Tag Archives: photographs

Florence – Day 1 – Under the Tuscan Sun(set)


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[...Florence , Italy April 17, 2011...]

Sunset over Tuscany

I arrived in Florence at 4:30 in the afternoon after a 70-minute bus ride from Pisa. Immediately the phrase “under the Tuscan sun” came to mind. Rolling hills dotted with slender cyprus trees, bright blue, cloudless skies topped off with 70-degree weather. The popularity of this Italian city was made clear to me by the amount of people I saw loitering around as we pulled up into Santa Maria Novella station. I feel safe in numbers so I can’t complain.

My travel agent – Google Earth, led me directly to the hotel without fail, although with the many narrow alleys in Florence, I can understand how one can easily get disoriented. Still, this is nothing compared to the maze in Venice. With my luggage safely ensconced in my hotel room, I stepped out and made my way towards the Duomo, passing through the busy outdoor market of San Lorenzo where the smell of distinct Italian leather filled the air, joining the aroma wafting off the windows of pizzerias and trattorias. At one point, I lost a glimpse of the cathedral’s dome I had been following through the roofline, when suddenly the late afternoon bells of Giotto’s campanile chimed. This was what it must’ve been like in the 14th century – it was a travel back in time! So I followed that sound instead, and sure enough, I found myself in Piazza del Duomo in no time.
[...Read more about Florence...]


The Best of 2010 – Fountains


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#3 MOST MEMORABLE FOUNTAINS

I think a fountain is water breathing life. And I think that fountains look their best and should be better appreciated at night when it’s lit in all its glory. It could be simple or it could be ornate , and it could be on – flowing into a basin or a pool, or it could be off and create beautiful reflections. There is indeed more than one way to look at fountains. I’m just glad they’re around.

My Top Ten Most Memorable Fountains of 2010:

WIESBADEN, GERMANY - Dual Fountains at the Kurhaus. Who would have thought a small city and an old spa town like Wiesbaden could have a gem like this? Make that dual gems! I've seen photos of these fountains, mostly day shots, and have always envisioned them at night where I know they'd shine even more. The triple-tiered fountains on an almost windless night made the water fall so gracefully.

[...Click for the rest of my Top Ten Fountains...]


The Best of 2010 – Bridges


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As the year is drawing to a close, I thought I’d put together a short list of what I consider my  most memorable shots of the year. The selection is based on both viewer feedback and my own attachment to a particular shot. For behind each photograph is a story to tell, a little something for me to remember them by, and some have proven to be more memorable than others. If you have not followed my work on Flickr, this is a good sampling of my work.

I’ve decided to categorize them into such : (1) REFLECTIONS (2) BRIDGES (3) FOUNTAINS (4) LIGHT TRAILS and  (5) MY PERSONAL FAVORITES.

#2 MOST MEMORABLE BRIDGES of 2010

Where there’s a body of water, there’s usually a bridge somewhere. And in Europe there is a plethora of beautiful bridges, all filled with rich history and character. There are big-city modern bridges and small-town old-fashioned bridges. The bridge list is endless – suspension bridge, cable-stayed bridge, drawbridge, pedestrian footbridge, even bridges with built-in houses, shops, and a city hall.

Here are my Top Ten Most Memorable Bridges of this year.

MAINZ, GERMANY - Theodor Heuss Bridge. I had to visit this location a second time because I ran out of light the first time before I could go under the bridge. The second time I went, the river level was high so I can't go down. Wanting to be dead-center under the bridge so I can get all 4 starbursts in, I had to squeeze myself and my tripod in between a tiny spot in front of a car parked behind me and the edge of the embankment. I barely managed without falling off, but I got my shot.

[...Click for the rest of my Top Ten Bridges...]


The Best of 2010 – Reflections


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As the year is drawing to a close, I thought I’d put together a short list of what I consider my  most memorable shots of the year. The selection is based on both viewer feedback and my own attachment to a particular shot. For behind each photograph is a story to tell, a little something for me to remember them by, and some have proven to be more memorable than others. If you have not followed my work on Flickr, this is a good sampling of my work.

I’ve decided to categorize them into such : (1) REFLECTIONS (2) BRIDGES (3) FOUNTAINS (4) LIGHT TRAILS and  (5) MY PERSONAL FAVORITES.

Starting off with my Top Ten Favorite Reflection shots of the year.

#1 MOST MEMORABLE REFLECTIONS of 2010

I love to shoot where there is water – rivers, canals, rain and puddles, fountains, moats, pools, even a baptismal font as I’ve recently discovered. So I have many photos to choose from in this category. If I had to guess, I’d say about 80% of my shots has water in it, and probably half of that involves rain before or during the shot. When planning for travel, I usually go where there’s lots of water; if there’s none, I’ll find it. Or sometimes it finds me, in the case of rain.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - View of Gamla Stan from Slussen. Stockholm is without any doubt a beautiful city, but by nightfall it loses its luster, at least to a photographer. I would have liked to have seen more light in the city. This shot of the popular district Gamla Stan was taken on my second night after a disappointing rainy previous night. Scandinavian countries have long blue hours and I must have shot non-stop for at least an hour-and-a-half this night, walking about a mile and a half from Slussen to Skeppsholmsbron with hardly any people on the streets.

[...See the rest of my Top Ten Reflections...]


The Colors of Copenhagen


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Thought I’d get out of the cold for a little bit and bask under blue skies and warm sunshine.

I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful Danish capital a few months ago, and had written about this trip while on the road : Copenhagen Day 1 / Copenhagen Day 2. I also expressed my big disappointment about not being able to see the famous Den Lille Havfrue, better known as the Little Mermaid. She happened to be on tour in Shanghai for the 2010 Expo.

So I thought this would be a good time to post additional photos of this city as I did not post many right after my trip. Truth be told, I just got done processing these photos. Most of you know that I don’t often shoot during the day, and when I do, I don’t often pay much attention to it. It’s often left in the back-burner of my archives craving for some attention. Well, that attention is way overdue. I am surprised that I still have some of these gems hiding among my files and it’s a nice discovery – I kind of liked them! Not bad for day photos, I think.

Ah, the famous Nyhaven harbour, photographed and visited by many. These beautiful colorful buildings by the harbour actually look more vibrant in the daytime. But who says you can

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