Shots For Passion - Photography

Snow on the countryside: Just snow!

2013-01-11T09:00:00.000+01:00

This is snow, just... snow!

This is the last photo from my trip in the snowy countryside.
Let's recap it a bit:

minutes spent taking photos in the countryside: 90
depleted DSLR battery: 3
photos taken: 648
photos worth viewing: 49
photos worth posting: 16
number of people staring strangely at me brandishing my trusty DSLR: uncounted :-)

Overall experience: very satisfying :-)

Snow on the countryside: Tractor tracks on ice - Icy path through field

2013-01-10T09:00:00.000+01:00

Here are what tractor tracks looks like after some snow and ice.

Blurred away, near the tree, there is a car with a man standing near it: maybe I was not the only one taking some photos of this nice landscape :-)

Snow on the countryside: Snow and ice, a frozen still life

2013-01-09T09:00:00.000+01:00

Here is another frozen puddle.
I liked the strange shape of the ice :-)
I also find interesting the contour of snow and earth.

Snow on the countryside: Crack! - Walking on (thin) ice

2013-01-08T09:00:00.000+01:00

Here you can admire my foot, in all its magnificence :-)

And this is what happen when you walk on thin ice: You mustn't do it...
...unless you are a photographer who is trying to break a frozen puddle (no more deep than an inch) to take a photo of it :-)

Snow on the countryside: Water river under the ice - Frozen still life

2013-01-07T09:00:00.000+01:00

Sometime a frozen puddle can make for a great subject :-)
I like all the different kind of appearance that a tiny piece of ice can show.
Also, the mix of water and air under the ice create an effect that recall many tiny rivers.

This is my frozen version of a still life :-)

Snow on the countryside: Branching out to the sky, fading from white

2013-01-06T09:30:00.000+01:00

Here are some trees stretching out to the sky.
I love the way the snow covered the branches, it's like a white contour around the trees.

In this image I've pushed the local contrast to enhance the "white contour" effect, I've also faded out the saturation in the lower part so that it give more the idea of something stretching out to the sky (and the perspective does the rest :-).

Snow on the countryside: Earth and snow - A mountain for an insect

2013-01-05T09:00:00.000+01:00

Here is a tiny snow mound, I like to think of it as a mountain for an insect :-)

Snow on the countryside: Contrail toward natural christmas balls - Tree with hanging things

2013-01-04T09:23:00.000+01:00

Here is another photo of those hanging things that looks like natural Christmas tree balls.

In this photo I've been lucky enough to capture the contrail of a plane flying in the sky :-)

Snow on the countryside: Double vanishing point - Snowy ploughed field to the horizon

2013-01-03T09:00:00.000+01:00

Did I already said that I love the bumpy looks of the snow over ploughed fields?

About the photo development: in the lower part of the image I've reduced the saturation, and increased the contras, to make the bumpy looks more prominent. And the fact that the furrows go as far as the eyes can see, is definitely a plus for this image :-)

Snow on the countryside: Natural christmas tree ball

2013-01-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

Here is another one of those strange things?
Anyone know their name?

Welcome to 2013, Happy new year!

2013-01-01T00:00:00.000+01:00

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

All the best for 2013!

Snow on the countryside: Bumpy snow to the horizon - Snow like human cells

2012-12-31T09:00:00.000+01:00

Here is another field covered with snow.
I absolutely love the bumpy looks of the snow.
The lower part of the image is in BW with increased contrast, to make the bumpy looks stand out.

The snow, when it's like that, remember me the image of human cells that come out from electron microscope:


Scanning electron micrograph of surface of alveolar epithelium of human lung with two type II epithelial cells (EP2). Arrows, boundary (terminal bar) of type I cell. Asterisk, nucleus of type I cell. Bar, 5 m. (Source: From Weibel 200.) Image from Lung Cell Biology

Snow on the countryside: Natural christmas tree balls

2012-12-30T10:00:00.000+01:00

I really don't know what these things are, I found them on some trees near a field.
I like to think of them like some kind of natural/organic Christmas tree balls :-)

If someone know their name feel free to post it in the comments :-)

Snow on the countryside: Golden frozen bubble

2012-12-29T08:30:00.000+01:00

Here is some frozen bubble in an icy puddle.
The day I took this photo I spent no less than 30 minutes crouched down taking photos of frozen things... I was near a field, in the countryside, and many joggers and bicyclers passed by looking at me curiously :-)

Snow on the countryside: Canal haze, and snowy stone pillars - The road toward the light

2012-12-28T08:30:00.000+01:00

A nice morning with some snow in the Italian countryside :-)
In this shot I really like the haze comping up from the canal, and the tiny bump of the fresh snow over plowed fields.

