Next Sunday I'll leave for my winter holidays to Austria, in particular Carinthia region, with a couple of friends. Our base will be the town of Villach and from there we'll wander around the region probably up to Slovenia. Hope to have fun, make lots of shots and see so much snow. See you in 2011!

Every year my dog Jasper is the most popular on the greetings cards and so is this current year!... I want to wish everyone a peaceful Christmas and a very Happy Holiday Season enjoying the company of family and friends!

Tech data: Canon EOS 5D, Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4 L, f/7.1, 1/400, ISO 100 - Processed with Alien Skin Exposure 2.

After many years as an amateur photographer, I am increasingly convinced that “our work” is not simply to take pictures but most of all to pick and choose, eventually a matter of choices.
The photographer choose what, when and where to photograph: from our world (potentially infinite) you select a rectangle, a square, a portion of the field and cut it with the viewfinder, you freeze time in a specific moment, "the decisive moment" and you take back all on a two-dimensional paper surface or light (the screen). But also from a technical point of view (the choice of camera, lens focal length, since the aperture, from color to b/w, from analogue to digital, from white balance, to jpg or raw) all photography is an exercise in selection and choice of options. All of this just to say that photography exercise our right to freedom, increase our ability of selection and, most important, allow to make our choices visibile to the world.

This is not a mathematical formula, this is essentially a dog...formula! In the end first snow of the year has come and Jasper, my lab, is really starting to have a good time. Especially during these occasions and if the light is just right, you can get nice coat details and appreciate his continue developing into a nice hunter.

In photography, high dynamic range (HDR) is a technique that lets capture more tones and colors that we can see but our camera cannot. When the dynamic range of luminance between the lightest and the darkest area of an image are exaggerated can lead to a very unrealistic shot. I have to admit that I never liked that much to create HDR images but I must confess that in some snaps may be quite appropriate. Right now I'm testing Nik Software's HDR Efex Pro, a powerful tool that offers a whole range of options and previews. The new photo of the month on my website is one of the possible results that can be obtained.

I've never been very keen to photograph around the house. Once I only take pictures at events or during holidays, in more recent years I intend photography as a research and personal expression, and, if you're inclined, you can also find beauty and light in some of the most unsuspecting places...often in your backyard!
It's not easy and takes time to learn how to see things that many may overlook: the more you shoot the more you practice and more you can find your vision and personal style....but this will be another story!

There is a place, nestled between my hometown and the Po river, where the fog and the extreme monotony of the territory may discourage even the most careful observer. But this landscape has the more appeal in its apparent immobility.
I recognize a sort of magical aura in these lands, crossed by a river peaceful but also unexpectedly fierce, gentle, but also brutal: Po river combines different features, sometimes even conflicting, the same ones that permeate my shots every time I contemplate them once back home.
Yes...you have to contemplate those shots, one at a time, and only watching them carefully you can find out their nature and discover that their strength lies in their immobility.
Actually, even if at first sight sometimes I'm not satisfied with the results of the shots, always grows in me the desire to return back...in my Lowlands.

In recent days I was pleasantly involved in seeing, on satellite TV, the series in episodes of the legendary photographer Art Wolfe, Travels to the Edge.
I own some of his books, but I have to admit that watching him at work in a video allows you to appreciate even more its culture and its professionality. The series is truly a remarkable collection of high-definition video footage from the world of nature; you get inspired to travel, learn professional photography techniques, and appreciate the beauty around us. I'm waiting for more to come!

When we look around us, anywhere we can find reflections. You essentially can get two for the price of one! I'm always on the lookout for opportunities to reflect my subjects; reflections are a great way of showing the world in a very interesting way, and of creating abstract and impressionistic images. Even a trivial photo can become almost a...masterpiece! Enjoy the new photo of the month on my website.

Depth of field is the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp. The depth of field varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can influence our perception of it.
DOF is a very important parameter in photography and the app of this week allows, with the tips of your fingers, to use our iPad in a very creative way!

It has been about 2 months since my iPad purchase and I can truly say that it's a device that really will revolutionize our lives. I'm enjoying it's tactile experience obviously in many fields, photography among other.
Many new photo apps are coming out in these days and I will try to test them in this blog. This week app is about a simple and intuitive interface that lets you quickly to create a story...with your fingerprints!

