I was in Italy this past September. I’ve never been out of the country before other than a trip to Vancouver Canada or Nogales Mexico, which is not saying much! My work takes place in a dark 2000 square foot studio shooting things that don’t talk back…still life, food and product. I saw this European trip as an opportunity to shed the constrains I place on myself in my daily photographic routine. I decided to take one camera and one lens. My choice was the 50mm lens which best resembles our own visual view of the wold as seen through our eyes. I wanted to shoot the people, places and tables-scapes that I immediately responded to without any preconceived notions.
My approach to shooting people was to shoot mostly from the hip (literally) I didn’t want anyone knowing they were being photographed. This was very exciting because I never really knew what I was going to get, and that didn’t matter. I let my intuition and understanding of the field of view of my lens guide me. After each day of shooting I would go back to the hotel and look at my files and enjoy the surprises.
I let everything I shot be quick, spontaneous and completely composed in the full frame of the viewfinder. I kept a promise to myself that I wouldn’t crop my way into a better picture…it must all be there in frame or forget it.
So here are some of the results…Enjoy!
