# BurakArik.com — Photography Portfolio

> First-person travel and photography portfolio by Burak Arık. Bilingual (English + Turkish) with long-form Photographer's Guides that pair each trip's narrative with per-day itineraries, gear-by-EXIF breakdowns, and exact-spot GPS pins so readers can re-create the shots themselves. 51 destinations across five continents; 1,300+ photos total.

**Owner:** Burak Arık  
**Contact:** burak@burakarik.com  
**Location:** San Francisco Bay Area, USA  
**Languages:** English (`/en/`), Turkish (`/tr/`)  
**Crawler policy:** see [robots.txt](https://burakarik.com/robots.txt); all major search and AI crawlers are welcome, including training-data crawlers.

Content is organized as **Photographer's Guides** (long-form, trip-by-trip editorial, the most citable artifacts), **galleries** (destination photo sets), and **journal / gear articles** (lens decisions, workflow, reviews). Every page has an English and a Turkish variant.

The links below use English paths under `/en/…`. A fully Turkish version of this file is available at [/tr/llms.txt](https://burakarik.com/tr/llms.txt).

## About the photographer

Burak Arık is a travel and landscape photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, shooting since 2006 and published with Anadolu Agency, Turkey's national news service. He has photographed in 42 countries across five continents, with a focus on cultural moments, cityscapes, and frames most travelers miss.

Outside the camera he is a chief executive, tech entrepreneur, and active early-stage venture capitalist. Computer engineer by training, with an MS in Computer Engineering and an Executive MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

**Canonical entity:** [Wikidata Q139820111](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q139820111)  
**Full bio:** [English](https://burakarik.com/en/about) · [Turkish](https://burakarik.com/tr/about)  
**Subjects:** travel, landscape, cityscape, cultural / street, wildlife, portrait

## Photographer's Guides

- [Japan Sakura Photography Itinerary: Tokyo, Kyoto and Mt. Fuji](https://burakarik.com/en/photographers-guide/tokyo-kyoto-sakura-photography-itinerary): Trip March–April 2026. Tokyo, Kyoto and Mt. Fuji during sakura — a photographer's field journal of vantage points, lens choices, and timing for spring 2026.

## Galleries

_Grouped by region. Each link is the destination gallery's landing page; every photo has its own deep-linked page with EXIF, GPS pin, and the gear used._

### Africa

- [Safari](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/safari): Kenya safari photography from Narok County and Nakuru County, shot 2013-2014. Rothschild's giraffes on the open savannah, a lion walking past circling…
- [Kenya](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/kenya): Kenya, November 2012. From a Maasai shepherd boy wrapped in a red shuka at Maasai Mara to golden cattle silhouettes crossing the plains at dusk, 34 frames…

### Americas

- [San Francisco](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/san%20francisco): San Francisco through a Canon 7D: rain-smeared windshield reflections downtown, the Painted Ladies against the Transamerica Pyramid at Alamo Square, and a…
- [California](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/california): California unfolds across 60 frames, from the Hollywood Sign above Los Angeles to Santa Monica pier at golden hour, surfers on the Pacific, vintage cars on the…
- [NewYork](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/newyork): New York through 47 frames: yellow cabs blurring down midnight streets, the Empire State Building glowing deep blue from Rockefeller Center, and Central Park's…
- [USA](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/usa): Across the USA, 59 frames trace Monument Valley at sunrise, the Colorado River curling through Horseshoe Bend, and Crater Lake's volcanic Wizard Island. From…
- [Canada](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/canada): Canada through Calgary's red-and-white Peace Bridge, Vancouver's fog-draped Lions Gate, Stanley Park's Brockton Point Lighthouse, and a canoe cutting turquoise…
- [Hawaii](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/hawaii): Hawaii across Maui and the Big Island, from the bamboo corridors of Hana to the cloud-piercing rim of Haleakala Crater. 46 photos covering waterfalls, volcanic…
- [Rio de Janeiro](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/rio%20de%20janeiro): Rio de Janeiro through 15 frames: Maracanã's bronze Pelé statue, Lapa's tile-covered Selaron Steps, Cristo Redentor above the clouds, and a Copacabana sunset…
- [Alaska](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/alaska): Alaska in August 2022, from Juneau's colorful harbor storefronts backed by steep forested slopes to Mendenhall Glacier stretching across its icy lake. Hoonah…
- [Peru](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/peru): Peru photographed across Cusco, Huacachina and Paracas: Rainbow Mountain's layered mineral colors, Winay Wayna ruins along the Inca Trail, a red granodiorite…
- [Cuba](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/cuba): Havana in August 2018, from a cigar-smoking woman on a bustling street to blue-hour light over Plaza de San Francisco and classic cars rolling past El…
- [Mexico](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/mexico): Mexico in July 2018, from the glowing blue waters of Cenote Xkeken in Yucatán to El Castillo under storm clouds at Chichen Itza. Cobá's Nohoch Mul Pyramid and…
- [Caribbean](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/caribbean): Caribbean frames: jungle paths in Ocho Rios, cruise ships anchored off Labadee's private Haiti cove, turquoise coral waters at Cozumel, and a Miami skyline…

