It Is a Quiet Night

It is holiday season. I shall be shooting Christmas Lights and I intended to.  However, by the time when most of the lights were out, I was not available for two weeks. Two days ago, I finally had my freedom back. I had all my gears packed (including stocking cap and glove) and headed out for Christmas Lights hunt. 

After one hour scouting, I stationed my tripod and was ready to fire my first shot, I felt the mist blown on my face. I thought it was the extreme cold chill, but no, the mist turned to drops, from small to large. It rained and heavily after ALL THAT.

Eugene rain usually does not persist and I expected it to go away, but it only got heavier and heavier. I just got my camera damped last month and spent a good $250 price tag to clean it. I took risks no more. So I packed up and went home.

After years of putting up Christmas trees and hanging ornaments, I am doing it faster and faster each year by eliminating the numbers of ornaments. In fact I have given away most of my ornaments and only kept a few favorites. Christmas Lights are designed for short lives. They are easily burnt out, and we only replaced a few.  Our Christmas tree is dimmer and dimmer. I tried to shoot a few ornaments, but it was just not working.

I looked at the Angel that I bought from a Macy’s sale many years ago and thought how I have never taken a picture of her.  It seemed to me that she was whispering, “how about me?” She is made of pure white porcelain with simple gold trims. I liked it for its simplicity and elegance. She is there all year around, but I have not really taken a close look at her when she is lit in the evenings. Now I do, I feel she is really a source of a peaceful night. She has been faithfully there playing the tune of Silent Night，but my mind was always somewhere else.

I turned around and found this white Christmas tree. I like the warm tone and its serenity. Sitting at the corner of the house by the window, it sheds light to host a nice resting and reading area. The reflection seems to represent the year has almost passed and will be soon left behind. And the well-lit one is just ready to launch its first step, in two weeks.  

This year of 2014 seems to pass so quickly that I am not sure if I have accomplished much. I cannot believe that I have been writing my blogs for two years and that has become one of my routines. I wish that the new year is as bright and promising as it looks, and I will be able to have my little dream and wish fulfilled here and there.

An old candle holder that I have kept for decades. The design is that Japanese paper mache with real leaves embedded inside. My Asian origin prompts me to like traditional Asian arts and this is one of them.  I purposely shot this in a dark room. The dark and solemn tone better portrait an old tradition and old culture. It illustrates deep root and aged history. It is simple and yet packed with ambiance.

Italian Friendship – Vacation at IL Borghetto

Il Borghetto

Three months have passed since we were in Italy, but the wonderful experience we had at Villa Il Borghetto is still in my mind. It makes me smile whenever I thought about the beautiful settings and the amicable people there who own and manage the property. 

Simona, Chris, Richardo, Steve

On our arrival at the first night, we met an American couple from Indiana, Larry and Carol, who were on their 9^th visit to the villa ! They have now made it their annual trip to come back here. How much chance would you want to visit the same place year after after? The question was answered after we had our one week stay here. I came to understand where the temptation comes from.

Prior to this trip, I have been in Italy at least half dozen times, but all of my previous trips were arranged by travel agents. This is the first time that we were aiming for a self-tour, an adventure.  Regardless how well we have planned, we missed calculating the time needed between arrival at the airport and the villa out in the countryside.  Garmin rocks in many countries, but it often appears confused in the remote country locations. We arrived very late and missed the check-in deadline; however, we still received a warm welcome from Ricardo and Simona. Richardo helped us with our luggage and Simona handed us the key instantly that we were able to settle in the apartment without any hassles.

Nicola

After 22 hours, we could simply drop our bags in the room and walk into a nice and cozy dining room for our first glass of authentic Chianti wine. A gourmet 4-course dinner was served with true Italian hospitality.

Sandra

Nicola brought us a 4-page wine list and give us an introduction of different types of Italian wines. Whenever a dish is served, Cesar would explain to us the ingredients and spices used. Steve loves to try varieties of wines. When he found out that Sandra is the wine connoisseur, he has been getting her advice for our dinner wine choices. We consumed one bottle a night for five nights, but we were told it was nothing in comparison with the intake by other people.

We were in a foreign country and in a rental, but we felt like at home and chatted with family and friends. We were not dining at a regular restaurant, instead, we enjoyed a home-made and authentic Italian cooking right at the villa. We either dined inside the restaurant with tasteful decorations or outside in a large gazebo area with candle lights and a sky full of stars.

Amazing enough, the main chef in the kitchen is the mother of Richardo and Sandra. I love almost everything come out of her kitchen. In fact, I have since learned to use plum sauce on sliced pork, various sauces on different pasta and easy dessert with lots of flavors.

