All of the cities and towns we visited had a "Duomo" in them. The term Duomo means Italian cathedral. All of the duomos that we saw were huge. I cannot put into words or photographs as to how massive these structures are. All are very ornate on the inside and outside of the cathedral. These are the photos of the Duomo in Florence:
As you can see the camera lens I had with me was not wide angle enough to get all of outside this massive structure into one frame.
My favorite photos of Florence were the ones taken at night:
This was taken along the banks of the Arno River.
Ponte Vecchio Bridge
Ponte Vecchio Bridge with light trails from the passing vehicles
Florence transportation:
I had to put this photo in because this is how many in Italy travel. The scooters are everywhere. This photo was taken in the early morning, which is why you only see two people on scooters here, otherwise this roadway would have been heavily congested with traffic.
Mary and I both said the three things about Italy that we did not care for was cigarette smoke, scooter exhaust, and city traffic.
Florence holds the one piece of art that I really wanted to see. Michael Angelo is known for his paintings, but his heart and passion was sculpting. The Academia museum holds the statue of David which was sculpted by Michael Angelo. I have to say it is impressive and very much worth fighting the crowds to see. Here is a cell phone photo of the sculpture:
This is the same photo but gives a perspective to the size of this sculpting:
Simply and unbelievable impressive work of art that I feel very fortunate to have observed from such close proximity.
That about wraps it up for Florence, but just as an added note the food was outstanding. I'm hoping to start on the Tuscany photos and blog soon. Hope you enjoy the photos.
Sincerely,
Kelly
]]>We hit the streets walking the next day and was amazed at how easy it was to walk from one side of Venice to the other. It's not a very large island. I had read several articles that said to go get lost in the streets of Venice. That was really good advice. Every small street and alley leads to something different around the next corner. Most will come to a square of varying sizes with a church in the square. There are more churches in Italy than you can count. If you like looking in old churches then this is the trip for you!
Before I get to the photos let me just add that we booked this trip through Classic Vacations and it was the best decision I could have made. For a first time traveler to Europe I was not sure about the transportation to get from the airport or train and then to my next destination. We arrived 12 hours late to Venice and there was a person at the airport with a sign and my name on it. He took our luggage and drove us to our hotel. When it was time to leave that hotel there was someone in the lobby waiting to take our luggage and drive us to the train station. We never had a problem and if anything changed I would call the Classic Vacation concierge with the issue and they would figure it out. Classic Vacations also put together an itinerary that was incredible. I was initially trying to fly in and out of Rome, which is doable but I was having lengthy layover issues. Their itinerary flew us to Venice (which I would have not thought about doing) and then had us working our way down through Italy, ending in Sorrento, and flying out of Naples. And NO I do not own stock in Classic Vacations - but I do have a contact if you are interested.
Here are a few photos of what I think of when you say Venice:
The photo below is not from me drinking too much vino! Several buildings were leaning in Venice, so we did not have to make the trip to Pisa to see a leaning building.
All of these photos were taken at St. Mark's Square:
Here are some of the photos we took at night:
The photos below were taken inside the Doge's Palace which sits next to St. Mark's Basilica:
The room below was massive. The photo does not do justice to the size and scope of this room.
Mary's Croatian boyfriend. We sat inside the room above and talked to this man for at least an hour. He made me realize that many Europeans still look to the United States to maintain peace and stability. He said "You Americans always come up with the answer to the problem". Tears came to his eyes when he started talking about the secret police in Yugoslavia taking his parents when he was a teenager.
No trip to Venice would be complete without a Gondola ride. The best way to relax and see the sights.
The Rialto Bridge:
As you can tell these are not all of the photos from our trip to Italy. I decided to just work my way through the photos and post them as I finish processing them. So I still have Florence, Tuscany, Rome, and Sorrento to finish. Just not enough hours in the day. Click on the link below to see all of the photos from Venice. From a photography point of view I was a little disappointed that almost all of the major historical landmarks were under renovation. There were several sights that were somewhere between difficult to impossible to get a photo without scaffolding or cranes somewhere in the picture. I had been told how wonderful the Trevi fountain was in Rome, but it was under renovation and there was scaffolding all around it with no water. I guess we will just have to go back and take those photos another time! Tough job but someone has to do it.
