Instagram story viewer> @splendidspecies> Posts

…

@splendidspecies

1.4K

followers

574

following

Take a photo, it’ll last longer…

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Good morning beautiful Paros, I love you ❤️
Birds are tweeting…
Cats are meowing…
A nice way to start a day 🌈 taken in Paros Island, Greece by @splendidspecies

1k

9

4 years ago

Welcome to Queens:
The Worlds Borough 🌍
Train series 🚂

I love the borough of Queens.
Queens offers a level of diversity unlike any other place on earth. People from every corner of the planet and from every walk of life, call the borough home.
Folks who have left entire lives and histories to start a new journey in America.
As one walks through Queens, the resilience and dedication to a better life is palpable on every street.
This is why I love Queens ❤️ taken in Queensboro Plaza #7 Line by @splendidspecies

1k

12

4 years ago

Modern subway operating through the ancient agora. Kerameikos is still a hive of activity, as it was 5000 years ago. Very nice to see the continuation of this beautiful market… taken in Athens, Greece by @splendidspecies

940

7

4 years ago

Has your city changed much since Covid?
Ours has.
Ive been having daily conversations about how different things are now. One of the greatest post-covid consequence is how strongly the line culture has cemented itself here. We never used to be a peoples who waited in line for coffee or pastries or a sandwich because its New York- there are fabulous baked goods and coffee on almost every block.
Is this happening to your city too? It could be a way of forming a sort of community because people in line seem to be enjoying themselves.
Another remarkable consequence are groups of people determined to bring back a sense of community in a more traditional way. I meet these folks everyday. People are messy, complicated, complex. Being a part of community means being a part of that messiness, that complexity and it’s incredibly rewarding despite certain frustrations. It’s worth it I think.

One shop @thecolorhousenyc recently offered free film developing not just to celebrate their 26th anniversary but to celebrate being a part of SoHo’s community for over a quarter of a century!
Many thanks to Color House for these excellent photos. I didn’t expect any clarity considering I didn’t use a tripod or a flash! Even the shaky ones are lovely, truly capturing this magnificent city of light- and reminding me that as much as things change, much can remain the same and some change can be for the better. I love our New York communities- in all its forms!

📸 #nikonf3
🎞️ @cinestillfilm
🔬 @thecolorhousenyc

#nyc #filmphotography #newyorkphotography #nycphotographer taken in New York City by @splendidspecies

78

2

8 days ago

On March 5th, a Friday during Ramadan, a massive communal breaking of the fast took place in the historic district of The Bo-Kaap- a location significant for not being bulldozed or having their non-white residents removed during apartheid (though non-Malay residents were forcibly removed).
But on this remarkable day, these residents were addressing a problem encountered by working class people in New York, in Istanbul, in Barcelona, in Mexico City. The worldwide problem of rising costs, unemployment or underemployment, gentrification and affordability of general goods and services.
Indeed in every place I visited this year, I asked service workers how things were and the answers were similar: everything is too expensive and we cant afford anything.
What does the future hold? Is it bleak or utopian or somewhere in between?
Feeling the energy of this crowd, the kindness and joy of sharing a meal, strangers helping one another amidst the colourful houses and magnificent backdrop of Table Mountain, one cant help but feel hopeful. This was a powerful experience by and for the people. Is it because this is THE post-apartheid generation? Maybe. But I think movements like these are gonna pop up all over the world.
I hope this historic area stays in this community. It has to.

🎞️ @cinestillfilm
📸 @nikonusa
🔬 @capefilmsupply

#capetown #bokaap #filmphotography #bokaapcapetown #35mmfilm taken in Bo-Kaap by @splendidspecies

79

4

16 days ago

Well, summer is officially over in the Northern Hemisphere.
How was yours?

After a particularly rough New York winter, my teeth hurt so I escaped to warmer climates, first in Istanbul which was interesting as they were preparing for Ramadan and then sunny Cape Town.
NYC Summer 2026 was guaranteed to be something to behold so I started mine at Coney Island.
I began my New York life in Coney Island 15 years ago so it was nice to return to a place that wholesomely defies time.
The Knicks won for the first time in 53 years.
FIFA was here (I loved the FIFA trains!)
And just like that I realized summer was almost over so off to Paris I went, where massive images of Coney Island brought back the general theme of this year: TIME! How it passes. How massively different some things are. How other things have remained the same.
Do you feel like time is rapidly passing you by?
Finally, yearning for archaeology and the ancient world, I explored Ancient Carthage, the Northernmost tip of Africa and Roman ruins.
I met some of the kindest people this year. Is the world getting kinder or do we find each other?

All in all, a good year. I hope yours was too.
And yeah its only September - but for me, once summer is over, the year is over …

#filmphotography #35mmfilm #filmphotographer #capetown #nycphotography taken in Little Italy by @splendidspecies

137

9

22 days ago

Even the busiest cities on earth has its quiet moments.
Was pleasantly surprised to find these landmarks pretty deserted this summers morning at around 8. Sunny skies and a balmy 75 degrees. A very nice quiet stroll indeed.
The lions reminded me of the 42nd library.
Hope yall had a nice summer too!

📸 #nikonf3
🎞️ @kodak

#paris #filmphotography #parisphotography #35mmfilm taken in Paris by @splendidspecies

144

1

a month ago

The Galata Bridge is one of many bridges in Istanbul but I consider it THE most extraordinary! Spanning The Golden Horn, and connecting Eminönü with Karaköy, this bridge had been imagined for almost 400 years before finally coming into being.

