View in the Frame - open and yet enclosed

Through the eyes of being a photographer, I begin to love windows.  Window is like the live view screen on the camera, it helps to filter through the wide open space and frame the ideal image to please our eyes.  When an image has a focal point, it is given a meaning and therefore appealing. 

Tuscany, Framed

The rolling hills at Tuscany is like lines and lines of poems that rhymes and goes on and on to no end. I did not use a telephoto lens and I felt that I could not focus on one segment without carrying it on to the others. As we cruised along the road, I fast-produced lots of panorama clips which seem to satisfy my anxiety to take in everything, but at end of the day, I found the images framed are more attractive and drive me to be more attentive.

I did bring my tripod, but it does not always practical coming to the popular tourist spot where I either had to dodge hundreds of heads or there was no extra room for a tripod. September is usually not a prime tourist season, but it still is here. I found myself constantly in the way of another photographer and had to snap my shots whenever there was an opening.

Grape Vines, Under and Up-Closer

Lodging at the place next to the acres of vineyard is an unforgettable experience. The smell of the rows and rows of ripen grapes flows into the air a sweet and vinegary aroma. It is enjoyable to walk down the vineyards; It is soothing to rest under the structured grape arbor; It is captivating and satisfying looking through a window with grape vines and ripen grapes hanging down... Wonder why I did not see such grape arbors in Willamette Valley. Maybe our grape vines are too young to be manipulated as a sustained structure?

Either we look through the windows from inside or look in from outside, the frame (window or door) can easily transform the dullness to magic. I like French doors. The images shown through the checkered panels are like a live version of puzzles.  This simple lunch place serves freshly-caught fish, home-made pasta (of course), killer appetizers and potato croquettes that melted in your mouth after you break the crunch on the surface. If not for the wood frames, the white light bulbs and planters, the ocean scene will disappear and no ambiance to speak of. I just cannot get enough of these open frames.

Difference is in the Framing

Not until recent trip in Italy, I did not think much of open doors and windows without glasses.  The distinctive history of Italy has established its exceptional styles of architecture. Instead of wood frames, there are stone and rock version that often remind me of the stronghold and fortress in historical Roman Empire.  They were built upon a long and hard history, meant to be unbeatable and forever lasting. I wowed when I walked into this space and was wholeheartedly in love of what I saw. The view won't be so stunning without the dramatic stone columns which bring in the contrast and frame for us a natural painting.

 

How do you like to live in the house where a large panel of open window unwraps for you the whole world of sea below and the blue sky above, right in front of you? Don't you feel like you can walk on water and easily reach out to the sky? This house makes me dream. That's what I am talking about...

Now I understand why Terra cotta color is so popular here. I cannot think of a better color to harmonize the sky and the earth, and to amplify the entire color scheme to its extreme, so perfectly.

It is the combination of vintage flare, the color drama and the ultimately irresistible nature. It is the Italian charm that draw people over here, time after time. This also explains why the Italian designers are so inspiring and outstanding.