At the villa, the pace is easy, peaceful and relaxed. Every morning we were welcome with a pre-dawn fog hovering over the vineyard. Layers of hues change as sun rises. It is surreal and heavenly.

The moment when the sun hits the horizon, I couldn't usually wait to rush to this spot to observe the majestic nature scene. You can pick up a morning read and sit on the balcony or you can open all your windows to suck in the freshest air.  For me, I ran down to the lower level in the wide open space to set up my tripod awaiting for sunrise.

The view is fantastic from all angles. Often times I lost my choice of focal point because there are so many beautiful subjects right in front of you and for you only. The villa was fully occupied and yet it was so quiet that you think you have the whole place for yourself. I cannot count how many times I have run down these stairs and wandered into the vineyard to get my shoes wet and to smell the sweet aroma of fresh grapes.

As daylight gradually took over the whole place, the main entry of the villa comes to sight. I would climb up to the upper level where the swimming pool is and overlook the place. Beyond the building, there is the typical Tuscany scene, rolling hills and vineyards. And, I love when they are overshadowed by morning fog.

I tried not to shoot anything when the sun was up high. So here came my quiet time. I had a cup of Italian coffee to sip and my laptop to work on the photos. And, I could easily locate a spot to lounge myself in without any interruptions.

Either it is a recliner along the poolside looking out the vineyard and mountains in distance or simply a table and few chairs on a casual corner. You are guaranteed to enjoy to your contentment.

This is a lovely vacation spot with home comfort and ease. You are far away from city and not too far away from reality. You are surrounded by beautiful nature, but not far away from civilization.

You run into friends from other parts of the world and enjoy little chit-chat to broaden your world view in an informal pace. Friends who choose to come to the same place have obviously liked something in common and the conversational harmony is a pleasure.  And, I cannot tell you how nice Richardo, Simona, Nicola and Sandra are.  Whenever you need them, they are there and they make you feel like you are part of their family...

Now you know why I miss this place so much. We surely hope to come back soon.

P.S. Something is going on with the layout. I simply could not get everything aligned... more skills               that I need to have.       

Il Borghetto
info@ilborghettotuscanholidays.com
  

One Day Tour in San Francisco

When I lived in bay area, I often dragged about going to San Francisco. Traffic heading north on the freeways and in the streets are both horrible. In the 6 years time, I may only go through the city 5 times. Have never driven through Golden Gate Bridge by myself; Have never taken a picture of the bridge. Have always adored the architecture of Palace of the Fine Arts Theater, but I only appreciated it from distance. Painted Ladies are one of the tourist spots, but there are so beautiful Victoria houses in San Francisco. 

When they were all readily available, I had all the reasons not to take a close look at this world-famed city. But photography has changed my mind after 20 years. More so than Seattle, it is one place where there are endless photography opportunities: architecture, landscape, street, close-ups and even wildlife is quite different from Northwest. 

These chatty and noisy guys are common in California, but not in Oregon.  They are talkative and their behavior makes you ponder the sophistication of their brains. You would think that they are better companions than dogs and cats because they talk back to you, but not many people have them as pets because they are very high maintenance as I found out. It still amazes me how they are created to mimic human language.

Lombard Street is famous for its steep brick street with eight tight turns for vehicles. People live in this street have already had lots of practice, but not the tourists like us.  Driving up and down needs extra precaution. There are cars parked in front of all the houses and there is perpetual traffic flow. The only place where I can take a picture is one street down, but then, the electric wires are in the way.  This street needs an aerial view and our bird buddies have the advantage that we don't have. Looking into their eyes, I think this is exactly what they are chatting about.

Then, checking out the elevation difference between where you are standing and where the end of the street, the water front, is.

Anyone else would have a better bridge shot than mine.  It is just like SpaceNeedle in Seattle. Everyone is shooting it, so am I. There are 5 recommended locations to shoot this bridge from different angles. Sunrise light does not last long and I only tried one of them.  The bridge in Astoria is my first attempt to shoot a bridge and this is the second one. There have been too many good shots taken by countless photographers. I am posting one because Golden Gate Bridge is the most renown landmark in San Francisco.

In the past I did not pay much attention to Painted Ladies. Standing in front of them, I was not too impressed by them.  But after the photos were loaded, I found the colors of the houses are really quite beautiful and the architecture details are very classy. Blue sky and modern buildings are the backdrop while the foreground green grass and trees give a natural touch and balance. As a whole, the colors are stunning. I am glad that I take the picture, not just walk by.

