countryside

For those of you who don’t know, I was a backcountry ranger in Yosemite several years ago and have been trying to get back ever since!  So I used scouting as an excuse; I continue to try to convince Joel that a Sierra workshop would be amazing!  If you’d be interested, let us know…  The Sierra Nevada are as beautiful as I remember- it’s no wonder Ansel Adams spent so much time there.  I spent most of my time in the high country so all of these locations are 10,000 ft (3050 m) or higher.  I hiked about 35 miles in 3 days and my maximum elevation was a mountain pass at just over 12,000 ft (3700 m).

24mm, f4.0, 1/250, ISO 80

24mm, f4.5, 60 seconds, ISO 100

24mm, f4.5, 1/100, ISO 100

24mm, f8.0, 1/250, ISO 100

Photo Tech Notes:
I used a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 for all of these, a small light weight camera with a lot of control.  I used a polarizing filter on all but the night shot.  I carried the Pedco Ultrapod Mini (tripod) with me in my backpack- small and light weight is a necessity!  I used Lightroom 3 to process my color photos and Joel helped me use Photoshop, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Topaz Adjust and Topaz B&W Effects to process the black and whites. NOTE: For a 15 percent discount on Nik or Topaz products, use the links here and when you check out use the code JWOLFSON.

We made it back home in about 30 hours…  Wow!  Very tiring, but happy to be back.

The day before we left, a local gave us a tour of a private castello (castle) that dates back to the 10th century.  Parts of it were destroyed and/or damaged and reconstructed over the centuries and it was at the center of a farming community.  It sits on the highest point between Florence and Siena, which made it a strategic location throughout history.  One can see for miles in all directions from the top of the high tower.  The current owners’ family purchased the property in the late 1800s.  They make their own wine, olive oil and honey.  Also on the grounds was a Romanesque church from the same time period- I thought the old wooden doors and stone walls were beautiful with the dappled light coming through the adjacent oak forest.

Ciao!

Today, we were lucky enough to be part of the “crowd” during a national cycling race.  Watching how excited the people were was just as fun as the race itself.  All the locals were posted at their windows to watch it, a better view than from the street I think.

After the racers left on their 150km journey, we noticed the trophy tent…  Only in Italy do athletes get wine as part of their prize!

A local told us that this race is the last qualifier before riders go pro.  I have to say, it was very exciting- especially the finish!  It was really close at the end. Of course it was a great place to take photos too.  All in all, a fun and pretty relaxing day.  Once the race started, we couldn’t go anywhere anyway- everything was fenced up.  And we didn’t mind at all.

Ciao!

I snapped the poppies with beautiful background on my way back to our hotel after lunch yesterday…  if only this was my view at home!  The sepia tone below is inside an ancient abbey that just begs to be shot in black and white!

Today we were actually in Siena- I hope to get a shot or two from our participants for my next post!  Siena is one of my favorite days on our trip…  We have a terrific guide to take us to some of the most important sites and tell us all about the history of Siena.

In Siena, the Palio is their most important “festa” all year long and occurs twice, once in July and once in August.  The city becomes a different place during these two events and the rest of the year revolves around the Palio.  We are looking into basing a photography workshop at the Palio for 2012…  Very exciting!

Ciao for now.

Yes, I had to use that line…  sorry!  Here are a couple snaps from our journey today to Siena and the scenic drive back through the country.

In Siena, everyone hangs their laundry on dry sunny days. Today was absolutely gorgeous and there was laundry everywhere!

It is very early in the year for the farmers to cut hay, but this was freshly cut… amazing scenery, but not a lot of color.  I thought it made for a nice black and white.

Gelati today in Siena and a delicious zuppa di farro e fagioli (bean and wheat berry soup), and pici al aglioni (fresh local pasta with garlic tomato sauce) for dinner…  Mmmmm!

Ciao!

Here in Italy, old Fiats are prize possessions…  at least the ones that are still running anyway! We’ve seen red ones, white ones, black ones, even an orange one. It seems every village has at least one old Fiat. Of course there is a back seat, but I can’t imagine who could fit inside it!

Right now there are flowers every where. The roses are blooming and smell wonderful. Italians are all about presentation in every aspect of life, and flowers are often their finishing touch on the beautiful old houses.

We arrived yesterday afternoon and fought the jet lag to stay up late enough in the evening to “reset” ourselves.  We had a light dinner of fresh pasta and salad at one of our favorite restaurants and a good night’s sleep.

Today we spent the day driving some of the back roads to scout our shooting locations.  Although the Tuscan scenery changes little, it is always beautiful and amazes us so!  The sheep are not so smart, but very cute!  And their milk makes very tasty local cheese…

For dinner this evening, we cooked fresh ravioli tartufo (truffle filled ravioli) and asparagi (asparagus) from the local market…  Mmmm!  Tomorrow, Montepulciano and Montalcino.

Ciao for now!

We’ve made airline reservations for our Tuscany 2011 tour and this time we’ve given ourselves a few extra days to explore an area north of where we base our workshop.  Hopefully we’ll also get a day or two to relax, but I admit it’s difficult to relax when there are so many amazing things to see!

Before we go to any area new to us, we do a lot of research both by internet and good old fashioned books.  I research the culture and flora, and Joel likes to know which villages face the rising or setting sun.  I have wildflower, tree and plant books in both Italian and French.  Whether or not you take one of our workshops, it’s worth doing a little research before you travel!
Here’s an image of a beautiful, prolific wildflower in Tuscany called the greater boccione (pronounced bo-chohn-ee) and a field of red poppies near our village.

Ciao for now!

Ok, so it’s been a while…  but I am committed to keeping up with the blog!

In recent news, we completed a couple more workshops in January, Basics in Scottsdale, and another Adobe Lightroom class in Flagstaff.  Lightroom is a great piece of software…  and I don’t say that very often!

We only have a couple spots left on our Tuscany tour in May and it should be an amazing trip as always (see back posts on the blog if you’re interested in what we’ve done in the past).  We’re working on a fun new location so there is a possibility we may not do it again next year!  We will have more information on this in a few months…  However, if you or someone you know is interested in Tuscany, take advantage of it this year.  We’d love to have you!

This image is from 2010- that’s our village!

Join us November 10th for a special evening where Joel will take you on a tour of Italy.  He’ll show some of his favorite images on the big screen.  During the presentation, Joel will share stories and techniques behind the images providing useful tips on how to take your own stunning travel photos.  Time will be allowed for a Question and Answer period after the presentation.

Location:  Scottsdale, AZ
Date:  November 10th, 2010

$10 per person for reservations made by Nov 1st ($15 per person after that or at the door).
Light refreshments will be served.  Advance reservations are required.
Proceeds from this event benefit the Arizona Art Alliance and the Sonoran Arts League.

Contact us now to secure your place
Payment by check only
For more info, visit the website.

Click here for a sneak preview of some of the Images of Italy

Ciao!  Hope to see you there…