I started with the one thing that I lamented the most, of not having shot around my city a lot and consequently not enriched our The Lonely Walkers tlog. It’s not always easy to look at the streets you walk everyday with fresh eyes, so last week I happily accepted an invitation from a friend and colleague of mine to go out a night and photograph at Luci d’Artista, Christmas lights all around Torino central streets made by famous artists.

It was lot of fun strolling around the city, laughing and taking pictures. It turned out to be a kind of improvised workshop, and I am glad I have helped my friends learn a bit more about photography.

These are some shots from that night.

 Porta Palazzo and beautiful colourful reflections on the wet pavement.

A sea of lights over Piazza Palazzo di Città.

The sun is always shining…

Reflections of Piazza Carignano on my favourite bookshop window.

Detail of the light installation in Piazza Carignano.

It obviously was a good excuse to photograph more than just Christmas light installations, and be inspired.

Mysterious masks in the old University.

Colours flowing on the river Po

And here the four of us almost at the end of our peculiar excursion, exhausted but happy.

I’m a big fan of both BLACK+WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY magazine, and the Silver Efex Pro 2 monochrome conversion plug-in, which I use via Photoshop’s Elements 7.

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In their issue 134, which will be on sale on 26 January 2012, B+W mag will have a review of the best black and white conversion plug-ins, as well as an article entitled “Getting the best from Silver Efex Pro 2″.

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I recommend both this magazine and Silver Efex Pro to anyone at all serious about monochrome photography.  I’m often asked if Silver Efex’s effects can be reproduced in Photoshop and the answer is probably yes – but Silver Efex makes them more easily accessible and easier to use.  Here are a couple of reviews – there are certainly more on the net:

SEP 1: 
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/plugins/silver_efex.html

SEP 2:
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews/plugins/silver_efex_2.html

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If you want to find out more about B+W mag:

http://www.thegmcgroup.com/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=698
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Adrian

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Horst P. Horst. Mainbocher Corset, Paris, 1939. 

I’m an avid reader of Black+White Photography magazine and in the November 2010 issue, Elizabeth Roberts, the editor, wrote something that I don’t want to lose sight of – and which I’d like to share with you all here.

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The quote comes at the end of a book review – Julian Schnabel: Polaroids.  This book’s were images shot with a 20 x 24 inch vintage camera, and Elizabeth describes them as highly personal and tender – she notes that in these days of ultra-reality and high definition, that it is “delightful” to come across photos that possess  intimacy and integrity through their lack of sharpness and definition.

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And she ends the piece with this, to me,  simply wonderful and inspiring quote: talking of these pictures, she says “They are what photography was and still can be about – an interpretation of reality, not a representation.”.

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That I’m 100% in there with Elizabeth’s sentiments can be summarised by what many of my American safari clients said, decades ago – “Gee, Adrian, great British understatement!”.  And that I 100% recommend Black+White Photography to any of you who have arty leanings and/or enjoy painterly images – that is also understatement.

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Most photo magazines revel in the sharpness of lenses two stops in from their maximum apertures, in digital sharpening, HDR and foreground to background sharpness in landscapes, etc etc, but I think there is a great amount to be said for less sharp images, particularly where more nebulous presentation enhances mood, character and atmosphere.

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My friends JP ( www.cameravagrant.wordpress.com ) and Sheila ( www.imageryoflight.wordpress.com ) have posted really good blurry images.  In fact, with In Limbo (nowhere to hide), JP probably showcased the softest and most diffuse picture I’ve ever seen but for me, wow!, it hits the spot!

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So, say it softly.  Try it.

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FATman

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That’s what I think about most of the times too. The first time I went there was for a summer holiday, and I have very good memories of the hot weather and the blinding sun. I went back to Barcelona on more occasions since then, and I had the pleasure to see it during different times of the year. I saw this splendid city in winter twice and the vision of it has stayed in my heart ever since. A totally different winter from the ones I am used to here on the mountains, yet still a very charming one.

It’s not a secret that I love cold weather. I love rain, grey skies, snow, wearing scarves, coats and boots. But I especially love winter light. Colder and crisper yet more delicate, almost like a gift during a dark season.

That’s what I like best in my city, Torino: rain and mist and cold. And that’s what I liked best in Barcelona too: crisp morning light, almost deserted street, wet pavements with dew.

I miss this Barcelona. I had wished I could go there during Christmas holidays but airlines are making it harder (just impossible to find any reasonable prices even with low cost companies and searching on different airports and dates… hate them more and more!), so I am obliged to put it off. With great disappointment and sadness.

The Lonely Walkers photographic project will go on Tumblr with a winter version, but just not as Emma and I had imagined at the beginning of this autumn. I like to think that this is because our own cities still have some stories to tell us both, and before switching visions they want to be heard and told.

A few years have gone by since those first tentative steps, and I’ve been experimenting other fields of photography, but nature still remains one of my favourites. So I thought it would be nice to share with you some tips I have learnt along the way.

1. Take your time to find out what you really like photographing about nature. It’s such a vast field you could almost get lost and end up with a lot of pics but none you really love. It could be landscapes, animals, macro and details, sky and clouds, the sea or the mountains… experiment then make your choices: your photographs should convey your personal vision on nature, your feelings and sensations.