When I got to  Palace of Fine Arts Theater, the sun was up high, but I had to shoot something. Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed shooting in this place. I felt that I could use a whole day, but I had only 1-1/2 hours. The architecture is utterly beautiful and sophisticated. I was attracted to the large formats and also many intricate details. Too many subjects to shoot but too little time to spend. I know I will surely want to come back and spend more time here.

I used my wide angle lens for this one and the one below. The monster and majestic structure make me feel incapable, but I gave it a shot anyway.

At this point, I am not sure if I am standing on the ground of San Francisco or in the courtyard of Cesar's Place (I meant the one in ancient Rome, not the one in Las Vegas)...

And, there are two pairs of Swans on the pond. They are so elegant and so beautiful. I must have taken 20 or 30 shots of them. As close as 5 feet, I could not make his black eye stand out next to the black patch on his beak. Swans and Peacocks must be God's favorite. He certainly spent more time creating them. 

Just a quick browse, I am liking San Francisco more.  If not for anything else, I will definitely come back here for photography. Remember Tony Benette's "I left my heart in San Francisco"? Oh, mine, that golden voice.

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care

My love waits there in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me

What door would you knock?

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you.” This is a Bible verse. In case you are not a believer, I think this applies to everyone and on all occasions.  When your mind is set on something, be persistent and your perseverance will lead you to it.

If you are following my blog, you know that I have obsession for windows. Door, on the other hand, is welcoming and is the key leading us to our destinations. I have not taken too many door pictures, but as long as I have chance, I would always snap a few.  Modern doors are mostly manufactured in an industrial setting where the products are governed by specs and the styles are very uniformed. Sculptured trimming or fancy molding can be added, but body is more in a standard format, rectangular. Most of the people like to photograph aged and distressed doors. Or, door of the character of its own.

This one is surely not that standard spec door. It is the entry for a pretty large house. I am surprised that the door is not larger. I bet a 6 feeter will have to 'humble' down to go through. The door frame tells me it is an European style, but the large urn on the side looks like an Asian piece. The house looks deserted, but the plants on the front porch are obviously well-maintained. Maybe there is high priests (or monks) live there who possess the well of wisdom and are waiting inside for the seekers to knock the door...

It is an carved wooden door with antique door knocker. This door appears to be open most of the time. Luxuriant trailing vegetation has made this entrance a shaded area. Bright sunlight flashed into the space through the arch. The light carpet prompts the curiosity of the visitors. And, yes, through the frame, there is a Japanese garden. Almost everything is groomed and manicured, nice and tight. We know what's inside and an assurance of pleasant experience is confirmed. Play safe, so to speak.

Who does not like sunrise? particularly when it rose above the Mediterranean Sea.  It is a cast iron door without wood or glass. With this backdrop, you would want the fresh air to go in and out with full freedom and you will want the Blue to inhabit every bit of the space. It does not take a genius to figure out what's like inside that door. Breathing in and out that ocean blue, watching sunrise and sunset, day dreaming or count the uncountable stars. And, for photographers to take all the star trail shots at its content. A door to lead you to the dream and indulgence.

 

This image reminds me of the movie Southern Pacific (1958) and its music composed by Rodger and Hammerstein. The retro sepia tone seems to provide a more poetic setting for the classic romance.

So what kind of door I like personally? A quiet and small door, un-noticed. No fancy trim or molding. No antique hardware. Not even a door bell or door knocker. No inviting entrance. It is just be there to serve the purpose for people to enter. It is a door to get to my secret garden where I can hide for days without any interruption; where I can live in my own world with absolute freedom and peace.

Either it is the door leads to seclusion (and perhaps enlightenment); or the door leads to sunshine garden ; or the door opens the blue vanity fair, it is just a door. It is just a bridge to set us off for a destination.  The discovery inside the door will pave the way for our destination, a destination that has been set aside for us individually. We may alter our paths, but we will eventually get there, as phrased in a Chinese old saying, The boat will be set straight at the end of the bridge (船到橋頭自然直).

Cold Outside, but.....

It was a cold morning. Temperature was sub-zero.  Raining. Vegetarians were frozen solid. Roads are icy, wet and slippery. Frozen water drips were hanging on leaf ends. Tree twigs were wrapped in textured ice. Leafs were coated with crystals. Raindrops wiped all clean and ice was sparkling in the light.  Dragging the thought of going out, but I could not resist the temptation.

I bundled myself up with sweater, heavy coat, scarf and gloves. I put my rain coat on and rain cover on my camera.  I grabbed my tripod and slowly walked into the chill, 25 degree (4 below zero Celsius). Rain blocked my sight and prompted my fear to wet my camera in all possible circumstances. I waited for rain to stop or at least decrease to misty condition.

