Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

It's easy to get attracted by the great architecture of Venice but there's a trove of great photo ops by observing people. Here a re a few such photos. These were shots on various trips there.

I actually agree. This is quite an annoying trend but it can also be a result of food becoming almost to pretty to eat, Food Photography Being Banned from Some High-End Restaurants Whether it's a friend, family member or even yourself, we all know someone that's obsessed with taking pictures of the food they're about to eat. Most folks are content with a quick iPhone shot, but others, according to some high-end New York restaurants, take it too far. People are using flashes, bringing Gorillapods and even standing on their chairs for the perfect shot, which interrupts the eating experiences of those around them. Considering that many of these restaurants charge over $150 per person and seat under 20, people expect a certain amount of ambience. "It's a disaster in terms of momentum, settling into the meal, the great conversation that develops," says chef David Bouley. "It's hard to build a memorable evening when flashes are flying every six mi...

Erice, that wonderful hilltop town overlooking Trapani  smack at the north west corner of Sicily, is usually very hectic when one stays on the main streets. However, one is never far from the less frequented alleys where peace and quiet reign. Walking here is very peaceful and rewarding. These recent photos were shot with the E Pl-2.

I hope you can bare with me and don't get bored of the images of my beloved birthplace. I just love it. This shot of the tourist marina with the castle in the background was just shot with the LX-7 pot on the vivid setting thus creating a more contrasty image, The time was shortly after sunset.

This very simple comfort and cucina povera   food is now called risotto but it differs much from the traditional Milanese risott i as it's very simple and has no meat or chicken broth. I cooked the cauliflower in olive oil,  peeled and  then crushed tomatoes, and garlic. Sea salt and black pepper  was added to taste. This is the classic affogato recipe that here in Castellammare we used to call brocculu pisciatu that means "pissed on cauliflower." Please do not ask why. I cooked the rice al dente and then added it to the cauliflower. It was served with local incanestrato , the Sicilan version of pecorino cheese that has a tangier, fuller taste. Simplicity in itself and great for a rainy wintry evening supper.

I have written about the changes in photography many times before. I thought these changes were at first sort of wild predictions but I am amazed as how fast the photo scene is changing. Rescinding its previous blanket ban against all mobile photography, international stock photo agency Alamy has announced that it will now allow images taken on mobile devices in its Live News service. To be accepted into Live News, Alamy has stated that smartphone images must have news, sports or entertainment value. And in case you were wondering, 'Instagram-style filters' are not allowed. Click through for the full story on connect.dpreview.com.

I rarely use the Photoshop tools that can change an image drastically. Being a "classical" photographer, I believe in taking the shot at the decisive moment. Any fixing up is done to improve the original image idea. But these are times when I like to "fool around" with judicious amounts of saturation or color balance to get something that wasn't envisioned at the time the shutter button was pressed. I do not do this often but it can give some interesting results. You be the judge. Obviously these images were shot in Venice.

The sea has been rough due to the extreme winds. Here the waves can be seen goung over the sea barrier that protects the marina.

This delicious olive bread is from a local wood fired bakery abd I bought in a supermarket. Wonderful. This is not becoming a food blog, All these photos are being shot hand hald with just room light. The LX-7 has an uncanny ability to get the light balance right, All shot on auto white balance,

These photos date from the summer of 2004 and were shot with the Olympus D-300, a very nice camera.

Frankly I do not like all this sharing and uploading. But it's the new reality. Nikon Renames my Picturetown and Revamps the Service . The old name was really silly. Nikon's photo sharing site, formerly known as my Picturetown, has been revamped to have greater appeal to photographers. It's also been renamed to Nikon Image Space, which we'll definitely call a dramatic improvement. Nikon Image Space gives you 2GB of free online storage for your photos and allows you to upgrade to 20GB for free after verifying that you're using a Nikon camera. The 20GB account also garners special privileges such as the ability to require a password for shared images. The revamp of the site not only makes the presentation of photos more attractive, but offers faster processing, faster response times for editing images as well as faster uploads and downloads. The new site launches on January 28th at NikonImageSpace.com

I realize that here in Sicily we are spoiled about the weather and everyone complaints. This January has been nasty but only rain and nor really very cold weather. The fields are all green and full of wild flowers, It's really beautiful.

The finished artichoke dish. Delicious.

Shot in early evening as this fisherman is about to go out. The place is Castellammare del Golfo in August of 2007.

This is baked ricotta, a delicacy here and especially good at this rime of the year when the ricotta is at it's best. The ricotta here is naturally made from sheep's milk.

I must admit that I was very skeptical of the future what essentially  is a classic half frame system.  This was when more and more pixels seemed to be the rage. With the recent changes and improvements in phones and small cameras, this format looks very respectable. Of course there will always be medium format and full frame adherents as in the old film days when some shot with 8X10 view cameras, Nevertheless, in view of the phenomenal results I have achieved with my E PL-2, I can personally attest to the excellent quality that this format is capable of achieving. Press Release: Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd., JK Imaging Ltd., PHOTRON LIMITED, SVS-VISTEK GmbH and ViewPLUS Inc. join the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group Olympus Imaging Corp. and Panasonic Corporation jointly announced the Micro Four Thirds System standard in 2008 and have since been working together to promote the standard. Now we are pleased to announce that five more companies have recently decl...

These fabulous  Sicilian artichokes purchased at the farmers maker here will be cooked with garlic and parsley in a little water. Their tops that are very spiny and almost dangerous will be cut down and they will be stuffed with bread crumbs, olive oil, pieces of parsley and garlic with sea salt from near by Trapani and black pepper. I will post  a photo of the cooked ones.

There are photos everywhere if one sees them. Just walking around with my LX-7 here in my Castellammare. These are taken off old buildings that will soon be gone.

 You tell me. As for myself, I believe that the Brooklyn Botanic Garden [these photos are shot in the Japanese Garden] is the most beautiful place in the whole city. It's just wonderful. These shots were taken with the Canon D-30 and the 16-35 F 2,8 L lens. Something to warm you up on a winter day.

This is the house where aunt Terina Lived. It is now rented out to newly settled immigrants from North Africa.

No trip to Venice is complete without an excursion to Murano and Burano two wonderful islands that are easily reached with the Vaporetto service. While Murano is famous for it's glass making,  Burano is known for its colorful houses that have the most varied and bright colors. These were shot with the Canon 5-D and the 24-105 F 4 L lens. A great optic but really too big and too conspicuous in calling attention to itself. I now favor smaller cameras when I travel.

This place is so quiet at this time of the year that at times one feels very lonely. But what can I do, The food is wonderful and so is the espresso and cappuccino. The countryside all green and full of flowers.