In 1502 Sultan Bayezid II commissioned Leonardo Di Vinci to design a remarkable single span long bridge, which would have been the longest bridge in the world at the time, but it was never built.
Michelangelo rejected an invitation to visit or design a bridge, yet author Mathias Enard has written a wonderfully imagined story on what such a visit may have been like. Exploring the wonders, mysteries, forbidden attractions, cloak-and-dagger intrigues and back alley deals of The Ottoman Empire in a new Istanbul with stark reminders of the old Constantinople “Tell Them of Battles, Kings and Elephants” from @fitzcarraldoeditions truly offers the reader a profound appreciation for this storied bridge and intriguing body of water known as the Bosphorus.
Today, the bridge has two levels, shops, fishermen and trams! A hive of activity and an essential part of the city.
Yet I cant help but imagine what the creator of David would have designed in 1506!

📸 @nikonusa
🎞️ @harman_phoenix200
🔬 @capefilmsupply

#filmphotography #istanbulphotography #istanbul #35mmfilm #filmcamera taken in Istanbul Türkiye by @splendidspecies

147

2

a month ago

Fortresses and Medinas,
Mosques and palms
Ancient cities with well hidden secrets,
Silvers measured on a scale

Busy bazaars with an urgent tone,
Yellow taxes that remind me of home.

Cash only

A train stations without a strict schedule and the patience of the people who are used to it,

Ships in ports opening into the Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas,

The freshest seafood and the cutest cats,
No rodents which did not remind me of home.

Colorful doors mostly yellow and blue

The beach: a man with a cart selling popcorn and nuts on the sand. Life is beautiful here, treasured, enjoyed yet hard.

A beautiful breakfast every morning thanks to Ms. Rahma @dar_antonia 💜

Olive trees and camels

Flamingoes unbothered wild and free

Realizing that North African summers hit you with a heat like no other,

A mosaic of cultures, ethnicities, languages and beliefs
And also Roman mosaics from two thousand years ago…

This is Tunisia 🇹🇳

📸 Nikon F3
🎞️ @kodak
🔬 @westlabnyc

#tunisia #sousse
#35mmfilm
#35mmphoto
#filmphotography taken in Sousse Medina, Sousse by @splendidspecies

147

3

2 months ago

Paris served as a great bridge between the New World and the Old. Living in NYC made navigating the metro and the streets of Paris pretty seamless.
Leaving a country that just celebrated its 250th year for a city which still holds a tree planted in 1601, before heading to Carthage whose history can be traced back to 800 BCE is indescribable.
I loved how old and grand the buildings here are, even The Louvre can be traced back to 1190 as a Medieval fortress. I loved that The Seine is more than 14000 years old and that its current course has been generally the same since 12000 BCE.
I loved the grocery stores sprinkled all over the city and got to try a French apricot because as soon as you leave the city, you’re surrounded by farmland.
I loved the cappuccinos topped with chocolate powder.
I loved that my favorite publisher @fitzcarraldoeditions could be easily found here.
I loved the building elegant bridges (I wish we had more foot bridges in NYC).
I loved that even though the photo shop I was keen to explore was closed and The Catacombs were sold out there was so much to see anyways.
Really glad to have discovered @nationphoto who were kind and enthusiastic and has an incredible operation going
I loved that Paris has a garden for Nelson Mandela and that I got to spend time here during Mandela Month.
And finally, I love that I found a quiet street in the middle of everything to enjoy a French onion soup and a croissant thanks to Mamun @limprimerie_paris

📸 #nikonf3
🎞️ #kodak
🔬 @nationphoto

#paris #parisphotography filmphotography taken in Paris by @splendidspecies

184

0

2 months ago

Rue-Saint Dominique was a special street for me. Classic old world Parisian charm, no crowds, excellent patisserie Libertē enjoying a perfect chocolate Madeleine with an Eiffel Tower view, great service with my cortado @thecoffee.fr and the cherry on top was finding a film shop that was excellent!
Labo Star Service had a functional Kodak sign, went in and met two friendly guys named Jen and Juan. Juan was from Spain so he was extra excited the day after the World Cup, dropped off my film, no confirmation or receipt, just trust and off I went. A few days later I got my photos via email and they are some of the nicest photos I’ve ever taken!
Thanks ever so much Jen (I hope Im spelling this right) and Juan. I wished I spent more time in Paris because I would have all my photos taken care.
Coincidentally they are right next to my favorite Parisian tea spot (one shop in NYC) @palaisdesthes so it was nice to see familiar things that are not common but familiar to me.
I loved this street. In a world changing so fast, this street felt just like the right amount of pace.

🎞️ @kodak
📸 #nikonf3

#parisphotography #35mmfilm #paris #filmphotography taken in Rue Saint-Dominique by @splendidspecies

210

3

3 months ago

Experimenting with redscale on The Bosphorus. Designed to give photos a surreal apocalyptic aspect dominated by heavy orange, yellow and red notes I wanted to try it on a city that is anything but apocalyptic: thriving lively bustling Istanbul!

I especially loved doing it on the ancient mysterious Bosphorus, the narrowest strait in the world (used for international navigation) where trade between The East and The West can be traced back to at least 500 BCE when the Greek city state of Athens conducted business with Scythia in the east.
The immense history here melds seamlessly with the busy lives of people going about their days so much so that the feeling of a vibrancy of human existence that had begun over three thousand years ago carries on still…
People are busy here. Places to go. People to see. Fish to catch. I contemplated on how not much has changed for all this time. That everyone is rushing around because they have to support themselves and each other, to do so many things in the course of one day and maybe they get to go home and relax for a few hours afterwards. Maybe. That hustle here in this ancient city previously known as Constantinople hasn’t changed.

🎞️ @harman_phoenix200
🔬 @kubusphoto
📸 #nikonf3

#harmanphoto
#phoenixfilm
#harmanred
#istanbul taken in Kadıköy iskelesi by @splendidspecies

201

14

3 months ago