Thethi Village, Albania. Photo by Mehmet Ozbalci.

So, you're at this amazing location, the light is disappearing fast, but you simply have to take a photograph! What do you do? What are your options?

In low light with overcast conditions, a long exposure will capture anything if you leave the shutter open long enough, but I find in these conditions, it's the quality of light that is challenging. The ambient light alone is not going to produce a successful outcome.

Mehmet Ozbalci found himself in just such a situation in Thethi in Albania. It's a quaint, photogenic village at the bottom of the Teth Valley and one of the best subjects to photograph is the local church. Mehmet had the angle with the Albanian Alps in the background, but no light. His solution: turn on the car's headlights! It's such an obvious thing to do, assuming you can position the vehicle in an appropriate position, but how often do we think of it? I didn't ask him if he used high beam or not.

Mehmet is a photo tour guide based in Istanbul and I have travelled with him extensively in Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and, most recently, to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Photographers on our tours have been so impressed with Mehmet they've booked other tours with him - and without me! Hmmm, I wonder if I need to think about that a bit more...

Anyway, Mehmet and I have a tour planned for April 2020 visiting five countries in the Balkans and Adriatic - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia. Although I haven't visited all these locations personally, Mehmet certainly has and his skills in locating great spots to photograph is uncanny.

I'm really looking forward to shooting the remarkable Mostar Bridge in Bosnia. Mehmet says the angle below is his favourite.

If you're interested, check out the info on our website and let us know - we'd love to have you along. Click here for details.