Seeing Double

"Seeing Double," capturing a subject in reflection, was the prompt for the last week in Picture Inspiration. I love capturing reflections in my images, whether in water, glass or metal. I found this image in Milan during our hunt for the tricolore in March. Piazza del Duomo is always a busy place, but on a holiday, it's incredibly crowded. The puddle gave a fantastic reflection of the Duomo, but only when the space behind it was clear of people. I spent quite a bit of time waiting and watching how the crowd moved to capture this image, a great example of Waiting to Click. Even then, I had to do some creative editing (tilt, black and white) to eliminate some distracting elements outside of my control.

The other "Seeing Double" images I shared this week are of cars. This car in the streets of Ravenna was interesting on its own, but the reflection gives it a sense of place that just sings "Italy." It reminds me of another reflection-in-car image I took, very early in our time in Italy. For me, that sense of place makes all the difference, since cars aren't normally one of my favorite subjects.

That's why it's surprising that my third "Seeing Double" image is of a car as well. This fantastic black Mercedes from the 1930's was found in the Museo dell'Automobile, just reopened after extensive remodeling in Torino. We visited last Sunday afternoon on a quest to see vintage Fiats, and were rewarded with many more vintage European cars as well. My favorite cars were from the 1920's and 1930's, they had such style! I loved how the reflection continued the pattern of the men in tuxedos from the wall behind into the body of this classic 30's automobile. 

Have a great weekend! We are off to Florence this weekend, riding the Freccia Rossa ("Red Wind" - the high speed train between Milan and Rome) for one last visit. Be sure to come by on Monday - I have something new and exciting to share with you!

A Conversation between Summer and Winter

Summer leaned in to Winter and whispered, "Watch out, I'm catching up to you."

Winter answered, "I know, but right now, I'm still front and center. You are yet a memory of seasons past and a wish for the future."

We discovered the Four Seasons, all together, during Venice Carnevale. I liked the side conversation captured between Summer and Winter the best. 

There is a lot going on here on my blog right now:

- Don't miss the giveaway I have going on, hop on over to enter.

- Did you notice the square format of today's photo? As always, my current Exploring with a Camera theme influences my work. Come visit and see all of the square format images so many wonderful photographers are sharing.

- If you missed it, I did an interview for Diana Mulder's blog on Sunday. Stop by to say hi and see her beautiful paintings as well!

Reminiscent of Casanova

Have you ever heard of Casanova? You probably know the name, in relation to someone who is good at attracting and seducing women. Giacomo Casanova was a real person, a Venetian living in the 18th century, the height of Venice's glory days. For some reason, this photo brought him to my mind. Can't you just see it? The cool Venetian noble, surveying the scene, looking for his next partner.

Even though you know the truth about Carnevale, it's still fun to imagine, isn't it? I find that I can hold the "real" and the "imaginary" Carnevale in my mind at the same time through my images. This guy picked a perfect spot to just hang out and be photographed. Even though there is a pedestrian walkway behind him, no one lingered and I could get a wonderful full-length shot to show his costume with a truly Venetian background.

I want to share something completely unrelated with you today too. Have you ever heard of Brave Girls Club?  They have a daily inspirational email called "The Daily Truth" you can sign up for, and some days the words just click for me, arriving at a perfect time. Today's email was one of those times, I and I want to share them with you too. You can sign up for the daily email at the link above.

Dear Joyful Girl,

Joy is good. Did you know there's a difference between happiness and joy?

"Joy is untouched by circumstance."

You see, happiness is sometimes fleeting. Joy is a state of mind; that no matter what happens, no matter how much we had planned on a different outcome, that we will always center our lives on what is RIGHT rather than what is WRONG. We will trust the moment and the unexpected gifts that every moment holds. We will trust the moment and the unexpected gifts that every moment holds, even the scary, strange, and unexpectedly difficult moments. Especially those moments, actually.

Even Oprah said it perfectly:

"What I know for sure is that you feel real JOY in direct proportion to how connected you are to living your truth."

Living your truth means listening very closely to the very quiet voice that is constantly trying to get your attention. Living your truth means being very very still and seeking truth and beauty and goodness and small miracles all the days of your life. Living your truth means being exactly who YOU are, in spite of who and what others around you are. Living your truth is a joyful life, a path that no circumstances can every rip you off of.

Joy can be felt anywhere, at any time, in any situation. This is the truth.

Go forward in JOY, Brave Girl!

Here's to finding joy and living your truth! Happy Friday!

The Truth about Carnevale

Carnevale in Venice sounds magical, doesn't it? The pageantry, the history, the color in an amazing setting. That's what comes through in the images, isn't it?

Here's the truth about Carnevale in Venice...

It's all a big show for tourists and photographers. I have never seen so many big lenses in one place. Near Piazza San Marco, where the best costumes were found, it was like Disneyland. Disneyland in peak season with no crowd control. Instead of parents pushing and shoving to get photographs of kids with characters, it's big lens photographers pushing and shoving to get the best angle on the mask. Those in the masks, the seriously gorgeously costumed people, worked it for all it was worth and even had business cards to give to those with the biggest of the big lenses.

Here's a quick glimpse at the image those photographers were trying to get. There is probably a much better composition on this, I just didn't feel like pushing and shoving my way in to get it.

This is not my kind of photography, not my Venice.

I am forced to admit, Venice is a place that pretty much exists for tourists any more. It is a gorgeous, fascinating place with such a rich history. In some ways it is sad that it has been reduced to this to survive. In some ways I am glad, because otherwise this wonderful place would just be allowed to sink into the lagoon.

Carnevale is part of Venice's amazing history, maybe one of the biggest draws by the number of masks you see for sale in shops and crowds on this one day alone. It is incredible to see the costumes. I am glad we went, and I'm glad it was for only one day. I'm glad Carnevale was not my only experience with Venice, there is so much more to it than masks. I have more very cool images to share in coming days, but even as I share them I want you to know the truth behind them. It's not as magical as it seems.

A Glimpse of Carnevale

We stopped back home last Saturday night briefly before flying out to Sicily, just long enough to download my Carnevale photos and sleep for the night. Here's a little glimpse of Carnevale to whet your appetite. Does it leave you wanting more?

I'll see you all on Monday!