Passion … fruit
A favourite shot of grandson Frank when he was around ten months old (he’s now just turned eight and he still loves passion fruit!
Canon EOS 1D MkII with Canon 28-70mmL f2.8 lens at 62mm. ISO 100 1/50 at f6.3
Prosciutto on the run!
Every year in August, as the summer heat continues and there’s no rain, the wild boar in the woods around us become ever more desperate and ever bolder. We see them daily at the moment in the afternoon, snuffling around the field below our house, and of course we hear them at night. Things will change next month when the hunting season begins.
For this image, I heard them grunting outside the window, grabbed the camera and fired off a few shots, only then to realise that the Canon 40D dial had turned from Av to M and the shots had been very much overexposed. However, rather than delete them, I pulled them back a bit on Lightroom and I think the effect is quite dramatic. Mistakes aren’t always disastrous!
Canon 40D with Canon 300mm f2.8L IS lens and Canon 1.4x extender; ISO 400 f4.5 1/60.
Vernazza
Vernazza is one of the five ‘Cinque Terre’ towns on the Ligurian coast of Italy, and for me, I think, the favourite. Maybe that is as much to do with a couple of delicious meals of fresh anchovies I’ve eaten there as the picturesque nature of the town.
The Cinque Terre is a beautiful area of rugged hills on which vineyards and olive groves cling for dear life, tranquil walks along the 12 km coastal path and four lovely towns – I wasn’t so taken with the fifth, the larger Monterosso, which can be seen in the distance in this shot, although it’s a good place to start your walk.
Very busy in the summer season, the area is probably best visited in the spring, autumn or even winter since its benign climate means that it’s never really cold.
Canon 1D MkII with Canon 17-35mm f2.8L lens at 20mm; ISO 200 f5.6 1/1000
Cherry Blossom
Not a very seasonal shot but it’s pretty. Spring was a little late this year in Tuscany which has meant that following our return from Thailand, we were able to enjoy the beauty of some of the blossom in the garden. This image is of a favourite and very happy cherry tree : it loves the spot where it lives – plenty of water!
Postscript after summer – great harvest of delicious cherries back in June/July.
Canon 40D with Canon 10-22mm at 10mm; ISO 200 1/400 f11
Donna alla finestra
This interesting sculpture can be found in Siena on the way into the town after leaving the piazza in front of the church of San Francesco.
It is a modern work – 1995 – but it is connected with one of the ancient contrade of Siena: the Bruco (caterpillar). This contrada has always been associated with the silk trade and on the sculpture can be seen a rose hanging by a thread on which there us a crowned caterpillar – the symbol of this contrade. The Bruco contrade is part of the huge spectacle of the Palio every year in the Campo di Siena. It is one of only four ‘Nobil’ contrade, having been given this title back in the 14C.
The small image on the right shows the sculpture in relation to the surrounding buildings, as well as the flag of the Bruco contrada.
Il Campo, Siena
Dusk over the Campo, Siena with the Town Hall and Bell Tower centre stage. This most famous of all town squares is magical at all times of day and all times of year. It is usually packed with tourists so I was lucky on this chilly December evening to catch it more or less deserted.
Canon 1DMkII with 17-35 2.8L at 17mm, ISO 400 f2.8 1/20
Welcome to the revamped dgcPhoto site, complete with a new theme and a new look.
I’ve been rather busy with other things for a while, so I thought a makeover was more than overdue. I hope you like it.
In many ways, the site is the same as before except that with the new theme it’s easier to navigate and more efficient to load. And the layout is far cleaner.
I’m currently using two cameras: the truly excellent Canon 90D I bought several months ago that is streets ahead of any other camera I’ve owned over the years, and a Canon 100D that I’ve had for a couple of years — a really lightweight little workhorse. I am also using my iPhone SE far more than I expected. The latest OS makes it an incredibly versatile camera.
Keep checking out the galleries; the old ones have been reinstalled and new ones are being added.
What were the ‘other things’?
Check out ‘My Novels’ here or in the menu above where a couple of clicks will take you to the world of ClarkeFiction and details of my seven edge-of-the-seat thriller novels and my wife Gail’s wonderful fully illustrated children’s books.
