My dear photographer friend Annemarie Dufrasnes and I met years ago for a Cappadocia shoot. While we were talking about our work on social media, she mentioned her admiration for Turkey and Cappadocia. When she told me how beautiful it would be to shoot in Cappadocia, I invited her to one of my shoots. She bought a ticket for the first available date without hesitation. She had come from Holland and jumped into Göreme. We had a great time together and she did a great job. The photos Annemarie took that day also won many national and international awards. Please click for the photos of this shoot. You can find the rest of the article “Romantic Cappadocia Photoshoot with Wild Horses” under the photos.
Our friendship started with this shoot continued without a break and last year I received a message from Annemarie. “Our 20th wedding anniversary with Richard is next year and we want to celebrate it in Cappadocia. Can you do a photo shoot for us?” That’s how the adventure of this shoot began. I was really happy when I met Richard. He was a kind hearted, gentle and very harmonious person like his wife. Both of them said they wanted to leave themselves completely to me. Working with a very talented and well known photographer always scares me. However, since I know AnneMarie, I was not surprised that she trusted me, but it made me very happy.
The Day Begins in Cappadocia:
We arrived at the take-off area in the morning before the balloons took off. The weather was wonderful and we started shooting at sunrise dusk. We also tried out the balloons while they were being inflated. In the meantime, they let me try some new techniques and poses on them. On the other hand, I discovered something that I would repeat throughout the day. These two were a great Latin dance couple. They had taken classes and both of them were proficient in many dance styles. It was very enjoyable to try to reflect these figures in the photographs.
After the morning session in the Göreme, Çavuşin and Ürgüp triangle, we went to the carpet shop together. We took shots from the air with a drone and from the ground for the shop’s classically patterned lamp backdrops. After changing clothes in the afternoon, our first stop was the cave church. Then we visited the magnificent Pağabağları. This area, known as the “Valley of Priests” in the past and now known as Paşabağları, is a place covered with unique fairy chimneys. Some of the multi trunked and multi headed fairy chimneys have been hollowed out and turned into chapels and living spaces. One of the three headed fairy chimneys in particular has a chapel and hermitage dedicated to St. Simeon.
Among the Yilki Horses
And for sunset, I took the couple to a surprise place. The valley in Kayseri where the Yilki horses naturally hang out. Yilki horses are actually domesticated horses that have been left to nature or can survive on their own in the wild. Thanks to their durable structure, they adapt to nature and live and feed in herds. We made the finale with the sunset light while these horses were around us. We bit the dust, to be honest, but I think the result was worth it.
Actually, we had the finale at a nice kebap restaurant in Goreme, where we all went together. We tried new dishes and talked about our day. After the wonderful conversation, they gave me the gifts they brought from Holland and embarrassed me a little. Dear Annemarie and Richard, I wish you health and happiness in your new twenty years together. With love.
Romantic Cappadocia Photoshoot with Wild Horses by Ufuk Sarisen