If you like the blog or any of the photos please "Like" and "Share" on Facebook. It helps me boost my ratings for my web site.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Link to all of the Venice photos:
http://www.reeds-photography.com/venice
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My wife actually asked me if that was a real person.
This is one of the most ornate saddles I have ever seen. Hard to imagine the amount of time that was put in to make something like this.
Another photo of the Samurai saddle.
The Samurai helmets were the most impressive items on display.
These are just a few photos of the items that are on exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. To see all of the photos you can click on this link www.reeds-photography.com/samurai which will take you to the gallery with all of the photos. The photos in the gallery are by no means all of the exhibits in this display. Most all of the photos I took were taken on a tripod with a long exposure time. This was very time consuming and with the 2 hour time period I had to work with, did not allow me the time to take all of the photos I would have liked to have taken. So take a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science for the Samurai and other exhibits on display. You won't be disappointed. Please "Like" my blog on Facebook and share with your friends and family.
Sincerely,
Kelly
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People entering the town plaza:
The lighting of the candles:
Mary and Joseph arrive:
They encounter the first devil:
The second devil:
The procession:
The third devil (which was strikingly similar to the second devil):
Mary and Joseph walking down the path to the courtyard after they have been given shelter:
I hope everyone enjoyed the photographs of the "Las Posadas". If you have not traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico I would encourage you to place this destination on your to-do list. Christmas is a unique season in Santa Fe with the luminaries, decorations and the Las Posadas, but any time of the year is a great time to be in Santa Fe. It is a unique destination that to my knowledge is not duplicated in any other part of the United States. They have managed to hold on to the southwest spirit with their culture, activities, architecture, and food.
Sincerely,
Kelly
]]>Here is a little Wikipedia information about Faberge:
A Fabergé egg (Russian: Яйца Фаберже́; yaytsa faberzhe) is one of a limited number of jeweled eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé and his company between 1885 and 1917.[1] The most famous are those made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers, often called the 'Imperial' Fabergé eggs. The House of Fabergé made about 50 eggs, of which 43 have survived.[2] Two more were planned for Easter 1918, but were not delivered, due to the Russian Revolution.
When I arrived there was approximately 10 to 15 other photographers who were also there to photograph the collection. We were told before we started that we had only two hours to photograph the collection through the glass and we could not use any flash. I love using flash but, with the glass, I don't think it would have worked well.
Here are a few of the photos I was able to capture:
I was amazed to see the item below because I had always thought Faberge only designed the ornamental eggs and other jewelry.
The intricate detail in this art work is unbelievable.
All in all beautiful works of art.
I would like to thank the Museum of Natural Science for inviting me to photograph the Faberge collection. I would also like to thank David Hyde for letting me know about this event. These are just a few of the photos I took while I was there. If you would like to see the other photos just click on this link http://www.reeds-photography.com/faberge and it will take you to the gallery with all of the photos. Also, I would encourage everyone to go the the Museum of Natural Science and see the collection for yourself along with all of the other wonderful exhibits there on display.
Hope you enjoy the photos!
Sincerely,
Kely
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No matter what brand or type of camera you own or purchase, it would benefit you to read the manual. If you don’t like the manual that comes with the camera, there are numerous aftermarket manuals for almost every camera on the market. You can find a “For Dummies” manual for Nikon, Canon and some of their accessories. If you don’t understand something in the manual, you can look up the word or phrase in “Google”. “Google” is a wonderful avenue to direct you to free sites which will help you learn more about how to use your camera.
