Any visit to Europe, and Italy in particular, demands a visit to FLORENCE, or as it is known in Italy, Firenze. Even if one is not versed in Renaissance history the City is one of the world's most beautiful. If history, art, literature, architecture, shopping, etc., are even of remote interest then there are few cities the equal of Florence. It is associated with names like de Medici, Savaranola, Dante, Michelangelo, Rossini, Marconi, Ghiberti, Machiavelli, Donatello, Leonardo di Vinci, Botticelli, and others. There are few cities with a roster of notables like that! It is home to many of the world's great art galleries including the Uffizi Gallery, del Academia, the Pitti Palace and the Bargello. It is also home to great churches like the Duomo, Santa Maria Maggiore, Basilica de Santa Croce, etc. It was once a financial center of the world, and is today a great venue for shoppers and food aficionados. Moreover it is located in Tuscani, one of the world's great wine producing regions. I consider my visit to Florence one of my more significant experiences. As I wandered through the church of Santa Croce and saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Marconi, and Rossini, etal, I was both awed and humbled when I considered what western civilization owes to these men. As I viewed Michelangelo's David and Mary Magdeline, the baptistery doors of Ghiberti, the sculptures of Donatello and other great works of art I was struck by what a privilege that was. Heretofore I had only read about these treasures; now I was but an arm's length away.
I am posting herewith a number of images created in Florence. As I reviewed them and re-edited them I relived my visit. Once again the significance of this visit was driven home and perhaps memory becomes even more vivid than the actual experience. Certainly the rendering of my images is more vivid than the first time around. We spent three days in Florence, very little of that in our hotel I might add. We were out and about, in the galleries, on the street, in the churches (including an early morning climb to the dome of il Duomo), sampling the food and wine, shopping, and of course taking pictures.
This city really deserves a portfolio all of its own; in my mind it is the equal of any city in the world. For now it will reside in my Visions of Europe portfolio. But that portfolio is getting too big. I will probably need to split it up at some point. These images were created with a Nikon Coolpix 5700, an early 5mp digital entry to the advanced consumer market. I took this camera because it was small and easy to carry. While its specs aren't going to impress anyone today it was sophisticated at the time. I don't use this camera anymore, and while slow compared to today's cameras impressed me with the quality of images it produced. Even looking at them now they are pretty good. The biggest change since 2007, however, is my editing and the vision for where I want to take these images. My remembrances of Italy were mostly about the color and age expressed by the Italian words "colore" (color) and "vecchio" (age). I wanted these images to incorporate colore and vecchio and believe I have succeeded on both counts.
Photography and travel are necessary companions, one necessarily needs to travel to get to where the subject matter is. Since the advent of digital photography, and the explosion of technology, both in terms of the hardware and the software we use, interest in photography has exploded in a geometrical progression. Once a field left pretty much to professionals there are today thousands of serious amateurs traveling literally to the ends of the Earth bringing back stunning images. But it is not easy.
One of the problems that bedevil every photographer who travels is how to get his gear to where it will be needed? Much of my travel in North America has been by motorhome and taking my gear is simple; I simply fill a basement bin with gear and take it all. But if one has to rely on air transportation problems mount quickly. Unless one feels comfortable checking his expensive gear one has to travel light. The answer, therefore, lies in PLANNING and being brutally strict about what goes. Because I spent many years backpacking I approach travel with a backpackers's mentality. Unless I have a specific use in mind for something it ain't going. This applies to what clothing I take AND to the photography gear I choose. On two of my European trips I limited myself to what amounts to a point and shoot camera, admittedly sophisticated ones, but still less than what I have available with my Nikon SLR. Fortunately there are many ways to "skin a cat" and there are ways to achieve superior results without a lot of gear.
My trips always start with research into what I expect my subject to be and the kinds of pictures I will be taking. If, for instance, my destination is Europe I am not going to be taking my long 400mm lens. In fact, I did quite well with my small Nikon P7100 with a built in lens that gives me a 35mm equivalent focal length range of roughly 28mm to about 260mm, adequate for most needs. Many of the images in the "Visions of Europe" portfolio on this site were taken with that camera. (Note: The Prague panorama accompanying this blog entry was created with the P7100). It has a small built in flash (not powerful) and HDR capability along with other "bells and whistles) that give me some versatility. The real benefit, however, is portability. It is an easy carry-on and doesn't attract attention of would be thieves. I also carried a portable hard drive to store images and up loaded to it on a daily basis. That enabled me to limit the number of digital cards needed and to organize my photos on the go. Now days my iPAD also accompanies me so that I can share images while on the road. If, however, I am going on a wildlife shoot the drill is a bit more complicated.
