As 2014 is coming to an end and we look toward the new year, I wanted to take a moment to wish you and your loved ones a happy holiday season!

I shall do so in the universal language of... JPEGs!


See you in 2015!

Small picturesque seaside village of Lerici, Liguria - Italy

Panoramic pictures always fascinate me. It is a wonderful gift from the digital era and you can find software that makes the stiching process very easy. Or, if you prefer, you can use the built-in function in your iPhone.
I love taking panoramic pictures because of the details, the sense of vastness and the wide perspective that gives out especially when you have a breathtaking landscape.

With all other subjects, can be also a different way to present a classic postcard shot into an...extended one! :-)

After Genoa, Florence, Milan, Bologna, Naples and some European cities such as London and Paris, the famous street artist Clet Abraham arrived in my hometown Parma, where, thanks to simple stencils stickers - has redesigned the look of the signs in some streets of the city center.

Using stencil adhesive has a positive value because the purpose is not to destroy the functionality of the object, but rethink, through a simple act of street art, the meaning of road signs - often bans - which are the symbol of authority and power.

A few days ago, at sunset, some spectacular mammatus clouds formed in the sky, gloomy and dark at times, but extraordinarily fascinating and suggestive.

The "mammatus" clouds are typical of the more intense storms and take place when the air is very humid in the lower layers and a storm will form in the afternoon in the inland areas and at high altitudes, without too much wind.

Too bad that they were clouds announcing the floods that would have occurred a few days later near here where I live....

Malta National Aquarium - Qawra, Malta

The underwater world has fascinated people for ages and we still have much to discover.

A good opportunity to experience this magical mystery world is visiting an aquarium.

It’s great to immerse in this fantastic world and enjoy some fascinating encounters of the close-up kind, meeting some of the incredible animals that call these environments home.

Walking across a floor of glass and watching the predators swim right beneath your feet or upon your head is amazing! You are never too old or too young for this! :-)

It happens very often to see huge murals around the cities all around Italy.

Art or degradation. Adornment or mess. A mural can be one or the other, depending on where, how and why it is drawn.

Which is the line between art and vandalism?
What do you think about this?
Do you know places where art is expressed on the walls with the approval of the government or where there are fine works, but which are true acts of vandalism?

What does it take to photograph the sunset?

Well, first you have to be in the right place and with a camera in hand at the time when the sun sets.

In this case you have already in mind that you want to create an artistic image; of course it can also happen to be in front of a beautiful sunset and decide to take a picture of the event, but you will agree with me that these are two very different things.
The result could also be very similar, but for the photographer are completely different experiences. Two opposite approaches.

Which is the one that most suits you?

Each of us has his own September 11.
The day when something happens that makes that date unforgettable for ever.
September 11 belongs to the history of us all,
then there are the dates that belong only to a few people.

(Fabio Volo)

It's some time that I do not write. It happens. There are times when the ideas are few or maybe you just do not have the ability to share what you live.
 
One of the strangest summers that I can remember is slowly saying goodbye, giving us the appointment for the next year.

Now I have no excuses and I must return to my routine. 
Goodbye summer!

I'm leaving for my summer holidays with the family... destination seaside!

I wish you all happy holidays and a great summer with the ones you love...

See you by the end of this month...take care!

It is said that one day the beautiful Fairy Lavandula, looking for a nice place to live, began looking through his book of landscapes.
Get into the page of Provence, she stopped and beginning to cry at the sight of those poor wildlands.
The tears fell on the page blotting it and she tried in vain to wipe her blue eyes as tiny droplets continued to soak those lands.
Desperate then drew a large stretch of blue sky on Provence, to forget all those spots.
Since then, the lavender grows in those lands formerly uncultivated, a spot of color under the blue sky of Provence[...]

I found this purple spot some miles from my home and for a moment I believe I was there...in those beautiful lands.

Did you look up to the sky a few days ago and admired it?

Have you seen how big she was and how close she was?
She was larger than usual and more luminous.

They were "only" 360.365 km away from the Earth and was one of the three new-moon supermoons of this 2014.

Sometimes I really need to take my time and see how beautiful is...our Moon.

Summer weather has never been as dynamic as this year!
A continuous swing of sun, clouds, rain, rainbows, certainly not typical of the Mediterranean summer we are used to.

