Shawn Tang Captures Turkey’s Enchanting Landscapes From A Hot Air Balloon

Cappadocia is a dry plateau in central Turkey known for its fantastical topography; its otherworldly landscapes exist due to millions of years of naturally-occuring erosion. Today Cappadocia is popular amongst hikers and tourists alike, and the region has become particularly famous for its hot air balloon rides. Tang used his own trips as an opportunity to gain perspective on both a personal level and a sociological level: “We as human beings, rising up in the sky, spectators of the game we created, can see the world in a different perspective,” he says of the experience. “In the mid-air, as the sun permeates through the misty landscape below, one is urged to question our role pertaining to the environment we inhabit.” Whimsical sunsets and sunrises aside, “we come and go, and no one will be there to see the rise and fall of our land,” he urges. By capturing the colors of an ancient landscape through the lens of a tourist, the series aims to question how much of humanity is actually in control of our both our experiences and our footprint. And as the climate emergency continues to mount and threaten all walks of life, it’s a question that we must all continue to ask.