You can now find me on my new website! Click here for a direct link! :)
With Martedi Grasso (mardi gras) behind us and Carnevale in full swing I thought it only appropriate to somehow bring this weeks post into theme. I love shooting details. It’s the little things that really matter, rings, shoes, a necklace, other accessories, anything that takes your shoot to the next level. I know that the item I am photographing was chosen with care and that there is a reason the client brought it. So I want to showcase it, why should wedding details have all the fun! :) Amo I dettagli. Sono le piccolo cose che contano, anelli, scarpe, collane, altri accessori, tutto ciò che rende un'immagine unica. So che cio' che sto fotografando è stato scelto con cura e che c’é una ragione per cui il cliente me l’ha portato. Quindi vorrei enfatizzarlo, perché lasciare tutto il divertimento solo per i dettagli dei matrimoni! :) For this shoot I used a glass crystal, (nothing special just a piece from a cheap necklace) to help lighten dark shadows in the background, by holding it close to the lens while shooting. You can also do some funky things with a higher aperture and reflections. I know some photographers who carry glass prisms with them, but this fits more easily in My camera bag!
Per questa ripresa ho utilizzato un cristallo di vetro, (niente di speciale, preso da una collana) per aiutare a schiarire le ombre nello sfondo, tenendolo vicino all'obiettivo durante la ripresa. È anche possibile fare alcune cose strane con apertura maggiore e riflessioni. Conosco alcuni fotografi che portano prismi di vetro nella borsa, ma nella Mia questo è più adatto! I can’t believe it has already been over a month of blogging! I hope you enjoy the quality I try to include in every post. I decided before embarking on this adventure that I would only use fresh photos, taken within the week! That way when looking back one can see where I came from. I have also decided to start writing in Italian (when needed) for those who might not speak English. Ho anche deciso di scrivere un po’ in Italiano (quando serve) per chi non sa parlare bene inglese. For the last couple of weeks I have been researching and watching videos by Sue Bryce a very talented photographer who has been an inspiration and mentor to me. Therefore, it only made sense to practice a few of her techniques on myself using a tripod. (a MeFoto Roadtrip, which I love.) Nell’ultimo paio di settimane ho fatto ricerca e ho guardato i video di Sue Bryce, una fotografa molto brava con tanto talento, che è stata per me una fonte di ispirazione e un mentore. Quindi mi sembrava logico praticare alcune delle sue tecniche su me stessa, utilizzando un treppiede. (Amo il mio MeFoto Roadtrip.) We all need a little extra push sometimes, and working on this blog has been mine. Having a deadline to post every week, with photographs that people actually want to see has helped me to get out there and do more. So this weeks challenge is to “step outside your comfort zone” and do more! :) Abbiamo tutti bisogno di qualche spinta ogni tanto, e lavorare su questo blog lo é stato per me. Avere una scadenza per inviare un post ogni settimana, con fotografie che la gente vuole vedere, mi ha aiutata ad uscire e fare di più. Quindi la sfida per questa settimana è “uscire della tua zona di comfort”, e fare di più! :) I know some people that have a million idea’s on how they want to earn money and enjoy doing it! It is very easy to be stuck in that planning stage. (I know that from experience!) The best thing to do is to take that extra step and walk out that door! If you fail, then you fail but at least you can look back saying that you tried. It’s like that one phrase, which has been stuck in my head for a few years now, “ If you don’t try, if you don’t ask, you will never know.” Today’s post is a day early (due to scheduling issues) and is a special featuring Villa Della Regina, which is located in the hills above Torino, just a 20 minute walk from the city center. It is a hidden gem that is almost forgotten. Whenever I visit there are 1 or 2 others at most wandering the vast halls. I am sure there are tour groups from time to time, but I have never seen them. The villa was built with its own private vineyard and was originally owned by Prince Maurice of Savoy. The prince died in 1657, leaving the home to his wife Louise Christine of Savoy who later died in 1692. It then passed to Anne Marie d’Orleans, niece of Louis XIV of France and wife to the Duke of Savoy. Most of the present décor is from her lifetime. It was then that the building became known as Villa Della Regina. With Anne Marie’s death in 1728 the Villa passed to her eldest daughter Maria Adelaide. Inside there are frescòes by Giovanni Battista Crosato, Daniel Seyter, Corrado Giaquinnto, Filippo Minei, the Domenico brothers and Giuseppe Valeriani. The Villa was later used by the Spanish Queen of Sardinia, Maria Antonietta Ferdinanda. It remained property of the House of Savoy until 1868 when it was donated by Victor Emmanuel to the Institute of Army’s Daughters. During the Second World War it was damaged and in 1994 it became state domain and was opened to the public to help fund its restoration. The front gate is closed on Mondays, but you can now visit the Villa free of charge. It is open from 10am till 4pm Tuesday-Sunday, with a free tour Wednesday-Saturday. When doing a shoot like this I try to think of ways to capture the beauty of the place, the feeling that day and elements of interest or details that are usually ignored