Hello there, how much do you like walking on a cold, wet, soft snow? Well, I have to admit, I’not a fan of it, I’d rather prefer the deep blue colour of a wavy sea, but it’s winter time, and I live in Luxembourg. Nothing more to add… :-p
Ok, said that, a city covered by snow it surely offers great photo opportunities, and my challenge was to capture the mood of Luxembourg trying to add the human being element as much as possible and to avoid postcard shots we’ve already seen thousand times here around.
Mmh, doesn’t mean that I did not take any landscapes pictures, but just a few… c’mon, a beauty landscape always deserves to be framed.
My gears
For this assignment, I had the opportunity to fully try my brand newLeica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90/f2.8-4ASPH , a beast of a lens that performs very well an I may say it is not that heavy as I was expecting.
I bought this lens (always from Newoldcamera in Milano) just to add an automatic and versatile zoom lens to my equipment, even though I always prefer prime lenses and manual focus.
But, for special assignments or when travelling, there may be cases when I don’t want to change lenses and I need a fast focus. So now I’ve covered also this need.
Besides that, of course, I have used my great Leica SL and in some cases, the Summicron M 50mm f2. I’m incredibly happy with this camera, totally satisfied with the quality and usability.
White Luxembourg
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That’s all, I hope you enjoy this series, but keep following me and feel free to share or drop a comment down here.
Hello folks, today I want to show you a set of 15 new photos I took a few weeks ago, in Paris. I had few hours before getting the train back to Luxembourg and what’s better than an intense session of candid street photography?
Even when I’m on a business trip I always carry my Leica SL and the Summicron M 28mm f2 ASPH, as they fit well in my ONA bag and they are not so heavy and bulky.
And you know, Paris is wonderful street photographer playground that can give you some cool photography opportunity at every corner, even on a rainy day.
So that’s what I did. Enjoy the gallery below:
Oh, rainy Paris – Series of 15
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That’s it, what do you think?
I would appreciate if you can drop a comment or a critics. 🙂
You can browse the complete gallery and, if you may want to print or buy the high-resolution files, please click on the link below:
Hello folks, have you ever wondered how a little tiny fruit can produce one of the tastiest and used ingredients ever? I’m talking about the extra virgin olive oil and how it is actually extracted from olives.
I may admit that even though I’ve always and only used olive oil produced locally, from my family’s farm, so far I’ve never had the chance to see how is actually produced. And I guess that most of you, have only bought it from the supermarket, packed in a fancy bottle.
Well, there is a world behind that bottle, a long history and an incredible process that deserves to be told and photograph!
Frantoio Griseta, where all begins, since 1930.
The production of olive oil is a seasonal process that usually goes on from November until January, starting from harvesting the beautiful olive trees down the spilling into the metal cans.
Luckily, I was in my homeland, Puglia, at the right time, for Christmas time, and together with my dad, I went to visit a family driven factory, the “Frantoio Oleario Griseta”.
The owner did kindly open me the door of the factory line production and for me was like jumping into another world, perfectly organized and full of history.
The cold pressed olive oil
The process of making organic cold pressed olive oil is made of five important stages:
In more details, here is the traditional procedure.
First, the harvesting, done manually from the secular trees in the iconic Apulian countryside. Then, the olives are separated roughly from the leaves and then ground into an olive paste using large millstones at an oil mill. The olive paste generally stays under the stones for 30‑40 minutes.
After grinding, the olive paste is spread on fiber disks, which are stacked on top of each other, then placed into the press. Traditionally the disks were made of hemp or coconut fibre, but in modern times they are made of synthetic fibres which are easier to clean and maintain.
These disks are then put on a hydraulic piston, forming a pile. Pressure is applied on the disks, thus compacting the solid phase of the olive paste and percolating the liquid phases (oil and vegetation water).
At the last stage, a filtering system separates pure extra virgin olive oil from the water and is poured into the tanks, ready to be sold or shipped.
My reportage with a Leica SL
And here comes my part of the job, the photo and video reportage. To make this reportage happen, I’ve used my great Leica SL and alternate the two lenses i have, Summicron M 28mm f2 ASPH for most of the shots and the Summicron M 50mm f2, for few shots when I wanted a more close up view.
For the footage, I was using the iPhone 8Plus, handheld, just to try to document the whole process. For the future, I want to equip it with a gimbal in order to have smoother movements. Anyway, I’m quite happy with the final result.
The video reportage
Edited completely on the iPhone using iMovie.
The Photo Reportage
The complete gallery can be seen on my portfolio website here:
Milano, here we are! It took me almost 13 years before I could come back to the city where I’ve studied and lived for three years, from years 2003 to 2006.
I have to admit, I’m not a fan of this city, but I cannot ignore the fact that is the only real big city in Italy, undoubtedly, the only city with a vibrant and dynamic life that flows between its streets.
Comparing to 13 years ago, Milano has grown and changed a lot, and even though it is not the place I would love to live in, it is for sure a great playground for street and travel photographer, like me.
Unfortunately, I had only 24 hours to get the most out of it, and, of course, my Leica SL and the two great lenses I always carry along. the Summicron M 28mm f2 ASPH and the Summicron M 50mm f2.
24 hours is not too much but can be a lot, If you stay around until 5 am… 🙂
Go to Duomo in the middle of the night!
Visiting the area of Duomo, the Milano’s gothic cathedral, at night, totally empty from tourists, is a unique experience that I highly suggest you.
There is a kind mystic atmosphere, where the magnificent Duomo dominates over everything making you feel a tiny ant.
But one of my requirements, for my photography, is to always add a human being element to the scene, so I had to wait a bit for someone to cross the empty square, and it happened just very few times.