I take advantage of this opportunity for some photographs near where I live, trying to find out more interesting shots than those with an anonymous blue sky.

In the meantime I'm waiting for the real summer ...

Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies 
Be-Bop-A-Lula, Baby What I Say
Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah, the boy can play
Dedication devotion
Turning all the night time into the day
 
He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life [...]

"Walk of Life"  -  Dire Straits

"To leave is to die a little, it is to die to what one loves.
One leaves a bit of one’s self in every hour and in every place.
It’s always the mourning of a vow, the last verse of a poem.
To leave is to die a little, it’s to die to what one loves.
And one leaves, and it’s a game, and up to the last farewell, it’s one’s own soul that one disperses in each farewell".

Edmond Haraucourt

As every year, in the fields around here where I live, beginning to bloom red poppies in the midst of still immature ears of wheat, unequivocal signals that summer is getting closer and closer.

I love the low morning light on these fields which temporarily highlights these red hot spots...waiting for the high golden beam of the ears in full bloom within a few weeks.

"Preparing for summer" is the new photo of the month on my website. Enjoy!

Beautiful medieval town of Rothenburg o/d Tauber by night

The Romantic Road, linking the Alps to the river Main, along the western border of Bavaria, is Germany's best known and most popular holiday route.
Over 350 miles of country roads allow you to admire the beautiful and historic medieval towns of Lower Franconia, Swabia and Bavaria. The road often winds through forgotten sections of countryside, connecting walled towns and picturesque villages.

From Wurzburg, Rothenburg, Nordlingen and Dinkelsbuhl, charming towns rich in history and fortunately not involved in the bombing war, to Augusta, rich city bank, and Fussen, the starting point of the German Alpine Road. Fairytale castles like Neuschwanstein and the Alps complete the charm.
The Romantic Road is really a journey not to be missed.

I've always been fascinated by protected flowers.
The idea of finding one during a hike or just thinking about a particular species with only few specimens in the world adds charm and mystery around these flowers.

One of the most beautiful lilies that arise spontaneously in our Alps is Martagon Lily (Lilium Martagon) with its pink petals, purple stained and curved upwards.

Legend has it that the Martagon Lily blooms for a single night... in fact, because of its delicacy and fragility, its life is limited only to a few days!
Here you can see one of my close encounter during last summer...

It may seem obvious but sometimes the best shots are just the simplest ones, arising from unlikely subjects or color combinations almost casually observed.

When it comes to photographing for your personal pleasure, little moments, small details and ordinary scenes can offer many ideas and suggestions.

Sometimes you just have to find out a few minutes of tranquility in order to feel satisfied.

In the popular imagination the Volkswagen Beetle is perhaps one of the few cars that has preserved its charm and it's probably one of those cars that never die.

There are now so many years that the Volkswagen Beetle is no longer in production but its nice design is surely deeply displayed into our hearts.

Every time I see a Beetle I can not avoid to immortalize it, like a sort of nostalgic tribute to a now distant past...

"There are no shadows in darkness. Shadows are created by light, and only exist in the presence of light. Refusing to acknowledge our shadow leads us to deny the presence of light in us.” 

 Franco Santoro

I always thought that wandering around and photographing without a subject or a specific purpose, should be considered under the category "street photography", but on Wikipedia I found the definition of photowalking that fits much more this hobby.

Photowalking is the act of walking with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures of things that the photographer may find interesting. (Source: Wikipedia) 

While related to street photography, in photowalking the main subject are things of interest rather than people specifically.

I love to practice photowalking...everytime ...I had time!

Sometimes you do not need to go so far away, exploring unknown lands or searching for particular places.

Sometimes you have just to watch the show that constantly is being proposed in the sky.

Just look up and...they are almost always there, ready to be immortalized.
They are changing, fascinating, mysterious.
They are...clouds.

Springtime is upon us.
The date on the calendar said so some days ago.

Sun is warming up, days get longer, BBQ season is approaching.

After an extremely mild winter with no snow, I catch this opportunity to take a relaxing day out at the seaside with the family.

Happy spring to all of you! :-)

As long as I remember, I always had a blue toothbrush.

This morning, as I went to brush my teeth, our toothbrushes were standing in an interesting setup that just eneded up into a creative photo opportunity.