2. Don’t be in a hurry but be ready to catch the moment. Nature requires a lot of patience. And when I say a lot, I do really mean a lot! You have to investigate before going on an excursion, know the place in advance by doing researches, especially when it comes to mountains or out at sea, or just anywhere you’ve never been to. Then you have to walk and look for your perfect locations and subjects, then walk again to come back. If you’re shooting animals, you need to know their habitats, then lie in wait – sometimes even for hours, depending on the animals and the situations.

3. As for any kind of photography, the best hours to go out shooting are at sunrise and sunset. But when it comes to nature, this is a gold rule. Not to speak when you’re near lakes, rivers or the sea… imagine all the reflections that light will offer you. Then of course, you can break the rule and just shoot at midday or any other hour you prefer, as long as you’re happy with your photos it’s great.

4. Be ready to go out with threatening clouds, wind, rain and snow (and be prepared to protect your camera!). Sunny days are pleasant but quite boring, so when going out on those days look for light that fascinates you (I personally love shooting in backlight) . Weather can dramatically change the mood and the beauty of a photograph. You’ll sometimes end up soaked up in water, probably with a cold, but with fabulous shots.

5. Have fun, enjoy the beauty of nature and be respectful of it. Naturalistic photography is a great way to discover amazing places, and most of the times they are not so far away from where you live. You don’t need to travel the world to find breathless beauties. Some of the pictures I love the most where taken a few miles from my house. Discover, experiment and enjoy every second of it.

I hope these few tips have helped you. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions that come to your mind, or to leave your comments and experiences. I’d love to hear from you!

Luzern railway station

Last weekend, it was my turn to jump on a train and go to Switzerland to visit friends living near Zürich. I particularly love this city, it’s very lively from a cultural and architectural point of view, while walking through its streets you feel it bursting with ideas and new projects without forgetting its past but revisiting and taking the best from it.

Freitag shop, Geroldstrasse 17 Zürich

I had already visited other cities in Switzerland and this time I had the chance to go to Luzern too, but Zürich remains my favourite. And I will say more, even though I love nature, and the mountains and the lakes in this country are breathless, I still prefer Zürich. Elegant, modern, young, lively, not too big nor too small.

Viaduktstrasse, Zürich. In this block it’s not unusual to see photographers at work…

I still have to discover it better, go to exhibitions and museums, and live it more. There’s no better way to know a place but to see it with the eyes of someone living there yet remaining curious to catch glimpses of the unexpected.

Until next time, here some more photographs for you to enjoy.

Geometric reflections in Luzern

Cosy sunset in Zürich

Ready for some shopping?

Violet reflections on Limmat river

because what more could you need

because what more could you need

Today we’re recommending you two free ebooks about street photography by Thomas Leuthard: Going Candid and Collecting Souls. Whether you are new to this field or you want to discover more and find new inspiration, these are made for you. They’re really are worth a reading. A simple and flowing style, with lots of amazing photos, make these ebooks a source of useful tips and inspiration, even for the veterans of street photography.

Don’t forget to follow Thomas Leuthard’s work:

Flickr
85mm
Google+
YouTube
Twitter

In that same post I encouraged you to dare and offer yourself to people you know or people you may want to be in contact with… you never know! and the worst-case-scenario would be you never call each other again and you have a wider portfolio. That doesn’t hurt anyone…

My offer went beyond expected and I was asked to attend the rehearsals as the official photographer of the theatre company, that way I have some more work to do and my agenda has less empty gaps, but my name will be somewhere, my photos will be shown somewhere besides my website and gallery and my name will be pronounced by others.

If I had never offered myself as a photographer, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to work with these people. It’s just a small job but it’s an example of how important it is to keep moving and keep going out and keep showing your work and, most importantly, keep working.

Any similar experience you want to share? How do you promote your work?

It’s not about just taking a photograph of a street but portraying its essence, the life and light in it. I like to photograph people the way they are, beautiful but also human and perfectly imperfect. I think streets have an identity to show as well… the way light crosses the streets, the walls and ground, how streets welcome people and host them, how that street portrays and shows the identity of the city itself.

Of course people is very important for me, too. The way each person interacts with a place, the way one feels welcome and sheltered by it… it’s the feeling and the “use” we make of the street (maybe I feel this because I come from a place where we “live” the street… we enjoy it, we play in it when children and walk a lot when grown ups). For me the street is a place to “use” as well… and I need to feel something with that place, I need to feel we connect, I need to like its face and personality… it needs to be honest to me. I like to see it how it is “lived” and feel the stories it can tell.

Since a while ago I developed my love for windows (home windows) into a love for any type of window which lets me see what’s inside. It made me feel people was interacting with the street even when indoors. It’s funny… (I think I talked about this before) I love those countries which have bars and restaurants with so huge windows, people sit next to the window as if no one could see them… now I’m starting to see that in Barcelona but it was not that common till a while ago. That let me get further in my street photography and link a real connection and interaction between the street and the individual, because the street is not only a passing by path but also a landscape we choose to get lost in our minds, to disconnect, to have a coffee or… in some cases, that “stranger” we don’t notice but it is there observing and keeping our company. In the end we are part of the landscape, thus, we belong to the street.

It’s nothing else but a portrait… of a place but still a portrait, with its smiles and deep looks, with tears and raw “skin” texture, rough and daring, shy and simple, beautiful, real, lived and alive, big and cozy…