### Asia

- [Japan](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/japan): From Nara Park's stone lanterns and roaming deer to Shibuya Crossing seen from above, this Japan gallery spans Kyoto's quiet spring streets, Kinkaku-ji's gold…
- [India](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/india): From Amber Fort's sandstone courtyards near Jaipur to the towering minarets of Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, 29 frames trace the color, architecture, and living…
- [South Korea](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/south%20korea): South Korea in June 2025, from the guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace to the neon-lit alleys of Hongdae at night, the quiet DMZ edge in Paju, and Nami…
- [Singapore](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/singapore): Singapore in November 2019, from Little India's Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple to Marina Bay Sands laser shows at night. Periyachi shrines, art deco Atlas Bar…
- [China](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/china): China in 24 frames: the Forbidden City from Jingshan Park at golden hour, the Great Wall winding across Jinshanling ridgelines, and Shanghai's Lujiazui towers…
- [Phuket](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/phuket): Phuket through a Canon 7D: long-tail boats resting on white sand at Khai Nok Island, a lone surfboard at Surin Beach, and Ko Tapu's limestone spike rising from…
- [Bangkok](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/bangkok): Bangkok, December 2013. Wat Arun rises on the Chao Phraya's west bank, tuk-tuks demand hard bargaining on every corner, and Muay Thai rings fill with live…

