This is a poor neighbourhood of Afyon, the town I was born and raised in, in the western part of Anatolia, 150 miles north of Antalya for reference. This part of the town is actually the oldest part of the town. There are several large family houses from the Ottoman era; they are mostly neglected and many of them have perished. Nowadays, they have started to restore old houses slowly and paint all houses with vibrant colours.
I saw this man sitting down and cutting wood pieces; they will be used in wood-burning stoves. I talked to him, he said he cuts them for an old poor woman. Unlike in the UK, wood-burning stoves are not something considered posh here. They are a necessity; the town has natural gas, and it is simple to get connected, except for the fees you have to pay. Besides the gas connection, most houses are built to very basic standards; no central heating system is available, so people burn coal and wood.
I used the fastest aperture to isolate him well. Previously I must have posted it here but it must be BW, I revisited it, I think the colour version is also interesting. Although I prefer the BW as it conveys the story without the distraction of colours.
Sept. 21, 2025
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The colours are not a distraction at all.
To me they reflect the local spirit of your hometown community.I grew up with wood and coal fires and ice on the inside of the bedroom window in the morning.
Edit: I’ve cropped your image without permission; I hope that you don’t mind.
Yes, the crop is severe, but from a documentary point of view, it (the subject and his activity) can cope with these close borders. I have also desaturated the colour ~50% and pumped up the blacks for a more gritty (street) look.
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Much prefer the original crop. There is context from the street view
