLook:North ↑
Far:250 m (800 feet)

Ideas for from Seven Hills Restaurant

Seen from the terrace of the AND Hotel

Hagia Sophia > views
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.009191
28.977689
When:AfternoonLook:East-southeast
Far:200 m (660 feet)

Exterior

Hagia Sophia Courtyard

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:CourtyardWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Hagia Sophia Courtyard

Hagia Sophia Sundial in courtyard

Hagia Sophia > exterior > Hagia Sophia Courtyard
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:SundialWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Detail of capital

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
When:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Selim II

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:TombWhen:Anytime

Dome of Tomb of Sultan Selim II

Hagia Sophia > exterior > Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Selim II
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:DomeWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Dome of Tomb of Sultan Selim II

Hagia Sofia Imperial Gate

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:GateWhen:Anytime

Rear

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:RearWhen:Anytime

Ideas for rear

Hagia Sophia Şadirvan

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:FountainWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Hagia Sophia Şadirvan

Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Murad III

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:TombWhen:Anytime

Dome of Tomb of Sultan Murad III

Hagia Sophia > exterior > Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Murad III
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:DomeWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Crescent on dome

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:SculptureWhen:Anytime

Hagia Sophia Former baptistry

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:BuildingWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Hagia Sophia Former baptistry

Hagia Sophia Minarets

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:MinaretsWhen:Anytime

Ideas for Hagia Sophia Minarets

Remains of the basilica built by Theodosius II

Hagia Sophia > exterior
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:RemainsWhen:Anytime

Ideas for remains of the basilica built by Theodosius II

Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Mustafa I and Ibrahim I

Dome of Tomb of Sultan Mustafa I and Ibrahim I

Hagia Sophia > exterior > Hagia Sophia Tomb of Sultan Mustafa I and Ibrahim I
Addr:Hagia Sophia,
Istanbul,
Turkey
Where:41.008548
28.979938
What:DomeWhen:Anytime

Credits

Thank you to the many wonderful people and companies that made their work available to use in this guide.

Photo key: Tap the camera icon to see the photo. The two letters reference the distributor and license. Key for distributors: f:Flickr; s:Shutterstock; w:Wikipedia. Key for license: a:CC-BY-SA; b:CC-BY; c:CC-PD; g:GNU; h:Shutterstock standard; m:public domain.

Cover image by .Mark Ahsmann ( wm); Marion Schneider & Christoph Aistleitner ( wa); Derzsi Elekes Andor ( fa); Harvey Barrison ( wb); Brian Jeffery Beggerly ( wa); Bengoetzinger ( sh); Artur Bogacki ( wb); Moyan Brenn ( fc); Leandro Centomo ( wa); Mstyslav Chernov ( wa); Crnibombarder ( wa); G Dallorto ( wa); Carlos Delgado ( wb); Facemepls ( wa); Freedom’s Falcon ( wa); Osvaldo Gago ( wm); Gryffindor ( wa); Mattias Hill ( wa); Georges Jansoone ( fa); Dennis Jarvis ( wg); Georges Jansoone Jojan ( wb); Alexander Klink ( wb); Jorge Láscar ( wa); Edal Anton Lefterov ( sh); Viacheslav Lopatin ( wa); José Luiz ( wm); Markusmark ( wa); Mm ( wa); Mogadir ( fb); Muffinn ( wa); Mwanasimba ( wm); Myrabella ( wg); Till Niermann ( wa); Altay Ozcan ( wa); Paasikivi ( sh); Tatiana Popova ( wb); Dave Proffer ( wa); Casalmaggiore Provincia ( wa); Radomil ( wa); Josep Renalias ( wa); Roweromaniak ( wm); Saperaudcommonswiki ( wa); Serafita ( wg); Wissam Shekhani ( wm); Someone ( fb); David Spender ( wa); Stegop ( wa); Me Stesso ( wb); Matthias Süßen ( wa); Jen Supaph ( sh); TTstudio ( wa); Arild Vågen ( wa); Vassillis ( wa). Some text adapted from Wikipedia and its contributors where noted by the URL path in the “Wik” table field, used and modified under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) license. Map data from OpenStreetMap and its contributors, used under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL).

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

K

M

P

S

T

W