Where do you think this picture was taken? Holland perhaps, in a display of how they make wooden shoes? No. It was taken in a flea market in Bergamo, Italy, a town about 30 minutes from where we live.
You never know what you are going to come across when you are out and about, you never know when you are going to run across the unexpected. That’s why I love to have my camera with me, to capture these little finds!
Sunday we went into Milan for a short jaunt… I wanted to see an art exhibit, I chose “Goya and the Modern World” and Patrick and Brandon wandered a little bit. It is fun to go into the city, there is such a different energy. I still find myself self-conscious of taking pics in some places, like on the Metro. I need to get over that. Repeat to self: “I am a photographer. I can take photos in any situation. I do not feel self-conscious. I will never see these people again.”
Corso Vittorio Emmanuele II, one of the big shopping streets. (OK, there are quite a few big shopping streets in Milan.)
Spring fashion!
We love the Metro. Such a big city experience for us small town folk.
I wanted a picture of me in my simple Italian style (jeans tucked into tall boots, black wool coat) with some of Milan behind me. After a bit of direction, Patrick got it for me!
The quiet of the evening, after a hazy, gray day on the island of Murano. The water and light in this photo evoke a sense of peace and calm, layering the world in monochromatic hues. This is from our second trip to Venice and surrounding islands, last November. I’m feeling the urge to go back!
Usually I don’t have my camera on me when I walk Brandon to school. This day, because I was going to go take pictures of the park in the snow after I dropped him off, I did. I love this picture of Brandon, because of the story it tells. The story of a boy, 8 years old, walking to school. The story of our morning walks on this road to school with no sidewalk, small Italian cars zooming by and other kids on their way to school. The story of where we live right now, with the bell tower in the distance and Italian cross-walk sign. The story of this morning, where it snowed in March and I decided to enjoy it creatively instead of being annoyed by it. All of those stories in one photograph. Amazing.
I have been thinking of the stories of my photos because I’ve found this fun website, Creative Every Day, which has a year long challenge. The theme for March is stories. I’m finding it interesting to participate and think about my art and creativity in light of this month’s theme, and to see what others are doing. If you are similarly interested, check it out!
Since castles, the real fortress castles, were in strategic locations on defensible hills, they also have fantastic views. That was not the purpose of course, it was all about military defense, but it certainly must have been an added bonus of living there! This view is of the chapel in the Bled Castle, with the surrounding countryside. Such green beauty! I wouldn’t mind living with this view every day.
Strange to go from such vibrant color recently to black and white, but this is where I go today. I like the idea of portals to another place. Doors and gates that are a threshold to something different. I often think about this view as I walk over to Parco di Monza and see this gate and the view through it. A portal to a place of peace and nature amidst the busy, crowded surroundings of Italian city life. Everything just feels different on the other side. Keep your eye out for these portals, you encounter them here or there, and they are special places.
