Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

It cannot be stressed to much; it's the light that makes a photo interesting. It has to be captured at the right moment. Here are a few examples of what I want to make on ongoing subject. These were shot here in Sicily.

I just bought this potato focaccia at my favorite supermarket in town where there a man in the deli section who makes all sorts of baked goods. Today I tried this delicacy that defies it's basic simplicity by rewarding the palate with a subtle taste. A drop of olive oil will enhance it's flavor.

Nobody likes summer and the sun as much as I do but on these oppressively hot days, I think of those cool and pleasant days in the Poconos. Never happy, I guess.

Of course these effects could have gotten with post production manipulation but the E PL-2, my current favorite travel camera, has these so called art filters that allow these in camera. Of course they ma be tweaked later in Photo Shop. these are out of the camera so to speak. No other manipulation was added. The B&W photo of the small window uses the grainy black and white filter while the other use the so called dramatic tone filter. Of all I like to use the soft focus filter and have posted and will post other shots with this very pleasant filter. I really do not like manipulations of all kinds but at times they are fun.If this isn't fun why bother with it.

Nikon Announces Development of 800mm Super Telephoto Lens Nikon Inc. has announced the development of a new 800mm Super Telephoto lens with Vibration Reduction and fast Silent Wave Focusing. This is fully compatible with both DX and FX DSLR Models, and  obviously, it has been designed with sports, news and wildlife photographers in mind. This is a serious Nikkor lens that's both dust and water resistant, and will be shown to Professional Photographers at the upcoming Open Golf Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England, between July 19th and 22nd 2012. Nikon has been an official sponsor since 1993. We shall see if it will replace those white body lenses by Canon Inc. favored by most sport pros. Once Nikon was the only game in town.

This is the color of the sea when you look down from Piazza Petrolo here in Castellammare del golfo.

Just a few more from this truly mystical place.

I just bought this Sicilian delicacy, ricotta al forno or  baked ricotta at my Friend Vito il Buongustaio  Or Vito the gourmet. He has the best delicacies in town. Of course all ricotta here is made from sheep's milk  giving it a sublime  but intense flavor. It is nothing like the insipid one found in the States.

It's hard to keep up which photos have or have not been posted but some are worth re-posting. These are some of my favorite shots taken long ago here in Sicily. I want to share them again. All shot on Tri-X with the Canon FT and the Canon 50mm F1.4 FL.

It is so hot here that i feel like my whole being is wilting. I believe that this mystical photo I shot in April may help. Stay cool wherever you are. This doesn't apply to my visitors in the southern hemisphere - I actually have a few - who are enjoying cold weather.

Pentax Ranks Highest in J.D. Power and Associates DSLR Buyer Satisfaction Report In the 2012 DSLR Online Buyer Report from J.D. Power and Associates, Pentax ranks highest in Online Buyer Satisfaction, with a rating of 899 on a 1,000 point scale; performing particularly well in durability and reliability, variety of features, ease of operation, and shutter speed/lag time. That is for point & shoot cameras, naturally. This report also notes that "Pentax's customer base has shifted since 2011 from casual photographers to those who consider themselves semiprofessional or professional photographers". So, we suspect that customer perception of Pentax as a higher quality brand may be improving, too. This is an interesting result. It will take market share away from Nikon and Canon.  For example, this latest report from J.D. Powers and Associates indicates that all of the major manufacturers scored between 801 and 899 on a 1000 point scale. So, we commend all of t...

I just love this area of the Eastern United States. Mystic, Connecticut is a true gem, albeit somewhat touristy. Nevertheless the food is great and the scenery is breathtaking. Using the soft focus filter on the E PL-2 I can make this place truly mystical.

I just ate this .delicious dish of pasta cu l'aghia . Literally, pasta with garlic. However it is made with a mortar and pestle into which you put rock sea salt on the bottom, then place garlic that you beat allowing the rock salt to make it like a paste. Then the same goes for basil. Finally you add fresh peeled and cut up tomatoes, stir it all up with olive oil and set aside. Add the mixture to al dente pasta. A local pecorino may be added

These delicious yellow plums are just about ready to eat. Slightly tart but very tasty.

Being an animal lover  and especially a cat lover, I invariably keep on running into cats. This little darling was looking ot a window. I like the proportions. I know it's not really a great photo, most of them are not actually, but what the hell, I could not resist. Thanks for visiting. I donot say this enough.

I actually abhor winter with all it's inconveniences: short cold days,  wind, rain and even snow. Actually snow does create some nice photo ops. With this heat, I do sort of long for a wintry day or two but not more than that really. Just looking at these images seem to bring some psychological relief to these hot and humid days.

Frankly I believe that these photos are silly. They are at best stupid and unprofessional. The goal of a pro is to please the client, so called artistic goals that in this case are really inane notwithstanding. The man is trying too hard to be different and he has shown his ass as my African American brother would say.  as we say in Italy. This really talks volumes about the state of photography these days. I feel that everything has been photographed so this craft is on it's was out. It has gotten just too silly, to the point of irrelevancy. This is taken from a DP  Review article : Photographer Joe Klamar's portraits of US Olympic atheletes have caused a lot of controversy this week, especially in the USA. Reaction to the shots, taken for French photo agency AFP, has been varied, with many commentors dismissing his images as unprofessional at best, and at worst unpatriotic. Others have defended Klamar, arguing that his apparently unpolished images represent a delibe...