Early digital work

Shot in early March of 2002 with the Olympus E-10, a very competent 4 mega pixels camera that had a very nice lens. This is the old waterworks building, I believe, in Freeport, Long Island.

Borage

This is a vegetable little known in the north east of the States but is a very popular winter green here. It is usually cooked with fava beans and other legumes but I like it simply boiled and served with a little finely chopped garlic and real olive oil; it's wonderful on a cold wintry day.
These were bought from a farmer who had just come to town. No GMO's here, guaranteed.

Just two more from Siena

By now you realize that I love Siena. So bare with me just these two shots taken with the Nikon D-200 and the Sigma 12-24 F 3.5-5.6 EX lens.

For instant artists

With all the nonsense with Instagram one should  be careful and some of the more sophisticated point and shoots have many so called art filters already built in. These filters do not involve Instagram.

Instagram v.1.0 Filters Come to Lightroom

There are a few existing Instagram style filter presets already available for Lightroom, but the folks at Really Nice Images say that theirs is the first in the world to emulate not just the newest filters from Instagram, but the filters that the app was originally released with.

Really Nice Images says that their digital imaging experts reverse engineered these filters using GretagMacbeth color matching techniques, and that they've been optimized for the sRGB color space. If you're so inclined you can pick all of the Instagram presets for $30. Presets are available for Instagram v.1.0 and v.2.0 separately - each set runs $20.

Visit Really Nice Images for more details

Winter

It's been unusually cold here in Sicily but the country side is replete with what we would call spring flowers. This was shot a few  days ago in the country.

I'm very proud of these [part 2]

Canon FT

Leica M-4

Canon FT

Canon FT

Again street photos taken long ago and all on Tri-X my all time favorite black and white film.

Greetings from Sicily

Honestly, it been colder than usual here, naturally the results of global warming, but you cannot tell from taking a ride to the country where all sorts of wild flowers are blooming. This photo is of Guidaloca beach in Castellammare del Golfo shot 2 days ago.

Rice with broccoli Sicilian style

These very delicious and simple dishes can only be created with the local products that we have here. This celebration of nature as Luigi Barzini described Italian cuisine, can only be pulled off when all the ingredients are super fresh , of the highest quality and organic.

I bought the broccoli that had been harvested an hour or so before, the rice came directly from Vercelli in Piemonte where the best arborio rice is produced, the olive oil came from my neighbor who gave me some this past November, the garlic is local and so is the incanestrato cheese, the Sicilian pecorino.BTW, this is the best time of the year to make cheese here.
Boil the rice and broccoli together and drain. On a dish put some freshly cut up garlic-small pieces- and some real olive oil. Add the rice, mix well add some more oil and top off with the cheese. It's another of those cucina povera dishes very in with hipsters etc. It's also a vegan dish but I do not care about it. If you get fresh broccoli from a farmers market in the States, give it a try. American broccoli have had their flavor taken out, so to speak, but if fresh they are still good. As for the other ingredients try to use the best quality available. Buon appetito carissimi amici e seguaci di questo blog.

The fascination with the sea

It is a given that people are attracted to water and fire. The marina in Castellammare del Golfo is not only very pretty but it fascinates an ever increasing number of visitors. Here are very colorful fishing boats that are ready to go out fishing on night. I just love the bright primary colors. The camera was the Canon 30-D

Comfort food / cucina povera

It doesn't get more typically comfort  food in these parts than pasta con patate, pasta with potatoes. It may sound strange but it's a superb dish that has potatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaf and tomatoes. Very easy, very economical and very tasty. Of course it must be sprinkled with good pecorino.

Siena's most famous piazza

This is the piazza where the famous Palio di Siena, a very old horse race that has horses from competing neighborhoods is held each summer. It is a very large space with delightful rinascimento buildings. These were shot with the Nikon D-200 with the Sigma 12-24 F 3.5-5.6 lens. A very difficult lens because of it's super wide angle range. The photo date from April of 2007.

What flavor, what aroma

Mandarini, or Mandarin oranges. Of course those grown in Sicily are totally delicious.  Just bought a Kilo for an Euro and it's the best way to keep colds and influenza  at bay.

Venice always revisited

I keep finding interesting photos of Venice so I want to share them. These are from April of 2008 with the canon 5-D.

Generosity Sicilian style

Anna Maria's freshly baked bread

I got off  the plane and a friend of mine picked me up at the airport, After declining his invitation for lunch because I was very tired and sleepy, I went home and took a nap. Of course I had very little to eat in the house and being a Sunday afternoon in January all the stores were closed. Mr dear neighbor Anna Maria had just returned from the country where she had just made home made bread. When she offered me a loaf, I could not refuse. Just with some real olive oil and some Sicilian incanestrato, that is Sicilian pecorino cheese, I was virtually in ethnic heaven. The generosity of Sicilians is unique. Thank you Anna Maria, you made my day.

Early evening walk in Siena [part 1]

A very interesting small city where in the historic center there are no cars so walking is very pleasant.