This is the sad and begging expression of my dog, Jasper, every morning before going to work. I don't understand if it's for the food or it's sad because I'm leaving...I think for the first one... How can I go on like this? :-)

The Cotes de Provence wine region is a large area that covers the Cote d'Azure from Marseille to Nice and is famous for the rosè wines that it produces. Usually rosè is not very popular among amateurs but is by far my favorite wine. As a BBQ fan, not by chance is the perfect accompaniment to grilled and roasted meats. The rosè wines are great for any occasions on a hot summer's day and match very well with salads or as an aperitif. To tell you the truth I enjoy it all year round and during my last trip to France I did a considerable stock :-)
The new photo of the month on my website willing to testify my appreciation to this wine. Cheers!

Compact, easy to explore by foot, clean and full of history, Boston combines the old world charm and convenience of modern life. Skyscrapers are nestled next to historic hotels while modern marketplaces....
My website has been finally updated with the new Boston & Cape Cod gallery. Enjoy!

Photokina is the largest photographic event in Europe and is held every two years in Cologne, Germany. Canon is presenting the entire new Fall 2010 collection, and this will be for many visitors their first chance to try products that Canon recently launched, including: EOS 60D, which offers for the first time a swiveling LCD; EF 8-15mm f/4 L USM the first fisheye zoom in the world; the latest EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, aimed at being an affordable 'L'-grade telephoto lens; new versions of two professional telephoto lenses, EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS II USM and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM both featuring completely new optical designs. Honestly I expected a lot more news and innovations for a brand such as Canon, I hope for more developments in the near future!

So even I, in the end, became a blurbarian! My new book is hot off the presses at Blurb! Take a sneak peek and place your order if you're so inclined... ;) Moreover their site is an excellent showcase of artists from around the world where you can get very interesting ideas.

instant_Boston by Mattia Lottici | Make Your Own Book

I think that, in a photographic experience, after you have tried and achieved certain results, it is proper to search different things and go beyond the rational photo for a more emotive one.
This is a summary of my research from my latest travel.

Richard Avedon (1923-2004), one of the greatest photographers of all time, was the man that brought fashion photography to life. He depicted his models as real women and he focused his interest on how to capture the personality and soul of his subjects. During my last holidays I had the luck to visit his lively fashion images at Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston, Mass. New photo of the month on my website is my personal tribute.

Finally I got my iPad, the most significant and rumored hardware release of all time, it's firmly in my hands. It's for sure a new way of perceiving the world with its tactile experience and its ease of use. I'll tell you my impressions shortly!

I'm back from my USA trip. It was a great journey and later on I'll tell you better because tomorrow I'm leaving again to Franch Riviera with my love for relaxing a couple of days. Stay tuned and see ya!

Tomorrow I'll leave for eight days in the States, specifically Boston and surroundings. It will be a vacation trip and of course...a photographic trip! See you in the near future and happy holidays to you all! :-)

Tango, the most sublime expression of pure passion, a sensual game of pleasure where bodies grub and rub searching for each other. "Pasiòn de tango" is the new photo of the month on my website. Enjoy!

I am always fascinated and attracted in front of the pride and the wisdom of an old sea dog. I feel that these people possess a culture and an experience that hardly our generations will be able to have. I would like once talk with them and hear their stories...

Imagine a cool summer evening, a fortress as a backdrop and be carried away by the strenght of the music. The intense melancholy of Tango, full of passion and sensuality, combined with a suggestive choreography, give rise to a show with very strong personality.

The heatwave continued throughout the week, so what's better, in these days, to seek relief at the pool?

As every summer I like very much to attend to open-air concerts with friends, a good beer and obviously my trusty camera. I was pleasantly attracted by the Apple Pies, Beatles tribute band and Disco Inferno, nostalgic 70s and 80s band with their smashing disco music hits. Here are some snaps from that nights. Enjoy!

Photo of the month on my website sums a little what it was summer until now here where I live. A sort of stormy, cool, peaks of hot and humid weather, somewhat like a never-ending spring.
Only during these days is happening a turnaround trend: 35°C today!

A very special event characterized this year's Roots and Blues Festival: a sunset cruise along Po River. It was an incredible experience that bring my mind to Mississippi and allowed me to enjoy even more this fantastic festival that every year never ceases to amaze me.

One year ago today began my adventure on this blog, it all started with a little bit of curiosity and the need to keep interest in my website alive.
After a year I can tell you that this has been a diary filled with snapshots and memories of my life. It's really true that blogs are future's diaries! Let's go ahead! :-)