As I was scouting through the trees and shrubs, I spotted something shimmering in the background. There were these two leaf skeletons! I was expecting to see actual leaves underneath, but there was nothing and the skeletons were not attached to the twigs like the leaves would normally do.  At first, I was puzzled. Then, when I was ready to take a closer shot, the smaller 'leaf' melted and crashed on the ground, and I noticed that the large leaf had dropped closer to the tip end.  At this point, I made a conclusion: these two ghost leaves were formed from two leaves above this twig. As they began to melt, they fell and attached to the twig below. I have never seen ghost leaves. This is first.

Normally, ice will cover the leaf like this one. If not for the ice, I would never notice the existence of this leaf, a faded and lifeless autumn leaf. Ice coating has brought up it vibrant colors plus a red berry was involuntarily confined with the leaf. And, the texture is amazing! Background is colorful, but I decided not to add anything. Nature wonder is what I appreciate here.

Twig is just a twig not until it was textured with laced ice. Crane apple berry was down to its life end and ready to wither, but it looks lively with iced texture. In my eyes, live or death is determined by timing and occasion and how we implement the definition. 

after

Almost all of my bird buddies were immigrated south when cold wave hit the region, but my Old Faithful Juncos are always flocked here for the winter. They are hunting their food diligently regardless ice or snow. I would say, most of the bird photographers do not shoot Junco because they are so common and they seem to be always around. To me, they are special because they are my winter buddies. They don't necessarily have dramatic appearance, but they are good-looking birds with a graceful gesture. I have not seen them fighting with other birds. When the aggressive ones come, they would yield and come back some other time. They are peace makers. They don't have to sing or make any noise, but I always know they are there.

before

Nothing extra-ordinary, but I like the peace and soft color tones in this image.  It was just one junco standing on the railing with icicles dripping down. I intended to amuse myself with 'what I had in my mind': It is the time of the year when maple leaves are falling. Evergreen is always green. My bird is here. He is not singing, but I hear the music through the falling leaves... It is all in your mind.

Storybook Styles

I have recently walked by these houses in a posh neighborhood. No taste for luxury stuff, but I enjoyed the unique architecture styles and the absolutely enchanting settings.  Wanting to share the images, but I have privacy concerns for the owners of these houses. So I decided to give them a make-over, make them storybook-like.

We all grow up reading stories. Story books are the main source to initiate the preschool education for our little ones. Nowadays there are countless colorful storybooks available and easily accessible to the young readers. With colorful visual, learning experience is fun and intuitive. The textbooks used in schools are also color illustrative and visual informative that really facilitate understanding and stimulate creativity.

For my generation and from my culture, we learned by memorizing words and sentences. Our textbooks were mostly paperbacks and the illustrations are mostly black and white. We studied textbooks same way how people are memorizing Bible verses. Through frequency and repetition, knowledge is injected into our brains and impressed in our heart. This old-fashioned education style, in fact, also worked. I can very well quote some of Confucius' wisdom and apply it in my daily life.  If it is true wisdom, it lasts forever. Except that my good memory is gone with the wind and I cannot adopt the same method for my continuous education any more. Luckily what I want to know about photography is mostly through visual and physical exercises, not too much reading.

 

I also began to think, instead of writing flat journal, how about making illustrative storybook. I meant, storybook, not just photo book. Photo book contains photos and captions. Storybook has photos and stories but the stories can be written like what we read in the fairy tales.  We can dramatize it and illustrate it the way how it was done in storybooks. There will be a core story woven through and that is our life. There will be drama, i.e. our up and down days. With storybook approach, I would see Up as a gift from the fairy. When I am Down, I can perceive it a temporary visit from the wicked Fox and you know, the bad guys will eventually fall into the terrains. People said, when we are growing older, our heart becomes younger. Maybe I am being recycled now... but I cannot deny that I certainly have lots of fun bringing these houses into my storybook.

Sky is not necessarily to be blue in the storybook realm, is it? Tudor style house is usually not my favorite, but I cannot take my eyes off this one. It is nestled in the thriving evergreen and shrubs. Down the street but secluded enough to be away from the traffic. A charming combination.

 

It is now towards the end of the year, I am sweeping away the old dust left behind and am earnest to start something fresh and new. I don’t bother to contemplate on new year resolutions any more. There are simply too many things that I want to do and I always expect the unexpected. If it is good, embrace it. Otherwise, paint it, color it and change it. It is the same basic idea for the photographers to perform post processing and bring new life to the pictures.

If we can all make our life a colorful storybook and read them like our grand children do, I think we won't have time to pant over pains and aches. Our heart will be light and our mind will be soaring in the blue sky.

