NIGEL'S RAMBLES: May 2013

Thursday, May 30, 2013

A Hidden Italy

The large Palaces that line the streets in the centres of Northern Italian cities seem rather austere and uninteresting when seen from the street. However behind the large doors leading to their inner courtyards another world emerges.

I took advantage of an open day organised by the “Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane” to take a glimpse behind these closed doors.

Palazzo Motti, Reggio Emilia

Ice Store and Grotto, Palazzo Motti, Reggio Emilia

Palazzo Ceretti, Reggio Emilia

It rained for most of the afternoon that I spent visiting these houses, but the flat light made photographing these courtyards much easier as I avoided the strong shadows that a sunny day would have provided.

Palazzo Zoboli, Reggio Emilia

I also saw what lies behind the walls of the towns old prison. Not much to see, but I had always wondered what was behind the high walls.

The photographs were taken on the Lumix GX1 with the 12-35 2.8 lens. I wanted something discrete and pocket sized. It proved a good move, as photography in the ex prison was not allowed ( as I had imagined) for some reason that escapes me. I managed anyway.

Dimora Secchi, Reggio Emilia

The Images were processed in DXO Viewpoint, a fantastic piece of software that turns even the humble GX1 in to a view camera.Is my 5"x 4" FATIF Technical camera due to meet the same fate as the rest of my analogue stuff?

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Last Snow in the Apennines

We have had a really horrible wet May here in Reggio Emilia. Yesterday a free afternoon and a nice day seemed to coincide.

I decided for my first serious excursion into the high Apennines this year to walk to Lago Martini from Prato Spilla (PR) in the Parco Cento Laghi.

When I got to Prato Spilla the weather was not very promising, it had become somewhat cloudy with a high wind.

After reaching the Crinale, I almost immediately descended to the footpath below as it was just to windy to walk along the narrow crest.

Monte Uomo Morto PR

When I got to Lago Martini I was rewarded with a spectacular sight. The snow had almost gone, but had remained around the lake. Also the weather improved for a while, so I was able to take some decent photographs.

Lago Martini, Parco Cento Laghi PR

I carried for the first time my new Micro 4/3 cameras, which I have bought to save weight for these hikes into the mountains.

Monte Torricella, PR

The Olympus OMD worked as I expected, the Lumix GX1 was difficult to use without a viewfinder as the glare due to the remaining snow made it difficult to see the LCD viewer. The image quality from both cameras was no different to what I got with the much heavier Nikon D300 setup.

The advantage the Lumix GX1 has over the OMD is with changing menu settings. The GX1 has a dedicated ISO button so changing between Auto ISO and a fixed setting is much easier than on the OMD, setting exposure compensation in the snow was also very practical.

The EVF on the Olympus is great for setting exposure compensation in difficult lighting situations. I have just got to customise this camera some more to get a set up that is easy to use in the field.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Berlin

Monday saw me in Berlin for a brief business trip. I had just a couple of hours to see the centre of Berlin in the evening.

Berlin

Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Building, Berlin

The first thing that strikes you about Berlin is the spaciousness of the city. The area taken up by parks is enormous.

Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Building, Berlin

I just had time to see the area around the Reichstag and Potsdamer Plaz. Here the architectural use of steel and glass is absolutely mind blowing, especially the Sony Centre.

Near the Reichstag, Berlin

The multi level train station Haupbanhof is an engineering masterpiece, with the office blocks bridging over the tracks, the slender columns rising up from the basement and the sea of point supported glass.

Haupbanhof, Berlin

Forster’s Reichstag dome is a bit hard to appreciate from the outside, but it must be impressive to walk up the spiral walkway in the roof.

Reichstag, Berlin

The Sony Centre lit up at night is an incredible experience, a feast of coloured light. The dome with the suspended point in the middle is also a great piece of structural engineering.

Sony Centre, Berlin

I just had my humble little second hand Lumix GF3 with a kit lens which lives in my briefcase to take these pictures. Considering the light quality and level, it acquitted itself quite well as a travel camera.