### Europe

- [Sweden](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/sweden): Stockholm's Gamla Stan cobblestones, the Nobel Museum's neoclassical facade, and Riddarholmen Church at twilight fill this 17-photo gallery from October and…
- [Iceland](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/iceland): Iceland in October 2024: Skogafoss thundering 60 meters into mist, Sólheimajökull's retreating ice framed by black volcanic rock, Geysir erupting in the…
- [Norway](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/norway): Norway in September 2024, from aurora-lit shores at Telegrafbukta to Tromsøbrua arcing over the Tromsøysundet strait. Tromsø Domkirke at dusk, fjord…
- [Paris](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/paris): Paris, Versailles, and Colmar across 32 frames shot between 2011 and 2024. From the Hall of Mirrors catching afternoon light to the Eiffel Tower glowing at…
- [Normandie](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/normandie): Normandy frames St. Joseph Church's illuminated spire over Le Havre at dusk, Mont Saint-Michel rising from coastal mist, and Étretat's chalk cliffs above the…
- [Denmark](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/denmark): Copenhagen in February: Nyhavn canal lit by low afternoon sun, Rosenborg Castle's copper spires against cold blue sky, and Christiansborg Palace framed by bare…
- [Switzerland](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/switzerland): Switzerland in January 2024, from Zürich's blue-hour Limmat reflections near Rathausbrücke to Grossmünster's twin spires at dusk, the Art Deco interior of Café…
- [Greece](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/greece): Greece unfolds across 29 frames: Mykonos windmills glowing at sunset over the Aegean, Oia's whitewashed cliffs above Santorini, and Rhodes' medieval Knights'…
- [Luxembourg](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/luxembourg): Luxembourg in March 2022, from the Grand Ducal Palace to the Corniche panorama over the Grund district. Gothic spires above Place Guillaume II, colorful vases…
- [Moscow](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/moscow): Moscow in 22 frames: from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower looking down into the Kremlin, to a long-exposure night at Manezhnaya Square with the State Historical…
- [Kiev](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/kiev): Kyiv after dark, the gilded domes of Saint Michael's Monastery glowing against the sky, Maidan Nezalezhnosti alive with foot traffic, and deep Soviet-era metro…
- [Barcelona](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/barcelona): Barcelona across a decade: city lights trailing across the skyline at 10-second exposure, Tibidabo at sunset with a stone statue standing watch, Barceloneta's…
- [Lisboa](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/lisboa): Lisbon captured across a decade, from dusk light on the Altice Arena in Parque das Nações to Tram 28 rounding the corner at Portas do Sol. Belém, the Sé…
- [Italy](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/italy): Italy photographed across Siena's medieval alleyways, Venice's gondola-filled canals, and Florence's Arno riverfront. Scenes from Ponte Vecchio to San Marco…
- [Germany](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/germany): From fog-wrapped Neuschwanstein rising above Schwangau to the iron gate of Dachau bearing its grim slogan, Germany holds 30 photos spanning 2013 to 2020…
- [Belgium](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/belgium): Belgium through medieval Brugge and Gothic Gent: canal reflections at Rozenhoedkaai, swans drifting through Begijnhof, and St. Nicholas' Church glowing against…
- [Slovenia](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/slovenia): Slovenia in March 2020, from the Velika Osojnica viewpoint above Lake Bled to riverside cafes along the Ljubljanica. Eleven photos covering Bled Castle, the…
- [London](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/london): London through 18 years of visits: red Routemaster buses at Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London under dramatic clouds, Camden Town's vinyl-stacked market…
- [Provence](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/provence): Provence and the Côte d'Azur from Cannes yacht traffic to Monaco harbor glowing during Grand Prix season, Eze's La Chèvre d'Or terrace, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence…
- [Amsterdam](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/amsterdam): Amsterdam canal houses lean at impossible angles along the waterfront, Kinderdijk windmills rise against open Dutch skies, and autumn bikes rest quietly under…
- [Bratislava](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/bratislava): Bratislava's Old Town through August 2016: the Čumil statue on Panská Street, the castle rising above Beblavého ulica at dusk, and Hlavné námestie's Maximilian…
- [Budapest](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/budapest): Budapest after dark, from the glowing Chain Bridge over the Danube to light trails stretching toward Buda Castle at blue hour. Matthias Church lit against a…
- [Austria](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/austria): Austria in December 2015: Hallstatt's pastel lakeside houses under rain and mist, Hallstatt's Beinhaus with its hand-painted skulls, and Vienna's Stephansdom…
- [Edinburgh](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/edinburgh): Edinburgh, Glencoe, and Inverness captured between 2011 and 2013. From a shaggy Highland cow in Glencoe to the Gothic spire of the Scott Monument on Princes…
- [Rome](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/rome): Rome captured across a July 2013 visit: graffiti-covered trains at Termini station, the spiral staircase of the Vatican Museum curving into shadow, and Castel…
- [St.Petersburg](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/st.petersburg): St. Petersburg through a July 2012 lens: gilded statues roaring at Peterhof's Grand Cascade, the Church on Spilled Blood glowing after dark along the canals…
- [Andalucia](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/andalucia): Andalucia through Burak Arık's lens: flamenco nights in Granada, Alhambra plasterwork up close, cobblestone alleys of Albayzín after dark, and La Giralda…
- [Prague](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/prague): Prague through a Canon 40D in April 2011: the Astronomical Clock's gilded dials in Old Town Square, Charles Bridge at golden hour with the castle looming…

