Stunning Roman Mosaics at The End of the Sicilian Rainbow!
Piazza Amerina (Motherland Tour Stop 4)
(Click here to redirect to Stop #1)
Next stop, Piazza Armerina and the amazing Roman mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale.
We drove east from Selinunte on a day that was absolutely DUMPING rain, intending to tour the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. The Valley is one of the most outstanding examples of Greek art and architecture on the costal areas of Southern Italy and consists of seven temples dating back to the 5th century BC. These include the Temple of Concordia, which, due to its excellent overall condition, is ranked amongst the most notable edifices of the Greek civilization existing today. The skies were still dumping when we arrived, so we were only able to get a quick peek before continuing our long drive east.
We arrived in Piazza Armerina as the storm was clearing, and were treated to this amazing view of this 11th century town from our balcony. Piazza Armerina is the town which accommodates the guests who come to visit the nearby Villa Roman del Casale, which is the home of the richest, largest, and most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world (see upcoming blog entries!).
Sicily & The Motherland Tour
ISO 200 f/11 Nikkor 10-24mm @ 22mm.
Stop #1: Scopello, a Stunning Hidden Mediterranean Gem.
You may have gathered from my blog that I am an American expat currently living with my family in Switzerland. One of my goals while we are here is to bring my children to visit the places where their ancestors were born. I had two great grandparents that were born and lived in Sicily and came over to the United States by boat around 1913. My great-grandfather, Gaetano Turrisi, died when I was young. My great-grandmother, Grace (Fazio) Turrisi lived for over 100 years and luckily I had the ability to know her very well while I was growing up. Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Sicily with my family and visit their birthplaces. The following posts with be a photo-journey of our circumnavigation around the island.
The first shot was taken in the tiny village of Scopello, about an hours drive counterclockwise from Palermo. The photo is the view of the bay and the Tonnara di Scopello, likely the only remaining evidence of the traditional Mediterranean tuna fishery industry. We happened to stumble upon this gem, and ended up spending hours here frolicking in the sun and warm sea. It was VERY difficult to ultimately leave and continue our drive to our next destination when it was finally time to head out. If you happen to be in the region, this is WELL worth a short lunch break.
Photo is 3 handheld images bracketed at 2 stops, combined with Photomatix Pro.
Beret
f/4.5, ISO 400, 1/125, -0.33ev, 50mm@50
Selling Apples
f/4, ISO 200, 1/500, -0.67ev, 50mm@50
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/6.3 ISO 200 10-24mm@19
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
This is another shot from Gordes, France. I edited it with Silver Efex Pro, then touched it up in Aperture.
Monday Blues, French Riviera style…
It is Monday and I am at work. I can think of a few other places I would rather be right now….
This shot was taken on a warm fall evening from the patio of the Chateau de Cassis, high atop the cliffs in the French village of Cassis on the French Riviera. Cassis is a village situated east of Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France.
Cassis makes for a wonderful alternative or much needed break from the larger and more tourist infested Mediterranean coastal destinations of Marseille, Cannes, and Nice. In addition, it makes a PERFECT jumping off point for driving adventures in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France. Stay tuned for more pics form the coast and from deeper in the Provence region! Have a nice Monday…
Portrait Lighting for Photography
One of the aspects of photography that I know very little about is lighting. I recently purchased a really nice flashgun for my camera, the Nikon SB700. At first I had a little buyers remorse after spending so much $$ on a flash, but the more I read about it and especially USE IT, the more I really love it. It has already made a difference in my shots, even in the limited time that I have played with it.
So now that I have this awesome flash, it is time to pour through YouTube and REALLY learn how to use it . In doing so, I have picked up quite a few pointers on lighting in general, especially basic theory and layout for simple portrait lighting. I came across this great instructional video on portrait lighting basics by TheSlantedLens, and thought that I would pass it on to the blog-o-spere. In the video, Jay P. Margan demonstrates 5 different types of Portrait lighting:
- Rembrant Light
- Split Light
- Broad Light
- Butterfly Light
- Loop Light
Take notes and let him know if u like it!
I will try to post some shots using the new flash soon, maybe even some attempts at portrait lighting!
Portrait Lighting for Photography and Video! – YouTube.
Lightbox3D 