Istanbul, Turkey (2013) - It was our very last day in Turkey, so my lovely bride and I were playing a favorite game when we walk around. The goal is simple: to see interesting things. So when we come to an intersection, we look in all directions and choose to go in the direction that looks the most interesting. Usually this game leads us on a very odd and circuitous route, especially in a city like Istanbul where nothing is on a grid. On this particular day, it took us deep into the neighborhoods – far away from the polished and artificially pristine touristy areas. I love these areas because that’s when I get to see what is real: boys practicing soccer, fathers playing with their kids, and moms hanging their clothes out to dry.
I love this image. Visually, the black socks pop off the colorful pink and green houses in the background with their vibrant clothes hangers; and culturally I find it unifying in its ordinariness. I may have been 6-thousand miles away from home, but I learned we all need clean socks.