Planning a big trip? Get a wall map!
Now that we have a map of Italy on the wall, a road atlas and of course the internet, we have started planning the route that we wish to take. A route that will take us along the spine of the country via various places to Rome and then up the western side of the country through Tuscany and finishing off in Lombardy. That is the gist of it anyhow.
The first leg of the journey is quite straightforward as we will follow the E45 and E35 between Verona and Rome. The second will be a slower paced route along far less major roads. This leads me to ponder over the next part of the planning – finding our accommodation that fits best with our travel plans.
I am hoping that some people will be able to offer us advice on hoe to go about this. Agriturismo appeals to us and we do also camp.
It’s a challenge! Exciting though and I will keep this journal going on the blog.
Winkworth Aboretum
I rolled out of bed and took a peek out of the window, no sign or rain and the stars were visible in the sky. I was even more delighted to see that the cars were covered in a heavy hoarfrost. Excellent, perfect conditions for some autumn photography and with that in mind I sneaked out of the bedroom, downstairs, grabbing the already prepared camera bag and tripod. Oh and I did get dressed before leaving the house too. It is vital to be warm when the weather is so cold, so good clothes are a must. I warmed up the car, which took a little while, as it was an ice block and headed for Winkworth in Surrey.
Winkworth is a very popular location at this time of year, especially with photographers who go there for the autumn colours, so I wasn’t surprised to find that I wasn’t alone when I got there.
I am contemplating going back there soon for some more photos but there are other places to visit too.
One trip booked – skiing in the Dolomites
Tina and I are eagerly looking forward to a ski trip in February which we booked last night with two friends. As my friend Marc plans what ski boots to take and when to start waxing his skis… I am deciding on lens and filters to take. Will they allow me to take a tripod instead of skis as excess baggage? Our location is Passo del Tonale and will tell you more soon…
Planning the big trip
Planning for the future is one of the most important things that I do and since my business is split between the Internet and photography, it is even more of a challenge. Most of the time the two go hand in hand but inevitably, depending on current projects and contracted work, I often find myself heading off more in the web direction. This is purely because that is where the real money is and helps keep a roof over my family’s head. On the other hand I am my own boss and can take a break from the “day job” stuff and venture off on photographic adventures and to be able to really plan and prosper from them both financially and I guess, emotionally. This has it’s rewards. So whilst the long nights draw in and I battle with the London Underground (ironic considering I am contracting for TFL), I can plan my next big trip…
Here I begin documenting the plans for “Italy 2011″. My wife and I will be going there twice next year. The first trip will be for just a week, as we are going skiing with friends and the second, as I’ve mentioned on this blog already, a voyage of discovery, a whole month exploring the wonders of northern and central Italy.
To be honest we have very much a blank canvas at the moment and we could go just about anywhere. Our ingredients for the journey are 1 car, the two of us, provisions, clothes, tent, maps, books, hiking boots, plenty of shoes, sunblock, sunglasses, fictional books and let’s not forget the camera kit and laptop! Since we are driving, we can take whatever we like, we don’t need to worry about airports and baggage allowances and this means that I can take my tripod, all lenses, Lee filters and have the ability to store all of these things on a computer along the way. I shall talk more about the gadgetry later because in the meantime, we need to decide where exactly we are going to go!
We will most certainly travel by ferry across to France and then from there we shall drive through France, Switzerland and into Italy.
Danger lurks in the dark streets of Chinatown
http://www.google.com/buzz/nickeblewis/Cj2Lq2yaRP9/Had-a-scary-moment-in-London-tonight-We-were for the story about what freaked my brother and I out whilst taking these shots…
Two friends
Photographing people is not easy, especially when you are walking around on an autumn evening wearing a bright red raincoat and wielding a chunky camera with lens affixed. I made a mental note to wear something darker next time, to camouflage myself against the darkness of the streets. It also seemed to attract some unwanted attention (as I will elaborate later in the blog).
The main thing is in catching people unaware for a natural looking shot and also so that you don’t have to explain yourself afterwards. I think I was really lucky to catch the exhaled cigarette smoke which adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the image. Doing this in the dark is even trickier and requires a fast lens which I am fortunate to have. This photo was taken at 1/80th of a second with an aperture of 2.8, so wide, wide open. I used an ISO of 640 to keep noise low and used Lightroom 3 to suppress this in post production.
More of these photos are queued up for the next few days and more about the near mugging experience we had in my next post…
Cabo São Vicente
The extreme south west of the Algarve is untouched by modern tourism development. Driving along the straight open road made me think of Africa on one hand and a little bit of Cornwall. So I was half expecting to find a theme park on my arrival at Cabo São Vicente. Thankfully we didn’t see any sign of pirates or signs that you have to pay for to take a photograph* of pointing to New York, The moon and Bill Gates house.
The landscape there feels vast and the soil is a deep red, not at all disimilar to that of the African continent. The geology also becomes more dramatic with towering cliffs and the mighty Atlantic at their base. It’s the kind of landscape where you feel small and get the feeling that man hasn’t developed towns there much because he feels overwhelmed by it’s sincere majesty. The weather systems on the cape, as with many other similar locations can throw anything at you and change so quickly.
Our drive along the final 5 miles seems fairly solitary and then all of the sudden there are people, motor homes and a travellers market selling mohair jumpers. The sellers look morrocan, completing the illusion that you have already left the European continent before you’ve had much of a chance to reach it’s very edge.
We felt far away from our villa base in central algarve.
* as an aside. I did take a photo of that sign some years back with a big telephoto. My photo included some people willingly paying to take a picture. My photo sold through Alamy.
Italy: planning ahead
We are currently planning a trip around the upper half of Italy to take place in May. These plans will also include how this blog will play it’s part in that journey. I will be taking a full photographic kit with me because we shall be travelling by road in our own car. In addition to that, I will be carrying a laptop and my smartphone, so want to assess my options with regards to mobile internet on the continent.
Lots of stuff to contemplate! Any advice will be gratefully received.I will be writing about this as we plan and as the time approaches.
I would be keen to hear from people who have been on a similar trip in the past to share ideas. Where did you stay along the way? I’ve heard agriturismo are a great option and that some monasteries offer lodgings for travellers for example.
