I am going to keep the text relatively short & simple for this post & encourage you to spend more time looking at these two landscapes that I took at Lake Garda with my Fuji x100s. Both are long exposures & shot with the camera on a small portable Joby Gorillapod to keep the camera still. The first night was clear, the second night was foggy... Which do you prefer?
I took this photo back in 2014 whilst me & my wife were on our honeymoon in Italy. We traveled between Milan, Lake Garda & Venice. The trip was great & the three locations make the perfect trio as they are all on the same train line. You can travel from Milan to Lake Garda on the train & then from Lake Garda to Venice from the same train station. We would highly recommend this trio if you fancy moving around & seeing a bit of what Italy has to offer.
Milan is a beautiful city. It rained a lot when we were there but that didn't stop us getting out. In fact if you are a reader of my blogs you may have seen the ‘man on the bike’ photo. This photo has to be one of my favourite captures & was made in the rain in Milan. So don’t let the weather stop you from getting out & shooting (if you want to).
Next on the trip was Lake Garda but ill move on for now & come back to where this photo was made later.
After Lake Garda we moved onto Venice which I loved. I think I shot more photos in Venice than in any other city. There is a lot to see & the narrow roads are really photogenic. The only downside being the number of tourists. Like me!
We actually camped in Lake Garda & it was great. My wife & I love camping & I can’t wait until we have our own little family so that we can all go camping together. We haven’t been camping now for a few years & the urge to go is getting at me a little lol. Lake Garda is huge. It’s so big there are even little ‘beaches’. Lake Garda is beautiful at night too. I took a few landscape shots while at Lake Garda that will be featuring soon on my blog so stay tuned for that.
This shot was taken at one of the small towns that butt up to the lake. We spent the afternoon & evening wondering round enjoying the food, trying to fit in with the locals. After a long day we sat down to shill on a bench for a bit & look out to the lake. Using my trusty Fuji x100s (of corse) I sat there taking a few shots of the locals as they walked by. This couple stood out to me. I find there is an elegance to this photo. Maybe it’s the hats. Or maybe its the amazing coastline on the other side of the lake. I love to think that these two ladies would never know that they are on my blog. Or that they are hung up on peoples walls in their homes. I like that we can't see their faces. I think it adds to the photo.
Howard
Random I know! This photo of my Mum's cat 'Mittens' is part of an ongoing 'shadows' project that I am doing. I am collating a series of images with shadows & reflections. Simple but hopefully when all the images are together they will be effective.
Pet photos have to be up there with selfies as the most popular images on social media. Why do we love photography our pets so much? Well apart from the fact that they look cute I think it has something to do with fact that they are oblivious to us photographing them. They simply don't know what you are doing so sit there happy, like perfect models.
Why is it that nowadays we (humans) are not the same. You would think that by now we would be accustomed to having our photo take. It often seems like such a big deal. People are embarrassed or put off by having a photo taken of them. It's a shame, I feel that life should be documented with photos. When we are all old we should want to show the younger generations about our day. I know I want to. I want to document my life through photos. I want to be able to show my children & grandchildren what we looked like when we were younger & the things we did. Even the little things over the years will come together to make a great story.
With the development of small compact digital cameras (like the X camera's that Fujifilm are putting out) it has never been easier to get documenting. I mean come on, you have a camera on your phone right? The cameras on phones now are good too! Maybe not great in low light but they still take a photo. Get shooting, even the small things & save them in a dropbox folder or something. Start with photos of your pet. Experiment with lighting. Every year edit down the number of photos, keeping your favourite. Keep doing this & eventually you will have a great story to share. This is documentary photography, anyone can do it, why not?
Howard