This is one of my favourites:
A city full of tourists, a challenge for myself
About my street photography, the challenge was to capture a candid moment of life, trying to avoid the tourists as much as possible and, mostly, avoid being trivial and obvious.
That was not easy at all.
To achieve that, giving the fact that I could only be in the city centre, I had to walk continuously and obsessively observe everything to find the perfect moment. And there were few captured moments, I’m quite proud of:
1. Love has no gender.
Maybe an obvious shot, but to me, it isn’t. These two girls were passionately kissing each other, ignoring everyone else all around. Pure love.
They grabbed my attention and so I’ve tried to approach discretely while contextualizing the scene adding the dominating Duomo in the background and the small pigeon in the foreground.
2. The smoking lady
Here, I like the way the light is somehow shaping the scene, guiding your eyes from the bench to the cigarette, and up toward the castle.
And here is the rest of the pictures… I hope you will find something interesting…
Milano, street life – Series of 20
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See you soon Milan, I hope to come back soon as there is still a lots of life to photograph!
Useful links:
To buy as prints or digital high resolution files, please go to my official porfolio page here:
Few weeks ago, I’ve received a new set of cookies from my talented friend Ana (SweetInc.Lux). This time, it was about Christmas and she prepared many different shapes, like the gingerbread man, the woman, the elk, the deer, the heart and, of course the Christmas tree.
I was so happy, but at the same time, I knew it could have been challenging to photograph all of them.
Food photography seems so easy when you look at the final pictures, but there are so many efforts to conceive and create the right stage in a way that the main subject is in harmony with the surrounding and well valorized.
The Set
As I said before, it is not easy to prepare the stage, even more, when you have so many different subjects at the same time.
I’ve tried to create different sets, starting from a simple one, just focused on the cookies. Later on, I’ve recreated a whole situation with a cup of tea and other props, in order to have a more Christmas related atmosphere.
The tools
Camera: Leica SL
Lens: Nikon PC-E 85mm f/2.8 D Micro
Flash: 1 Flash lamp on the back
Reflector: Aluminium sheet on the front to open the shadows
Various props and decorations
This was the first time I was using my new lens, the Nikon PC-E 85mm, and, seeing the results, I may say that I’m fully satisfied with it. Somehow is like taking the best from different brands and creating the perfect combo, Leica+Nikon.
The final pictures
The shooting session was quite long as I had many different shapes and I tried various settings. A challenging subject but I’m happy with the results.
The Christmas cookies – Series of 20
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Useful links:
Another wonderful homemade cookie set from Sweet Inc Luxembourg
Sweet Inc Luxembourg. have a look at her Facebook page, other than the photo series below, to really enjoy the beauty of those creations. And, of course, they also taste great!!!
To order any kind of decorated cookies or cakes, please contact Sweet Inc. :
Photo shooting on Sunday is starting to be a strong tradition for me. And I really like it!
But this time there was a last minute change of plan. Indeed, while I was starting to set up a Chrismas theme session, my wonderful wife said:
how about if I make Tagliatelle pasta? Would you like to take pictures of it?
Lucky me! I said yes, of course.
So I changed the setting and photograph the complete process: from the making of the dough to the final plated meal.
The gears
For the first time, I’ve used the brand new Tilt&Shift lens from Nikon, the PC-E 85mm f2.8
The lens fits quite good on my Leica SL, thanks to the Novoflex adapter SL/NIK. But as a beginner, it is also a bit tricky to use, although can be very creative and funny.
The light
A flash lamp on the right side and a fill-in light on the left, a very simple but well-balanced setup.
The backstage pictures
The happy ending
The best part of the shooting is when everything is done and I can finally eat this delicious homemade pasta1
Remember the special model waiting for a photo shooting a few days ago? In the meantime, I’ve been to Milan so I had no time to follow up on this.
But today I can finally unveil the secret and show you them in all their beauty. And you know, the weekend is Food Photography time for me!
Another wonderful homemade cookie set from Sweet Inc Luxembourg
My talented friend, this time prepared a set of cute and delicious farm animals, like sheep, pig, horse, duck and cow.
Sweet Inc Luxembourg. have a look at her Facebook page, other than the photo series below, to really enjoy the beauty of those creations. And, of course, they also taste great!!!
To order any kind of decorated cookies or cakes, please contact Sweet Inc. :
The shooting took me half a day, it was a simple setting, but I will show you the “behind the scenes” in a separate post, next week. Now enjoy the final pictures.
The Farm cookies – Series of 13
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Useful links:
To buy as prints or digital high resolution files, please go to my official porfolio page here:
And here comes the weekend and so it is Food time! Last Sunday I was busy in making of fresh Orecchiette, a typical pasta from Puglia region in the south of Italy.
It was a fun photo shooting, also thanks to the support and participation of my wonderful wife.
Saturday is my Food Photography day!
Today I show you a selection of the 10 final pictures from this photo shooting, with just a bit of post editing with Adobe Lightroom, as the pictures were almost perfect in camera.
The tools
Camera: Leica SL
Lens: Leica APO Macro-Elmarit-R 100mm f/2.8
Reflector: Lastolite round reflector 50mm
Various props and decorations
The final pictures
The shooting took me half a day, it was a simple setting, but I will show you the “behind the scenes” in a separate post. Now enjoy the final pictures.
Orecchiette pasta, making of – Series of 10
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Useful links:
To buy as prints or digital high resolution files, please go to my official porfolio page here:
A sneak preview of the photo shooting I had today, totally immersed in a beautiful forest somewhere in Luxembourg. A very special place that seems to be coming out of a fairytale.
Autumn is definitely the best time of the year to enjoy the green areas all over the country. The nature shows so many shades of warm colours and the underwood is full of different types of mushrooms.
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