Once you purchase your digital camera, or if you already have a camera, I strongly recommend you set your camera to take the highest resolution possible. If you reduce the resolution you can fit more photos onto the camera’s storage card, but having more photos is not as important as having the highest resolution possible. In your computer you can always reduce the size of the image, but you can never increase the size of the image. With my first digital camera, not fully understanding digital at the time, I set my camera on a very low resolution so I could store more photos on the storage card. The kids and I took a trip to New York City and I was able to take lots of photographs and not change my storage card. The only problem was I got some great shots and had photos I wanted to print, but the resolution was so low I could only blow the image up to a 5”X7” photo. You need high resolution to produce the larger prints. So keep the resolution as high as possible.
Here are some of the photos I took in New York City back in 2005 with a Sony Digital pocket camera:
I always told Ryan this would be his first album cover if he continued to pursue music.
Travis looks like a native New Yorker - except for the cap.
Great shot of old Yankee's Stadium. Very unique experience.
The passed out bum on the left is none other than my good friend John Young.
Near Ground Zero.
For those of you who don't know this is the "Naked Cowboy".
This was the second game we took in. The 6'10" pitcher on the mound is Randy Johnson.
The two photos above are of Central Park.
Just the tip of the Empire State Building on a hazy day.
I will leave you with this photo that I took in the airport as we were leaving. I had to do a double take when I saw this pilot hanging out the window to clean the windshield of his 737. This was a first for me.
If you have never been to New York City, I would encourage you to go when you have the chance. I have been twice and I'm ready to go back. It does not have to be as expensive as you might think. Hotels are expensive, but you can find deals if you are willing to stay away from the tourists areas. I was told that food was going to be one of my most expensive items. I found that not to be true. You can eat in "Little Italy" for less than an average meal in Houston. There are, what seems to me to be, hundreds of restauraunts in "Little Italy". Besides "Little Italy" there are 'mom and pop' deli's throughout New York with simple food for reasonable prices.
If you like the blog and the photos, please 'like' on Facebook. The Facebook button should be in the upper right of the blog page.
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Wikitravel describes Chaco Culture National Historical Park as "a major unit of the United States National Park system located within Navajo Nation in northwest New Mexico." I have always known the area as 'Chaco Canyon' and have always wanted to travel there. Chaco Canyon preserves ancestral pueblos of prehistoric American Indian tribes. It has been on my travel list for many years, since friends have repeatedly told me it was a 'must see.' In October of 2012, Mary and I started our trip to Chaco Canyon. She talked with me for quite some time about camping in the area. I've done my share of camping and it is not exactly what I live for these days, but knowing that Chaco Canyon lies 17 miles northwest of any paved road, I figured it was the only option. We purchased all new equipment before leaving, thank goodness for Walmart! I did not want to go high end because I felt there was a good chance this might be the one, and only, time we used the equipment. We purchased food and other supplies in Albuquerque before heading to the park on New Mexico highway 550. Shortly after leaving highway 550 we hit 17 miles of the roughest gravel washboard roads I have ever been on. No AAA out here!
We arrived and set up camp in the designated camping area. You can see me in the left side of the photo keeping first watch for any hostile Indians. This had to be one of the most remote areas I have ever camped. The Park Rangers, whom I usually find to be friendly, were somewhat distant. I got the feeling they did not want us there. Perhaps they were upset about being assigned to a park in the middle of nowhere. Regardless, we rarely met them during our stay.
This was one of the first photographs I took of the ruins, and yes, the sky was really that blue. It's a difficult area to photograph because everything is the same color. I asked one of the Park Rangers if I could take photos of a certain area before sunrise, but apparently this was allowed. He kindly explained the fine for passing the gate before 7:00 a.m.
I found black and white to be the best medium to photograph the ruins. The contrast of the black and white shows the details of the architecture better than color photos.
This photo depicts one of the largest kivas in the park. Most kivas are round, much smaller in size, and do not have any structures inside. Again, the contrast of black and white provides a great view.
As you can see from the size of the wall, this was a thriving community at one time.
