Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

There are two famous outdoor markets in Palermo, la Vucciria and Ballaro' . There is also a major RAI TV Talk show named Ballaro' because it's a market place of ideas and diversity.  Of the two. the latter is the larger and most important. It has the air of a market in Arab cities and is obviously a result of the brief but important Arab domination. It is full of colors and sounds, not to mention tasty foods.

Photography is nothing but manipulating light. Seeing the light and it's possibilities and then trying to capture them in a still photo. These are from Sandwich, Mass. in Cape Cod. I tried to play with the light as it interacted with the trees and leaves. The images are all back light as this gives the most interesting images.

Camera shipments are falling and are continuing to fall The Japanese imaging manufacturers association, CIPA, has just released its global shipments report for the first half of the year, and the news  is bad. Between January and June 2013 Japanese manufacturers shipped just short of 30 million digital cameras - that's a 45% drop in a single year. And it's not just point and shoots in decline: SLR and mirrorless sales are down too.  

Panasonic is becoming the leader in the Micro Four Thirds format Panasonic introduces the Lumix DMC-GX7 Panasonic USA has introduced to the public the  Lumix DMC-GX-7 as a replacement to the very popular of GX-1 IHC of 2011. The GX7 boasts has many upgrades over the GX1, including a new and improved 16-megapixel Live MOS image sensor, a faster maximum shutter speed (up to 1/8000 of a second, fastest speed of all the Lumix G-seires line), a new high resolution EVF (2760k dots), a touch screen display (same as seen on the DMC-G6 ), image stabilization built into the body (a first for the G line), and an updated processing engine to name a few. All of these features (and more) are packed into a compact body that offers a high-quality feel thanks to its magnesium allow construction and large hand grip. The Lumix DMC-GX7 is scheduled to start shipping this September (2013), with a suggested retail price of $999.99 USD for the body only, or $1099.99 USD with the update...

These "frames" from very old windows show the rich variety of architecture in Erice, I decided to convert them to black and white.

These court yard were shot in Erice, that fabulous medieval town that sits atop Monte San Giuliano above Trapani smack in Sicily's north western corner, We got there on an unusually cloudy day with fog. More shots will follow soon.

The traditional cameras are becoming dinosaurs fast Canon Adds a Unique New Compact Digital Camcorder: The VIXIA Mini This morning, Canon USA released information about a cool new digital camcorder that's aimed at social media types and bloggers. This small unit has many appealing features, along with a price tag that will not cause palpitations. Main features include a 12.8-megapixel BSI CMOS image sensor that records full 1080p HD, plus full 12-megapixel resolution  on still images. All video and still processing is handled by Canon's DIGIC 4 processor, and the camera sees the world via a fixed f/2.8 fisheye lens, which offers a 160 degree FOV (Field of View) in video mode; 170 degrees in still mode. Other nice features include built-in Wi-Fi for simple sharing of your work on Facebook and YouTube, Live Stream options using Canon's CaemraAccess2 smartphone app, a built-in adjustable stand (tilts up to 60 degrees), a microSD card slot, and a tilting a...

These archival scans go back quite  few years. They were all taken with the Canon FT, the  Canon 50mm F 1:1.4 FL lens and on TRI-X. Washington Square Park, New York City, June 1969 Washington Square Park, New York City, June 1969 Sicily, 1972 The camera captured these moments and magically froze them in time keeping all subjects young.. It would be interesting to see what they all look like now,

These lovely and very "off the tree fresh" Sicilian prunes are absolutely delicious. I just purchased at my favorite scaru or farmer's market and want to share them, at least photographically. with you.  

We passed by the small town of Capaci, west of Palermo on our way back to Castellammare. Always looking for good places to eat, we asked an extremely courteous and helpful woman in a coffee roasting store, where we could get a good pizza. She replied that she knew where we could get exceptional pizza and came out of her store to explain how to get there. This pizzeria, Rosso Pizza, did not disappoint. First of all, the people, all  relatively young, were super courteous and very accommodating; but what really  impressed us was their enthusiasm with what they were trying to achieve. Italians may not be serious about many things  but when it comes to food they can be super serious. This place was totally organic or biologico as the  Italian term is and they used four types of flour mixtures for  each possible pizza choice. Needless to say, I have never eaten better tasting and better cooked pizza. Superb. I must come back. .

Driving aroud in Sicily one sees many road sides stands that sell anything from food to old tools. He are some handwoven local baskets. These are made from local plant fibers.

These old cooking and kitchen utensils were at a road side stand or really on the sidewalk. They do make for  interesting compositions.