Slickrock and Shadow

Bolzano Town Square To get a taste of German heritage without leaving Italy, just drive north until you reach Bolzano.  This town is unlike any other I have visited in Italy.  You can still find gelato but the pasta and pizza had been replaced with pretzels and sauerkraut!  (As an aside, I learned that Europeans have pretzels without mustard.  I've grown accustomed to spicy mustard with my pretzel and had to go without here.) The town square is definitely worth checking out.  It is named after a local Protestant hero by the name of Walther.  His square is called Waltherplatz.  Next to this bustling plaza is the beautiful Gothic church, several restaurants including gelato stands and more.  A good time to photograph is in the early morning or in the late evening when the sun hits the statues, mountains and church spires.

Reclining Statue from Pisa's Camposanto Pisa's touristic powerhouse is the "field of miracles" headlined by the famous leaning tower.  this is an absolutely wonderful sight to see, both fun and architecturally fascinating.  The wonderful grassy fields surrounding the leaning Tower and Duomo invite fun loving people to sit down and enjoy the wonderful view.  People watching can be fantastic here. On a first visit here, it was very easy to not pay attention to the long rectangular building on the far left. That was a mistake.  On my 2nd visit, after more preparation and education, I had this building at the top of my list for Pisa.  Pisa's Camposanto (cemetery) was the location for famous citizens to be buried.  It also was painted with marvelous frescoes.  Many of these were damaged during World War II. You would think with ancient tombs and world-class frescoes, that would be enough for one location.  However the Camposanto offers even mo...

Ancient Arles Church Facade They say the early bird catches the worm.  I say the early photographer beats the restoration crew.  During my visit in the city of Arles, I got up for a morning walk and wandered down to the town square.  The ancient St. Triomphe church has a wonderful façade with apostles, Christ, creatures for minting centers as well as a army of saints and sinners at the final judgment.  In the morning I found this completely uncluttered, free for inspection and beautiful.  I walked right up close and could see the expressions on everyone's face. Later I returned to go inside the church and I was surprised to find a hydraulic lift, scaffolding and lots of barricades blocking the view.  Apparently some work was being done to clean up the statues.  This was done during the daytime working hours.  Visiting during those hours, a traveler would not get to enjoy the uncluttered beauty.  I was glad I had come earlier. Close-up...

Welcome to Pont Alexandre III The most beautiful bridge in all Paris is the over-the-top Pont Alexandre III.  this bridge does everything, including spanning the Seine River.  It has beautiful lamp posts, monuments covered in gold, winged horses, angels, great views of the Eiffel Tower as well as the other nearby monuments and landmarks.  This is a short walk from the Place de la Concorde and Musee d'Orsay.  I visited this location in the morning just as the sunrise was starting to light up the golden statues.  I had fun trying to work with different compositions.  The Eiffel Tower in the background served me well in one composition.  The Hotel des Invalides was used in the background of another image.  In a city full of wonderful places to see, I would not miss this wonderful gem. Monumental Morning:  Lining up these monument for a better photograph Lamp Posts of Pont Alexandre III

Chairs and Fountain from Palais Royale, Paris Black and white photo processing is still used today and will always be used because there are certain advantages to removing color.  Removing the color from a photograph eliminates color distraction.  For example, in portrait photography the person is the main subject, not their clothing.  Often someone's clothing is a distraction from the person themselves.  It may be bright or have a pattern.  Black and white processing eliminates or minimizes that. When I process a photo, I'm ask myself whether color adds to the photograph or distracts from my message.  Every photograph tells a story.  The story should not have too many loose ends.  It should get to the point without confusion. Tuileries Garden Statue, Paris In these 2 pictures from Paris, I feel that black and white processing helps focus on the actual shape, structure and form of the subject.  In the first picture, it i...