This is a photography blog, and today I’m going to address a critical concern for all photographers visiting Italy- driving.  That’s right. It’s one thing to know your camera, but what good is that if you don’t arrive alive? So, if you want to live to photograph in Italy, you might want to read this.
I’ve just spent over two weeks driving in Italy, along its Autostradas as well as along its winding, narrow streets, in large, grand cities like Florence, as well as tiny towns so small their names did …

If you’re photo travel plans include Sicily, you will not want to miss the small, medieval town of Erice. Situated on a mountaintop near Trapani, on the southern coast, Erice is reached by car, private and public bus, or cable car.

This little town in a jewel for photographers. Every street, every corner you turn, offers exciting opportunities for photography, from architectural to travel to people.

The town shelters myriad churches and monasteries, but there is also a castle, stone-paved streets, houses and small boutique hotels.

 
One of my favorite things about …

Off the coast of Trapani, Sicily, right at the point of the boot, sit the three tiny Egadi Islands. The largest is Favignana and I’m here right now photographing. I thought I’d share with you today’s adventure as an illustration of creative choice in photography.
Atop the highest point of the island there is an old fortress, which some locals prefer to call a castle.  My guess is that those who call it a castle have never done the strenuous hike up there.
 
The fortress sits about 1,000 feet above the historic …

This was my first visit to Pompei and every preconception I had of the site was dashed within minutes. I had a schedule to keep and I alloted two hours to visiting Pompei. Instead, we ended up spending five very active hours and when the park closed we were one of the last to leave. I could easily have spent another day or two exploring these ancient ruins- and in fact I expect I will because my photography was rushed and I was not allowed to bring in my tripod …

Well, we arrived in Rome in the rain, got in a rental car and hightailed it out of town to a marvelous B&B (more on that in a minute). We had taken a red-eye from Baltimore to London and I could not get more than a hour of very disturbed sleep (how can anyone sleep in Economy Plus, let alone Economy!?). Then our next flight to Rome was delayed, so by the time I arrived I was bleary-eyed and bushed. Knowing this would be a possibility, I had booked our …

In celebration of spring, I’m sharing with my blog readers some tips from my e-book series: The Photographer’s Eye. There are three books on shooting landscapes, wildlife and people. Each book includes ten images that serve as examples of various techniques  along with extensive shooting information. Each book ends with ten tips to make your shooting more effective.
If you’re shooting landscapes, one of the most effective means of adding interest and impact is to include a foreground element. A strong foreground helps bring scale and perspective to a scene. It can …

My next post will be from Italy, as I’m frantically cleaning equipment and going through my pre-assignment checklist of things to bring. I haven’t been to Italy in more than a decade, and even then it was only for a short stop in Rome. This trip I’ll be driving at the height of spring between Florence and Sicily, then flying the historic Ionian Sea to Malta, and then back to Italy for a few solid days photographing in Rome itself. Can’t wait!

On the drive down south from Florence, I’m hoping to capture …

Here’s another photo tip from my eBook Photographing People in my The Photographer’s Eye series. I call it: Get a Picture, Give a Print.
This is always a fun thing to do, if you intend to visit a location again, OR if you use one of the tiny new portable printers now on the market.
 
Once you get a subject to agree to allow you to take their picture- and often I end up making some great friends that way- I either send a print to that person once I get home or …

In giving you some photo tips from my e-books over the past two weeks, I had a regular visitor write to me asking about tripods. The question was mostly about which tripod would be best for his circumstances, but the conversation reminded me that I’d better slip in one of my most talked about tips and one that I revisit pretty regularly. Stated simply, if you want the Number One secret to improving your landscape images it is to simply use a tripod. Every pro landscape photographer I know uses …

In honor of spring, when you will undoubtedly be out there trying to make up for lost camera time, here is another tip, a simple but critical one, taken from one of my The Photographer’s Eye e-books. This one is from my photographing wildlife e-book.
The most critical aspect of photographing wildlife is that you have the eyes in focus.  The fact is that an animal shot can be mediocre, but if the eyes are sharp, chances are people will probably like it. If the eyes are out of focus, no …