or overlooked. (Granted I only have my 40mm to work with so there are no wide angle shots of the grounds. ) I try to get creative and think of ways to modernize the images. With regards to the location/ subject, what is it that you want to see, that you want to remember? How do you want to remember it? The questions in my mind were: If you were looking for a place to visit what are the things you would like to see? What kind of sneak peak would pull you in and make you want more? Then I remembered Chateau de Gudanes, the recent restoration work there, and how I adore the look and feel of her images. (link here if you haven't checked them out! Chateau de Gudanes ) So I put my own spin on it and spent a couple hours wandering around the old villa. Lost in my thoughts. No music, no phone, no one to distract me. It was very peaceful and relaxing as a fresh coat of snow had glazed the grounds and a light breeze was slipping through the old windows. If you are in the area or planning a visit I have included Contact Information below. :) Villa Della Regina Contact Information: Address: Strada Comunale Santa Margherita, 79 – Torino, Italia Website: http://www.artito.arti.beniculturali.it/museum.php?museum=4 E-mail: [email protected] As you may already know, I live and work in Torino (Turin), Italy. Which is a big change from Ontario, Canada, where I grew up. Coming here I did not know a word of Italian, well, I had tried Rosetta stone and all those audio tapes, but upon arrival I realized that meant very little. Luckily, I had my Italian classes and very understanding teachers, in one week I understood more Italian than in 3 months of studying my way. (If in need, you can find them at, www.dialogoplus.com/eng/ ) Being completely immersed in a subject is the best way to learn. At the beginning, I was afraid of making mistakes, so afraid that I would sit for 5 minutes thinking of what to say instead of letting out the words that felt right. (Thankfully, the teachers are very patient people. hehe) The same goes for photographers: If you spend 5 minutes thinking about taking the shot instead of just taking it, you will miss the opportunity. Besides most of us shoot digital now, it’s not like you’re wasting film. Go with your instincts. If the image makes you feel something, more often than not, it will make others feel the same way. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know there are a lot of things to think about before taking the shot, (Lighting, composition, focus, exposure, shutter speed, background, bokeh, “have I taken this shot more than a million times?”, “have I cut off limbs?”, etc.) but sometimes just capturing the moment can make that photograph ‘the one.’
If it seems like this is going to be a business blog, it’s not, but that has been my focus for the past few weeks. Marketing and Business have never really been my forte, but that doesn’t mean I am not willing to do my best to make my business a successful one. (Checkmark for blog on website.) Like every other creative individual out there, I have ways to express my frustrations that may to another seem odd. When I feel bogged down by the business aspect of photography I try and get the creative juices flowing in my brain again. Reading books and “Research” on pinterest help, (Yes, I called it research. haha) but what I find helps the most is just picking up the camera. I once took a “creative individual” class here in Italy, where the presenter gave us a great piece of advice. She said if you ever catch yourself stuck, without any ideas, no matter what you are working on, take a piece of paper. Write down anything that comes to mind. No matter how silly or how unrealistic it is, write it down and keep writing, write as many things as you can. Then set that paper aside and come back to it later. You are full of idea’s it is just a matter of drawing them out. The same can be done by just picking up the camera, shooting and not thinking too much about what you are shooting. The ideas will come.
I am going to try and make this a weekly thing. I set an alarm on my phone and everything! This year (even if it has only just started) I have made great leaps in getting my name out there. Marketing myself and my work will be my focus throughout the next few months. Recently I joined Instagram and Twitter, where I have seen a slow but steady increase in interest. I have also been working on branding and finding my style. A more defined style. I tried the matted look that has been trend in photography lately, but I just couldn’t leave out those dark shadows that I love so much. I would not consider my style of photography to be dark, it is more focused on what the light reveals and how it interacts with the things around it. How does that light make you feel? I remembered that in my art classes during highschool and college I was constantly drawn to contrast in lighting. Caravaggio being one of my favorites among the artists we studied. Besides, we all know it is light that makes the image. So I changed how I captured my photographs, watching the shadows and highlights of everyday objects or scenery. Forgetting the object and focusing on how the light affected it.
Learning to read the light and knowing how to use it is a photographer’s greatest challenge. In my opinion, one can never truly master anything. We are constantly learning, growing and evolving. What looks like a stunningly beautiful image to one person, will seem only “okay, but I could do better” to another. |
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