There were numerous pictographs throughout the park. After a 3.5 mile hike during mid-afternoon temperatures in the high 90's, we finally reached the last pictograph known as the "Super Nova". Mary and I both had water and good hiking boots, but after the 7.0 mile round-trip hike we both had blisters from walking in sand as fine as baby powder. These are two photos of the "Super Nova".
What's unusual about these particular pictographs is they are red in color, where all others we had seen were just etched into the rock. They are in remarkable condition located just underneath an outcrop of rock. This provided a great deal of protection from the weather over the years.
Some of the local wildlife hanging around the camp. Below are some photos of our camp.
The next photo is not only my favorite of the trip, but one of my most favorite photos so far.
I shot this photo just after sunrise. It was extremely cold, so we decided to drive to the ruins just to warm up in the truck. The environment was typical desert with hot afternoons and freezing nights. Despite a few hardships, we had a great trip! If it's something you are interested in, I would encourage you to make the trip. My only warning would be to think twice before taking children, especially small children, to this area. There are many things here that sting, bite or stick you. Not to mention you are miles from medial care.
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Besides photographing the event we were privileged to be escorted around the facility by two people who knew the facility well. They were quick to point out areas of interest that would have been over looked by most on a general public tour. Several items there at NASA are original items that were actually flown in space. It is a great place to visit. If you have not been lately you are in for a treat when you go.
As the second shooter I was assigned to take photos of the groom while he was preparing for the reveal. The "reveal" is where the groom sees the bride for the first time in her gown. The couple decided to have their wedding reception before the actual wedding. Their plans were to depart to Cabo the next week where they would be married. So they both dressed, the groom in his tux and the bride in her gown, and then we photographed the first few moments when for the first time the groom saw the bride in her gown. Here are a few of the photos I took of the groom with the best man before the reveal:
My shots of the reveal were limited. Kia Lerner uses Canon equipment and I use Nikon, so the lighting set up could not be triggered by both the Canon and Nikon. Kia photographed most all of the reveal. I was forced to use such a high ISO (because I could not let my flash interfere with Kia's light set up) that most all of my reveal photos were somewhat grainy. Here is a photo I took during the reveal but unfortunately it was photo bombed by Kai:
I did learn a very valuable lesson as I usually do when I shoot any of these events. What's that saying "I learn more from my mistakes than I ever do from my successes". This is a mistake I should have already seen coming. We walked outside to photograph the bride and groom leaving. We had been inside a very cold building for several hours and then walked outside into a warm humid environment. Needless to say my lens fogged up and stayed fogged up for several minutes. I told Kai to go ahead and photograph the bride and groom coming out so everyone did not have to wait outside in the humidity while my lens cleared. I was a sport and went ahead and took a few photos thinking "who knows maybe the fog will create a special effect". You be the judge:
I can't end with that photo so I will leave you with a couple of my favorite from the reception:
Here the bride fakes everyone out and hangs on to the bouquet.
Father and daughter dance together after the first dance
A little cake adjustment!
Well I hope everyone enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed showing them. Be sure to post a comment below and let me know what you think about the blog, web site, and photos.
Sincerely,
Kelly
]]>Here is a photograph of my grandfather that I took in high school. I used a process called Kodalith to get this effect. The process turns every aspect of the photograph to black or white. Two negatives were sandwiched together and I had to paint over the areas I wanted to show as white with opaque paint. The process took hours back then and would only take minutes today with Photoshop.
I entered this photograph into the local newspaper photo contest and won 1st prize. I think it was a whopping $5.00. I was hooked and have been hooked ever since.
I lost track of this photo until recently. I found the newspaper clipping my mother had saved and I was able to restore the photograph. I'm glad to have the photograph back but was wish even more I could have my grandfather back.
In the future I will blog about some of the photos I have taken along with blogs about camera selection, lenses, and basic camera techniques that everyone should learn.
Sincerely,
Kelly
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