A trip to Churchill, Manitoba a few years back was specifically to photograph Polar bears. I had a bit invested in that trip and wanted to be sure to that I brought back the "goods". I knew I'd be shooting from various ranges so I was ready with two SLRs, one for my long lens, the other for an 18-200mm lens. That enabled me to shoot from short range or from a distance on quick notice, and gave me a backup in case one camera failed in the field (there would be no field repairs on this trip!). Temperature was a factor so I had three batteries for each camera in case one or two froze up. It didn't happen on that trip, but I have had batteries freeze. I also knew I would need some stability when shooting with the long lens so took a travel tripod with a ball head which I used as a monopod in the vehicle from which we were shooting. I also took my portable hard drive as a storage device. There was other gear but these were the essentials. The plan worked perfectly. By the way, I often found myself shooting with two cameras. The bottom line, however, is that I had a rather large photo bag full of gear which became my carry-on bag; that stuff didn't leave my sight. Clothing was an issue on this trip because I was going to a cold weather destination. All that gear went into a checked bag. My only real problem on that trip was annoyance from Canadian security. Their agent scrupulously unpacked every item of gear and quizzed me on the purpose of each. I basically gave him a course in Photography 101 before he was satisfied.
Traveling photographers have challenges, but with a little thought most are solvable and with today's sophisticated equipment it is possible to achieve superior results with a minimum of gear.
Over the course of many years my wife, Jean, and I have crossed the Atlantic five times to destinations in Europe where I amassed thousands of images, and yet not one of them has found its way onto my website, that is until our recent trip to Israel which resulted in "The Holy Land" portfolio. But Israel which is situated on the eastern Mediterranean is really Middle East, not what we usually think of as Europe. While processing my Israel images I got to thinking that I should revisit the Europe images and apply my evolving vision to some of those photos. This was probably stimulated too by two projects completed in San Francisco and San Diego in 2013 that piqued an interest in urbanscapes, architectural and street photography; my European images fed right into that genre. The result is the work in process "Visions of Europe".
Visit any country in Europe and I guarantee one is going to find all the photo ops he can handle. From architecture, landscapes, people pictures, it's all there. The problem is that none of these trips were solely dedicated to photography and often I was without the gear I usually rely upon to create my best work. Three of these trips were on tours where I had limited time and had to work very quickly. The other two provided more discretion of subject matter but I was hampered by limited gear. So I've often considered the European images as "travel" photos and haven't done much with them. But now with more post production options available I can do more with these images than previously. Therefore, I've gone back to take another look. I'm finding that I do indeed have the raw material to create interesting images that will populate "Visions of Europe". It promises to be a large body of work.
Revisiting these images has been almost as exciting as when I first viewed them...sometimes years ago. The difference is that now I have a more developed vision of what I think they should look like and more tools at my disposal to make them look the way they do. I have always been inspired by the paintings of the Renaissance era with the aged and cracked paint. That kind of became the basis for my vision of Europe, particularly the architecture, old, warm tones, cracked paint and plaster, etc. This will be noticed in many of my images where I use textures, a variety of warm toned filters, high contrast techniques, and saturated colors to create an old, worn look. Do these images replicate what I actually saw? No, not necessarily, but I've already addressed that issue elsewhere and will not address that again. But, it is true that Europe is old and the architecture has a worn look. From the Baroque, to Romanesque, to Gothic, to modernistic...and everything in between Europe has ample examples to satisfy anyone.
With this blog I am posting the first group of images from Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. More will follow soon, however, this will necessarily be a long term project as the type of editing I am doing takes considerable time.
I have today added additional images to the Holy Land portfolio which brings me near the end of this very large project. There may be a few more to come but I'm essentially done.
This posting, and any more images to come, focus on the Old City of Jerusalem, specifically in the public market areas which encompass some of the most colorful subject matter in the Holy Land. This area was vibrant, crowded, noisy, and to me somewhat claustrophobic because of it's closed in nature and close quarters. Even though I was armed with a map it was difficult at any given time to know where I was. I felt like I was just wandering, and indeed I was.
I only had but one afternoon to devote to the Old City on the last afternoon of our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In reality I think many afternoons could be usefully employed in the pursuit of interesting photography here. Even so I am pleased with what I was able to do in a limited time span. The Old City is divided into four distinct sectors, the Arab, Christian, Jewish and Armenian, each with its distinct character. I was not only looking for interesting architecture, but interesting people living out their day to day lives.
Throughout our time in Israel I was impressed by the age of what I was viewing. The modern State of Israel has not existed all that long, but the land in which it is now situated is ancient, and most of the buildings have been there for centuries. This really hit home as I moved my hand over the ancient stones of the Western Wall that has existed since the time of Solomon. Here I was, a citizen of the 20th and 21st centuries touching stones that occupied this precise spot centuries before Christ. In the process of editing these images I wanted to bring this element to the forefront, to impart a patina of age and wear to my images. I accomplished such with the use of textures to add a sepia quality that imparts a sense of the eternal in these stones. I really like the effect. I hope you do too.