Maybe I have been surrounded by wood-framed houses too much and too long, I feel Mediterranean style of white stucco walls are refreshing. It looks clean-cut and steadfast. The tile roof is classic and never go-out-of-style unlike the shingle or composite roofs that we have here, earthy, natural but not long lasting.

Cannot get enough Tuscany, the terra cotta color seems to always popped up in front of me. Entrance door with black cast iron hardware reminds me of my old business and stone trim adds antique flare. How many houses still have this chimney that Santa would be in favor and bring your kids more Christmas presents:-) In this cold autumn days, don't you crave for that cozy sunshine and blue sky?and the colors?

I show this one, not for its architecture, but for the squash Geese on the front porch. I have never seen squash looking so much like geese, maybe only in the storybook. But they are real vegetarian geese ! People in this house must be creative and have a good sense of humor. Don't you love that? I tried to blur most of the area and make the geese and pumpkins more showy. I bet the trick-o-treaters have bombarded this house on Halloween night.

I will continue to keep storybook in my mind and I hope to share more pictures and stories with you.

In Retrospect - The Alternatives

A bit less than two years into posting my blogs, I recently have been pondering why I am doing it and what is my short term or long term goals.

I post my blog every Wednesday since I started and I have not broken once. I have been faithful to maintain the integrity of my content, i.e. to tell the true stories behind. Either I share exactly what comes to my mind or where my imagination takes me to. I can sometimes wander and roam without an end, but most of the time, truth comes and it brings me freedom and ease to simply talk about it.

Grab a bit of sunshine in this autumn day.

It has something to do with my family trait and my personality. If I am onto something, I want to do it right and good. The consistent posting forces me to take more pictures and the process has gradually and greatly helped me to unfold the mystery behind the camera, one layer at a time. I am learning every day and there are still mountains of knowledge to be explored. Foremostly I am getting fresh prospective for life through the lens and that is priceless and unspeakable.

In the end of last year, I looked at the pictures I took throughout the year and smiled at considerable amount of them. However, when I am re-examining my efforts one year after, I found less images make it to my faves list.  I realized that I am not as easily pleasing myself any more. I desire to be better, but I have not been devoted and patient enough to follow the steps recommended by the pros. My tripod still looks new and I barely used my remote release. I am always too much in a hurry and I want to change that. I need to yell out each day, patient, patient and patient.

Rainy day? Play with rain drops.

Every once a while, when my inspiration did not flow, but I had to keep up my routine and so I did. In other words, on a few occasions I blogged because I did not want to break my blogging schedule, inspired or not. I did not feel good when that happened. In my whole life, I swear to myself to be truthful, faithful and (close to) perfect in whatever I do. Once I gamed, I was in for excellence and results. That occasional unease bugged me a great deal.

I have not taken enough time to shoot each image like many other great photographers do.  I should assure that I am using the right lens, pre-visualize the shots, take time to compose before I trigger a shot. But I seem to always fire one of too many shots and take too much time going through hundreds and hundreds images afterwards. Greatness does not come by accident. I have repeatedly told myself that I cannot continue doing what I have been doing. I don’t want to shoot many and hopefully some of them will turn out. I want my mind and soul in before I pull the trigger. 

Frosted hay field? I saw morning glory gradually fading out to night solace.

I also like to spend more time working on certain images to add artistic touch or enhancement of any kind. My interest in black and white photography is growing and I want to attack that area as well.

In my weekly practice, I found it easy to write when the images are in place. It is easy to speak the truth and from the heart. At this stage of my life,  I don’t have to think about product designs or business strategies. It is a simple leisure and it is easy to bring pleasure. I enjoyed it immensely whenever my inspiration flows and my pen flies. 

Taking all above into consideration, I may begin to experiment a less frequent posting. Instead of weekly post, I may start to do it bi-weekly. I am not particularly happy with the layout of my blog, but I am not software savvy and preset format does not seem to give me enough freedom to play with. I am bored to post my images in the symmetrical manner (one to the right and the next one to the left :-<) and I plan to look into other options and make changes.

No dramatic sunburst? How about dainty sun sparks?

When there is no way, there will be another way. I cannot remember who is the singer, but her voice seems to stick in my mind. No cozy sunshine, rain just stopped, cloudy and hazy, but there is still Light and rain Drops are sparkling on the leaves. Murky water,? no problem, just Texture and cover it up. When reality is not as pretty, make something for yourself. This is exactly what photography does for me. 

Blogging has forced me to write and daringly, write in my second language. Blogging has provided me the means to share my images and my thoughts. The impact is unmeasurable and I gratefully embrace it.