Snow on the countryside: frozen branch and distant trees

2012-12-27T08:30:00.000+01:00

A frozen branch, snowy fields, and distant trees. Italian countryside.

Snow on the countryside: Water reflection in the fields - Snow over trees

2012-12-26T15:04:00.000+01:00

Tree reflection in the canal

Some weeks ago snow came down during the night... the day after the sky was clear and blue.
I didn't resist the temptation: I picked up my reflex and made a trip in the countryside to take some photos.
I spent about 90 minute walking in the fields and photographing nice things, I depleted 3 batteries, and took about 800 photos... In the next days I'll post some of the best images I've been able to develop.

In this specific photo, you can see some fields covered by snow, and the tree's reflection in the canal.
In this image I pushed the exposure/contrast of the canal, to made the refection more interesting.
There was a light haze coming up from the canal, you can barely notice it in the lower right corner.

Here is how it look from the Google Car :-)

View Larger Map

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Côte d'Azur, French Riviera: La beach et les waves at Saint Aygulf

2012-07-28T17:50:00.001+02:00

Vagues à la plage de Saint Aygulf

I've been some day in France recently.
Here is a photo of the Saint Aygulf beach.
There was a strong wind that day, the waves were high, and they made for an interesting subject :-)

The "real life" color of the sand and the sea in the unedited photo were pretty pale... but I've worked hard to give this image some punch, I believe that the nice subject deserve it.
I like the final result, it does have an HDR-ish appearance, but that's intended :-)

For comparison, here is the unedited image.

Unedited RAW image, original from camera

Salsomaggiore's hills: The sun in the sky 2

2012-03-01T09:00:00.000+01:00

Here is another view of the landscape on the hills near Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy

I've posted here another photo of the same place.

Burning cast-iron stove - Ember on fire

2012-02-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

A cast-iron stove, with some ember and wood burning

Time flies guys: I've shot this image in 2004, during a graduation party of a friend of mine.

I bought my first compact digital camera in 2004 (it was an Olympus C-4000 4Mp).

I always thought that fire is an interesting subject to photograph, but I don't have many occasion to take photo of it.

White frost at dawn - Sarp bushes

2012-02-23T09:00:00.000+01:00

White frost at dawn

It was one of those Sunday morning: clear sky, very cold temperature, DSLR camera at hand, and a garden full of hoarfrosted things...
Direct consequence: one hour spent in the cold, shooting at everything :-)
In these photos you can see some "bushes" of white frost... on the roof of a blue car (this is why the shadowed zone are so blue-ish).
In these photos I like the sharpness of the frost, and the contrast between the blue-ish shadows and the warmth of the sun-lighted zone.

White frost at dawn, Black & White version

Parma, Parco Ducale: The light and the tree - Leaves on gravel at dusk

2012-02-20T09:00:00.000+01:00

A streetlight near a tree at dusk, Parco Ducale, Parma

In this photo I really love the tone of the sky at dusk. I also like the warmth of the streetlight, and the pattern of leaves on the ground. The contrast between the warmth of the streetlight and the coldness of the sky do the rest, I really like this image! :-)

Parma, Parco Ducale: Snow and streetlights surrounding the lake, in colors

2012-02-17T09:00:00.000+01:00

The walk around the little lake in the Ducal Park, in Parma.

Here is the sepia version of this image, I've already posted this photo about one year ago.

Which one is your favorite?

Under the fountain 'Reloaded' - Frozen ice stalactites

2012-02-14T09:00:00.000+01:00

Some ice stalactites under a fountain in Castell'Arquato (a small medioeval town located in north Italy).

I've already posted this image back in 2009, but I've re-edited it recently. I like the new result, it's more... "icy", so I think it's worth another look :-)

A cup of white wine - Sparkling gold

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000+01:00

A cup of sparkling white wine

I took this shot during a friend's wedding.

Sometimes I like to take macro shots of bubbles: they are all similar, but you can't find two that are the same :-)