### Turkey

- [Turkey](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/turkey): Türkiye across 57 frames: Güzelyalı's waterfront bridge at dusk, the layered Ottoman stonework of İshak Paşa Palace at golden hour, poppies blazing red across…
- [Istanbul](https://burakarik.com/en/gallery/istanbul): Istanbul across 44 frames, from Büyük Çamlıca's 288-meter panorama to a fisherman catching first light beside the Ortaköy Mosque. Balat's cobblestone streets…

## Journal & gear articles

- [Signs of AI in Travel Photography: How to Spot Fakes](https://burakarik.com/en/article/signs-of-ai-in-travel-photography): Counting fingers stopped working. The AI tells that still hold up in 2026, the signage trap most travellers miss, and the EXIF checks other guides skip.
- [Smartphone vs Mirrorless Camera: Which Wins in 2026?](https://burakarik.com/en/article/smartphone-vs-mirrorless-2026): Smartphone vs mirrorless camera in 2026: where phones have caught up, where mirrorless still wins. Real photo tests, pixel-pitch math, decision tree for…
- [The Future of AI Travel Photography: Do We Still Need Photographers?](https://burakarik.com/en/article/the-future-of-ai-travel-photography-do-we-still-need-photographers): Discover how AI travel photography is reshaping the industry in 2025. Can AI replace photographers, or does authenticity still define real photography?
- [Top Destinations for Landscape Photography: My Personal Favorites](https://burakarik.com/en/article/top-destinations-for-landscape-photography-my-personal-favorites): Discover my top landscape photography destinations from 40+ countries: Maasai Mara's wildlife, Banff's turquoise lakes, Matterhorn's alpine peaks, Yosemite's…
- [Embracing Change: My Transition from Canon 5D Mark IV to Fujifilm X-T5](https://burakarik.com/en/article/embracing-change-my-transition-from-canon-5d-mark-iv-to-fujifilm-x-t5): After 13 years with Canon DSLRs, I switched to the Fujifilm X-T5. Discover why the compact mirrorless design, retro dials, 40MP sensor, and 7-stop IBIS…
- [DSLR vs Mirrorless (2026): Which Camera Should You Buy?](https://burakarik.com/en/article/dslr-vs-mirrorless-the-ultimate-camera-decision): DSLR vs mirrorless cameras compared: optical vs electronic viewfinders, autofocus, size, battery, video. Real-world tradeoffs to pick the right camera.
- [My Photography Workflow and The Software I Use](https://burakarik.com/en/article/my-photography-workflow-and-the-software-i-use): Learn my complete photography workflow: RAW vs JPEG, NAS storage with Synology, photo organization with Luminar, AI editing features, and automatic cloud…
- [Discovering New Points of View with Drone Photography](https://burakarik.com/en/article/drone-photography-for-new-point-of-views): Discover how drone photography opens new perspectives. Learn about drone components, selection criteria, flight modes like orbit and follow me, and legal…
- [Compact vs SLR Camera: Which Wins for Travel in 2026?](https://burakarik.com/en/article/what-are-the-differences-between-compact-and-slr-cameras): Compact vs SLR camera in 2026: where each wins, where each loses. Sensor size math, lens economics, real travel-photography test cases for the right pick.
- [The Camera Gear I Use](https://burakarik.com/en/article/the-camera-gear-that-i-use): Discover my complete photography gear: Canon 7D Mark II body, essential lenses from 10-400mm including L-series glass, and tripods for every situation. Learn…
- [Depth Of Field Calculator](https://burakarik.com/en/article/depth-of-field-calculator): Learn how depth of field works and calculate DOF for any camera. This interactive calculator determines focus range based on sensor size, aperture, focal…

## Reference

- [Homepage](https://burakarik.com/en): overview and featured galleries
- [About the photographer](https://burakarik.com/en/about): full bio, credentials, and how to navigate the portfolio
- [Photographer's Guides index](https://burakarik.com/en/photographers-guide): all long-form trip guides
- [Journal index](https://burakarik.com/en/journal): all gear and workflow articles
- [World map](https://burakarik.com/en/world-map): interactive pin map of every gallery location
- [Sitemap](https://burakarik.com/sitemap.xml): machine-readable full URL index
- [Contact](https://burakarik.com/en/contact): licensing, print, and collaboration inquiries