I know not whether I will ever return to this interesting land, but I know that if opportunity presents itself there is still much to be done photographically. Certainly I will head straight to the labyrinth of the Old City.
Photographing the Kilauea lava flow has always been on my bucket list. Therefore, when I planned a trip to the island of Hawai'i, better known as the Big Island, I started looking into ways to realize that. Perhaps the best way to see this remarkable feature of nature is to take a boat tour to where the lava enters the sea on the southeast corner of the island. Alas, I waited too long. It seems the lava ceased to flow to the ocean last November, at least for now. All was not lost, however. One can still experience this volcano from a more convenient vantage point if perhaps less impressively.
The Jagger Museum is located just minutes from the Park Visitor Center and is situated at the very edge of the Halema'uma'u crater. Kilauea churns and spews a thick cloud of toxic steam from a caldera within this larger crater. During the day only the steam cloud is visible, but after dark the fiery cauldron becomes visible and materially changes the character of the volcano. The steam cloud also takes on the red glow from the cauldron. The museum is currently the best place to view the volcano and is wheel chair accessible, but it takes a bit of planning if one wishes to successfully photograph it.
The key is to be there at the right time, e.g., between sunset and civil twilight, or about 30 minutes after sunset, the so called "blue hour" after the sun goes down but before it becomes "black" dark. During those crucial 30 minutes it becomes dark enough to see the yellow-red glow from the lava in the caldera AND details in the surrounding darkened landscape. Before sunset there is too much light to see the glow, and after civil twilight it becomes too dark to see details. The "window" is very small. The other crucial factor is getting on location early enough to claim a "front row seat" from which to get a clear view. The viewing area at the museum is quite limited so an early arrival is essential. This means a chilly, lengthy wait and foregoing supper. This, however, is just part of photography. A bit of planning ahead can overcome these obstacles.
It is absolutely necessary to get that unobstructed view and be able to set up a tripod. Even at high ISO settings your exposure time will be in seconds (my settings were on the order of ISO 640, 2.5 sec.@f/5.6); at high ISO settings and long exposures digital noise is an issue but I've found with high end cameras set to "noise reduction" noise can be satisfactorily managed. But without a front row position it's impossible to get a clear view or set up the tripod. Once there, however, be considerate of others trying to get a similar view by utilizing as little space as needed. I positioned two front legs of my tripod on the stone curbing in front of me so as to not require much more space than I would have without the tripod. I wasn't the least sensitive about having a front row position because I figure if I stood in the cold two hours I was entitled to it. And yes, it does get cold so dress accordingly. Moreover, familiarity with your camera controls is important because you will need to make adjustments in the dark; a small flashlight is recommended. Finally, patience is a virtue. I noticed many people leave as soon as the sun went down. Even then not much is happening...and it's flat out cold, especially if any wind is blowing which I understand is the usual case; it sure was this night. But once there leaving early is a big mistake; the show is just beginning!
On our visit in March sunset occurred about 6:30 p.m. My wife and I arrived at the museum around 4:00 p.m. Earlier that day we stopped enroute and purchased something for supper which we ate in the parking lot. Since we were staying in Kailua-Kona this was kind of important because we faced a two-plus hour drive back after the shoot with nowhere to get anything to eat. I staked out my spot a little after five o'clock and settled in to wait...occasionally dodging rain drops. I killed some time by photographing an incredible rainbow which appeared a few minutes before sunset. That's called serendipity folks, but hey, I had created my own luck; I was there and in position. I'll accept that kind of luck any day!
My equipment, by the way, consisted of a Nikon 300s, a Nikkor 18-200mm zoom lens, a polarizing filter (used only until sundown), a "shutter hat" to protect my gear in case of rain (used), and a Gitzo carbon fiber travel tripod. This is pretty much my standard "down and dirty" travel bag. I also carry a Digital Foci 80gb portable hard drive to store files until getting them home to upload to my laptop.
Back to the volcano. Finally the sun disappeared. My teeth were chattering but I hardly noticed because I was "stoked" anticipating what I was about to see. At this time only a hint of red glow was visible, however, as darkness gradually overtook the light the intensity of color improved by the minute until the full fury of the volcano became evident. I was mesmerized by this beautiful yet violent display of creation. I continued to experiment with single shots and five-shot HDRs (High Dynamic Range) right up to Civil Twilight when it became too dark to discern detail in the darkest parts of my composition; by that time I had what I wanted. It still remained to make the long drive to Kailua-Kona but that was of no concern at the moment. Reluctantly I turned and walked away inwardly satisfied that I had seen and photographed something very special. I will visit Pele again.