When Marco and Natalia asked me to shoot some photos of their newborn I was already thinking about several places where this could happen. But which place could be better than Lucerne?

 

Last summer I went to take some shots at an event with huge fireworks. It was the first time I took a fireworks shot seriously and I presented myself with my tripod. After the shot, I have taken a look at the resulted JPGs thinking I haven’t done this great job I thought about.

Now after some months I cropped them a bit and the result doesn’t look bad at all.

Here they are…

 

I have available for sale 4 fine prints on canvas:

San Francisco by night

Times Square #3

Times Square #2

Chrisler building

Heartland Brewery

Most of you, when thinking about “Bellagio” are thinking about the hotel in Las Vegas. Unfortunately (for most of you), Bellagio represents one of the most beautiful and romantic villages on the Lake of Como.

If you are interested in visiting Bellagio you can read about it here.

Here some of the pictures I took some weeks ago in Bellagio.

I have been working recently on a new logo for the pictures to be posted on my blog. I have made three different versions. Please vote your favorite.
Thanks!

Version #1 – Photography

Version #2 – Website

Version #3 – Pure logo

I have seen many people posting about travelling and the pictures they take here and the pictures they take there. Well, this is a different story, where this time I decided to leave my gear at home.

How does it work?
Well, first of all you must be sure that you are going to a place that you have visitet plenty of times so that you won’t take pictures. Then you must be sure to have enough to do that photography is the last thing you can think about.

What could let you think it was a bad idea?
Honestly it all depends on the weather, I am currently in Amsterdam and we are having days where the rain doesn’t let you out of the hotel. But there was one thing that I didn’t consider at all: after the rain is finished, the sky has a beautiful color and it’s all full of nice golden clouds.

Plan B
We all need a “Plan B”, mine is the mobile phone, even though I always said that I would never post a picture made with it. I start believing that a point&shoot camera is not a bad idea for this kind of trips. Probably the Canon G11 could serve these kind of occasions. It gives you the flexibility of writing RAW files and it’s very much portable. Of course nothing compares to my Canon EOS 5D MkII, but to avoid shooting with the stupid mobile phone I think it’s an affordable alternative.

Now go out and shoot… And don’t ever leave your gear at home…

Just to be clear, when I first started my photographic experience with an SLR and later with a DSLR I would have never thought of reaching the point of shooting a wedding.
Shooting a wedding is not an easy thing to do. You have to be prepared days in advance, know the places, know the timings, know the bride and groom (B&G). And it doesn’t finish there, after you have shot for a full day around 1200 pictures, you have to sort out which ones are going to be a keeper and have a deep dive in post processing for about a week.

The wedding is a moment in time, you can’t repeat it, you shoot that moment or you have lost it forever.

Andrea and Sandro are my first experience in this magic world. I asked Sandro to shoot a pre-wedding session to create a feeling between myself and them and understand how they react in front of the camera.

From this first experience I can give some suggestions:
1. If you have never done it, don’t do it. If you don’t know what you are doing you may screw it up.
2. Have a backup, this includes a camera, lenses, flashes, batteries, memories and even a person that can help you in the setup of the various shots.
3. Have a script, know exactly what will happen and when.
4. Get in touch with somebody that knows everybody, this will be handy in the moment you will have to shoot formals.
5. Be there, you can’t leave for lunch and miss important moments.
6. Never shoot at a friend or a family member’s wedding, it may jeopardize your relationship with them.

From what I have heard from the B&G, I haven’t done a bad job for the first time and they are quite happy about the results.

So long,
F.

A couple of shots from the rings

Her shoes…

Her bouquet…

Him…

Her…

Them…

Have a nice life together you two…

Corners in Amsterdam, originally uploaded by Franzli.

Walking at night in Amsterdam is quite inspiring, especially with a wide angle lens like the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM.

Forks – Kenko Extension Tubes test, originally uploaded by Franzli.

I have recently bought a set of Kenko Extension Tubes and I am having fun shooting close-ups.
Enjoy my forks.

My Canon Lens Lineup, originally uploaded by Franzli.

I know that the most important thing is how to use a lens and not the lens you use, but it’s good to be ready for every shot with the right focal length.