This is the result. ;-)

"While walking around I see an ad from a company that produces cameras, that says: - Do not think,  shoot - I think this is the worst thing you can say.   I say instead: think for two hours and then, in case, shoot"

Gianni Berengo Gardin

While out walking with my dog, I saw a bunch of these dried inflorescences and couldn't resist photographing them with my camera.

Although not perfect, my message behind this shot is to find beauty in imperfection, my personal wabi-sabi point of view.

Wabi-sabi is a way of seeing the world according to the Japanese culture that finds beauty and harmony in what is simple, imperfect and mysterious.
As you can see...beauty and imperfection go together wonderfully! You can find small hidden gems around every corner!

"Art is in the eye of the beholder"

Photo or art?
This is a question with a long history and many had written lots of opinions in this regard.

To me, art is solely in the eye of the observer.
 It is his way of seeing things, his culture and his experiences that lead to the perception that derives from the work of art and his emotions.

If it is art for you, even if for the rest of the world is not, it's art! :-)

This story takes place in a flat plain. Leading actors are the earth and that thin horizon line; in the middle stand that big Giants with their long electric wires crossing the sky, which seem to pass all their energy back on earth.

They pass their signal, they seem to weave the web like a spider, and they wait for something which never comes.

In the end they go out of the frame and from our vision, leaving us only...imagination.

© Copyright John Stanmeyer

"Signal" by John Stanmeyer is the photo that, some days ago, won the World Press Photo of the Year 2013, the most important prize for photojournalism.

The image, which is part of the story "The longest journey" released in December 2013 on National Geographic, was taken in Djibouti and depicts some African migrants raising their cell phones looking for a signal from neighboring Somalia, in order to talk with relatives abroad.

I really like this image, mainly because of its apparent simplicity, but also for the strength coming from the title, giving the image a great evocative power. One of the many cases in which image and words together give us a high-level work of art.

It surely happened to someone of you, and even more if you are a photographer with a keen eye, to discern a shape of a human face looking into everyday objects.

Don't worry, it doesn't necessary mean you are crazy... ;-)
This phenomenon is called pareidolia and it's the research of
objects that resemble the appearance of human forms, with their emotions, expressions etc.

It's a funny game that, in addition to sharpen your eye in general, allows to increase our personal level of visual fantasy, achieving an image that stands out on its own.

It's amazing how many faces you can find out in everyday objects around you. Give yourself a try today!

The mannequins are an amazing subject: anthropomorphic rigid and sometimes curious positions, absent faces or even undefined.

They patiently await the passage of time, inside windows with formidable lights and reflections.

The mannequin is also the perfect model. He can pose for ever, without complaining, without transmitting the photographer restlessness or anxiety, he do not protest nor judge the result.

Photographing a mannequin is something halfway between portrait and still life, perhaps is for this reason that there are not many photographers who like this genre. Maybe you can try if... it's suitable for you!

Although their ephemeral presence, shadows add so much to any pictures.

They are amazing for highlighting emotions and generating some really surreal images.

Purists may argue that shadows are most powerful when used in black&white photography, but the use of shadows with colors also creates a memorable effect in its own way.

Too bad that they won't last that much, luckily we can fix them in our shots!

Isolate and exploit geometric shapes to make them the subject of our shots is a practice that anyone can instinctively do, while for others may require a little more practice.

In any case, it is a formidable exercise to develop the right attention to what remains one of the last real choices still completely in the hands of the modern photographer: the composition.

Corners and edges are everywhere. You can find them both in natural and human forms, you can search for them everywhere you like or ... create and perhaps inventing hazardous shots.
So, get out and find the "right" frame! :-)

A photograph can be a powerful thing. It can make us smile, it can leave us with a sense of wonder.

But it's always fun and difficult at the same time to look back through my archive and revisit some of the places and people that I've photographed over the course of the past year.

So, here are some of my personal favorites from last year, not necessarily the “best” and with no particular order.

February 2013

April 2013

May 2013

June 2013

Abstract photography is very different from other types of photography. It is a process of using colors and patterns combined to create an image, with no true meaning or no clear subject involved. For example, rules, such as composition and accurate focusing hold no values.

Abstract photography leaves more to the imagination and helps us concentrate on texture and color rather than the whole subject.

"Winter abstract" is the new photo of the month on my website and the first one of this brand new 2014. Enjoy!