Black and White, candid, Italy, Photography, street, Travel

Rome 2012

Vatican Spiral

Rome was extremely crowded this trip. Famous sights were not busy, they were packed. I shoot places like Rome differently from other people. In these crowds it isn’t possible to get a decent shot of any famous landmark. Besides, once you have that it isn’t any better than a postcard you can buy anywhere. So, I try to look at the landmarks a bit differently and add in some candid street shots. I manged this at the Spanish Steps when an attractive blond walked into the frame. Campo de Fiori is an outdoor market, and a lesser known attraction, so it was not so crowded. Incidentally, Nikon Girl took my picture first. Vatican Spiral won a Picture of the Week award in a photography forum.

There is a menu button for Italy at the top of the page if you want to see more from this beautiful country.

: Lonesome at the Spanish Steps

: Nikon Girl Does Rome

: Girls Cracking Up on Via National

: Italian Girl Sulking in a Roman Cafe

: Campo de Fiori Vendor

: Campo de Fiori

: Three Bored Brunettes

: Mother, Daughter and Dog

: Vatican Spiral

: Capitol Museum, Rome

: Teatro Marcello Columns

: Ponte Palatino

Four Men On a Bridge

: Valley of the Temples, Wall

: Temple of Juno

: View From A Bridge

: The Greek Theater, Siracusa

: Roman Theater, Siracusa

: The Ear of Dionysius

: Two Boats, Siracusa

: Boat, Siracusa Harbor

: Four Men On a Bridge

: Tour Sales Girl, Siracusa Harbor

: The Plaza, Siracusa

: Waitress in Boots, Ortigia

: Dark Brunette, Tight Tan Pants, Ortigia

: Beggar Woman, Duomo

: Tall Brunette, Siracusa

Agrigento is a bit out of the way on a tour of Sicily. However, it is worth seeing for the valley of the temples which features fabulous ruins shown in the first two images. The next one is from the long drive from Agrigento to Siracusa. I made the mistake of following the coast, saw few coastal views and got caught in a traffic jam on a bridge from where I captured the view. The next three images are from the architectural park in Siracusa. The following four, starting with the boats, were taken in the harbor which was actually the first place I went after checking in to my hotel. Starting with the Plaza image the next four were shot in Ortigia, a small peninsula which contains the oldest part of Syracusa.

Black and White, candid, Italy, people, Photography, Portrait, street, Travel

Agrigento and Siracusa Sicily

Guard Dog (Poodle in Taormina)

: Mount Etna Lenticular Clouds

: Lava Field on the Slopes of Mount Etna

: Guard Dog (Poodle in Taormina)

: Public Gardens of Taormina

: Ancient Keyhole (Greek Theater, Taormina)

: Greek Theater, Taormina

: Greek Theater and Sky, Taormina

: Looking North from the Greek Theater in Taormina

: Taormina From My Hotel Room

: Taormina Curve

: Taormina Seascape

: Cinnamon Shift, Boots

Taormina is a lovely resort town in the shadow of Mount Etna. It is built on cliffs overlooking the channel between Sicily and Italy. Our hotel was built into a cliff and every room had a view of the sea between Sicily and the mainland of Italy. There are all sorts of stairs to climb, a beach below, archeological sites above. The Greek Theater is an excellent ruin with fabulous views. While I was there Etna was venting. It spewed fire the day after I left. There is a fair amount of variety with the volcano, gardens, old style European town, cliffs, hills and even the tropical Isola Bella.

Black and White, Italy, Photography, street, Travel

Taormina and Mount Etna

Ferry, Palermo Harbor

: Ferry, Palermo Harbor

: Palermo Alley

: Table Top Football

: Tall Blond Running in Shorts

: Palermo Lovers

: Six Muslim Women

: Palermo Foot Race

: Byzantine Dizzy

: A Child’s Perspective

: Green Tomatoes

: Street Market Vendor, Palermo

: Successful Street Market Shopping Run

Palermo is a small city that gives the illusion of a big city because it is so densely populated. It is a very difficult place to drive a car, although all of Sicily is too. The food here is very good and wine is cheap. Try it out sometime.

When I arrived at the hotel the clerk asked if I had relatives there. Apparently it was my year round suntan that prompted the question despite my total lack of Italian ancestry. The first image is from the harbor area, “Table Top Football” was near the hotel. The next three were captured near the central square. ”A Child’s Perspective” is at the entrance to the Palatine Chapel. The final three images are from Palermo’s Capo street market.

Black and White, candid, Italy, people, Photography, street, Travel

Palermo Sicily

Capri Hillside

: Capri Croissant

: Miami

: Capri Hair Adjustment

: Almost an Aerial

: Capri Marina

: Capri Hillside

Just a short ferry ride away sits Capri, playground of the rich and famous, while swarming with ordinary tourists like myself. The views are fabulous and the people walking around, amazing. Here is just a little bit of what I saw on the island. I did get to speak with the lady from Miami. She is a down to earth gal.

Italy, Photography, Travel

Lovely Capri

Above Sorrento

Flush with a new Nikon D700 full frame digital camera we headed off to Italy in the summer of 2010. After arriving in Rome we proceeded straight to Sorrento from where side trips to Pompei, Capri, Amalfi and Positano were launched. After about three days my Nikon 70-300 VR developed a glitch in the vibration reduction mechanism and could not be used for the remainder of the trip. If you are a fan of Italy, there is a menu button at the top of the page which will reveal a lot more images from Italy.