Imagination. Running Wild. Saw these dead wild thorn flowers on some farmland whilst photographing the typical Tuscan landscape at dusk, on the way back from Bolgheri, on the coast.
Tuscany Workshop : Day 3
Tag: 2012
Tuscany Workshop : Day 2
Monteriggioni is on the Pilgrim’s Route from Canterbury to Rome, and is a fortified outpost that protected Siena from the enemy, Florence during the 12th century. This was a grab shot taken again from a moving vehicle showing the ramparts of the city.
A blazing hot day on the Piazza del Campo, Siena. Siena, a tourist magnet has some magnificent buildings, but I was tempted away from the architecture and focussed on the people.
Simple pleasures to inspire a generation
We have finally arrived in to Cerbaiola, a hilltop ‘agri-turismo’ group of restored farm buildings and outhouses where we are staying, in the Tuscany hills after a two hour detour in Pisa. I grabbed this shot of Cerbaiola from the heavy minivan, covering the last kilometres on a narrow unmade dirt track, with my smartphone. It’s s painterly, and reminded me of why I love photography. I remember the simply pleasure of just being able to make pictures, any picture, when I was young and my family to us to the seaside o to the parks.
Sometimes, we need to be exposed to natural beauty, a landscape, a waterfall, or an amazing sunset, to be reminded again of what photography and the making of a photograph really is. We get caught up nowadays with all the technical gadgetry, lenses, sensor sizes, megapixels, or perhaps we want to shoot like Bresson or be famous like McCurry, we loose sight of the basic principles and just the joy of taking pictures.
Venice. It’s been a while.
Click on the image to see a full preview of our latest photobook, VENICE, a collection of superb photographs taken at the Venetian Carnivale workshop by our group of photographers. Apologies that it has taken so long to complete, I can only say, it was pushed back, due to some urgent projects to be gotten out of the way in Spring, right after we returned.Spring became Summer, and Summer is now almost at an end. Nevertheless, sitting here at my desk in the late Summer light, looking at these atmospheric and colourful images of a cold, cold February weekend in the Doge city, makes me want to get back right back amongst the canals and alleyways again during the Winter. Venice must and should be experienced in mid Winter. When the soul is at rest, and the night is serene.
Order your copy now.
Princess Diana : 15 years on
Diana, Princess of Wales died in a horrific car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. 15 years on, her legacy continues, but there is not official memorial for her apart from a rather unsympathetic water feature in Kensington Gardens, a short distance away from Kensington Palace. Every year, during this anniversary, her fans lay flowers and tributes at the Palace Gates.
Portobello Rock
Another Carnival, another set of images. I have been visiting the Notting Hill Carnival annually for a few years now, and today, with two first-timer mates in tow, we headed towards the Trellick Tower in North Kensington, and its surrounding streets. The smell of BBQ, smoky air, heady bass from 1,000 watts speakers, and throngs of people, people of all ages, shapes and sizes (!) greeted us as the trucks loaded with sound DJs played their tunes and the dance troupes in fiery costumes limbered up in preparation of the fest.
The Carnival is filled with photographers, as it is one of the best public events to shoot street photographs at without being intimidated or intimidate the subjects. You can join in the with the dancers, and get real close without much effort.
This year, I am editing in black and white.
SUMMER images! Did you shoot any?
explorenation is curating a set of images titled ‘Timeless Summer’ for an Autumn event to be held in London, to brighten up the days in Autumn, when the days begin to shorten, shadows lengthen, and the chill wind starts to blow again. Email me your pics now(!) to info@explorenation.net
Images can be on any subject, taken anywhere, depicting a timeless summery moment in your own interpretation. Instagrams, Hipstamatics, Fine Art, anything..
Open to all dedicated photographers, we want your SINGLE timeless image to be included in an exhibition. Photographs selected will be printed and exhibited in a special event (to be announced) where your prints will be available for sale.
Please send your jpeg at 800pixels wide in any format, B&W or Colour. We are looking for that special stand alone photograph that shout out SUMMER, eg. BBQ’s, beaches, outdoor, camping, flowers, fairs, camper vans, ice cream, bikinis,… that sort of thing!
Go on! Have a look at your images and see what you have shot this Summer.
Project : Fairground Attraction
Currently I am working on a series of images on fairgrounds, which I always find to be slightly theatrical but interesting in modern Britain, harking back to Victorian times. Outdoor family entertainment, especially in today’s online based tech world, is limited, and it is always nice to see families enjoying traditional playground rides with all colourful trappings, sounds and lighting of a local fairground. This portrait is of a young lad who mans one of the many game stands in the ground. He was setting up at the time of my visit, but obliged to pose for a photo.
Summerscapes
Took a stroll in Hyde Park this evening, when the late summer sun was low and setting, shadows long. Before long, Summer will turn into Autumn, so its best now to catch some summer images. Here are some images I shot over the last 2 weeks with my little Ricoh GRD2, always still astounded by it’s amazing resolution and tonality. (Click image to view larger image.)
Gone in 5 Seconds : The Olympic Mens Road Race
This morning the Olympic Mens Road Race came through my local High Street, Putney in SW London. Just got in the nick of time to catch the cyclists zooming past. The atmosphere was electric, with both sides of the narrow street lined with spectators.
explorenation.net ~ photography posts, workshops, writings and thoughts by Steven V-L Lee 
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